Though probably found in the horror section of a bookshop or library, Haynes' stories are not really frightening despite the occasional gruesome touch. The apparent lack of development is quite surprising, given the inclusion of the later work. The standard is high, but the tales are very uniform it is a collection to read in small doses. In this edition, the original collection is expanded about half again with some of Haynes' later stories. Many of them take the point of view of a lonely small child, an echo of Haynes' own orphanage upbringing.
The title story is typical: a Crucible-like tale of a young girl frightened into making accusations of witchcraft. The stories are about atmosphere, for the most part exploring the edges of the supernatural. It is easy to see why the stories captivated an initially reluctant Peake (to the extent that he produced an extra "illustration to an unwritten story by Dorothy Hayes" for which a tale was duly produced).
Haynes was not a name I had come across before, my eye being drawn to this short story collection because it was illustrated by Mervyn Peake. Originally published on my blog here in January 2003.ĭorothy K.
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