"Gibbet Hill" is an 1890 short story by Bram Stoker first published in a Christmas supplement of the Daily Express Dublin Edition.
The story was unknown to even Stoker biographers and literary scholars until October 2024, when it was uncovered by Brian Cleary, an amateur researcher and Stoker enthusiast at the National Library of Ireland.
Plot
The story revolves around a man who meets three children standing in front of a memorial to a murdered sailor, by Gibbet Hill. One of the children suggests that, if there was a murder today, someone would be stuck up on Gibbet Hill. The man invites them to see where the murderer had been put and, together, they walk to the top of the hill. Distracted by the view, the narrator loses sight of the children. He takes a nap among some trees, and wakes to see the children a short distance away, before a snake passes over his feet towards the children, who appear able to communicate with and control the snake. Later, the children attack the narrator. The story culminates with the snake wriggling out of the narrator’s chest and gliding away down the hillside.
External links
Works related to Gibbet Hill at Wikisource
References
- ^ "Hidden Bram Stoker Story Unearthed in NLI's Archives by Amateur Researcher". www.nli.ie. 2024-10-19. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- "Dracula author Bram Stoker's lost story unearthed after 134 years". BBC News. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Freyne, Patrick (2024-10-19). "Long-lost story by Dracula author Bram Stoker unearthed at National Library of Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-10-23.