I think it likely that I’m the only person in these parts
who puts a piece of cake and a drop of scotch out for the little people on
Hallowe’en. In so doing, I hope to gain the favour of the wee gentlemen, so
that if any of the villagers should dwell over long on the notion that I am ‘strange,’
they might find that they have a veritable Mr Karswell
on their doorsteps. That should teach them, shouldn’t it? It should.
And in that context, I would recommend that you avoid
reading the Wikipedia entry on the film Night
of the Demon, should you be curious about it. The writer will insist on
describing Karswell as ‘the leader of a Satanic cult,’ when neither the film
nor the short story from which it’s adapted make any mention of such a fact. Karswell
is simply a powerful pagan magician – a warlock of the first magnitude, if you
like. I do wish ignorant people would stop confusing witches with Satanists,
since they’re not even distantly related. Dennis Wheatley wrote about Satanists; MR James evidently knew better.
2 comments:
So nice of you to leave out treats for the little people. You're sure not to get tricked now, unless they have too much Scotch!
I'm often called strange and weird myself, sometimes even to my face. Doesn't always feel too good, but whatever. I was called odd a few days ago when talking about how people give god or whatever 'higher power' ego flaws that are obviously silly to consider a transcendent being/deity having. But the lady who told us frame shop workers that she believed Obama to be the anti-christ is treated as more credible than i. I'll accept being odd then.
I suspect the last time you and I were together, Andrea, we were sharing the top of the same bonfire. I've asked the same question about God: 'Why is he so emotionally insecure?' The redoubtable (and somewhat conservative) Christine asked me whether I'm a communist on Saturday night. A heated debate ensued! It was then that she told me about being asked who the 'strange man' is who lives up by the school. Fortunately, however, there isn't a lot of belief in the anti-Christ in Britain.
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