An old ghost/horror story, by one of the masters of the uncanny, with layers of atmosphere, wit and humour. Again, I first read this as a teenager. Despite its age it wears well, with a chatty narrator who is clearly enjoying himself, and who is not completely neutral. This technique is relatively rare these days, but on re-reading the story I still enjoy the narrative bias, and all the many asides. The story begins: “‘I suppose you will be getting away pretty soon, now Full term is over, Professor,’ said a person not in the story…”
The premise is truly nightmarish. Professor Parkins invites a malign ghostly presence into his life simply by blowing a whistle which he has dug up from an ancient ruin. He blows the whistle in all innocence and is slowly terrified almost out of his wits, as was I the first time I read it. The mysterious inscription on the whistle isn’t completely explained, but perhaps part of it means O thief, you will blow [it], you will weep…
There are plenty more stories to read at the link – four books’ worth of stories, according to the introduction by M.R. James himself. There is also a short chapter by the author at the end: “Stories I have tried to write” – how wonderfully honest of him! And generous too, as he offers these ideas to anyone who can make something of them.
First published in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, Edward Arnold, 1904. You can find this story in the Canadian Gutenberg collection of M.R. James’s collected ghost stories here
A Personal Anthology 