The Crown PDF

 M. R. James's "The Crown" is actually a simplified version of one of his most famous and chilling ghost stories, "A Warning to the Curious." These simplified editions, often for English language learners (like those from Penguin Readers), condense the original for accessibility.

Here's a summary of the story, based on "A Warning to the Curious" which "The Crown" adapts:

The story follows Paxton, a young, curious antiquarian who goes on holiday to Seaburgh, a fictionalized version of Aldeburgh, Suffolk. He becomes fascinated by a local legend concerning three ancient crowns of East Anglia. These crowns are said to have been buried long ago to protect England from invasion, and one of them is believed to be still hidden in the vicinity. The legend also mentions a specific family, the Agers, who were sworn guardians of the crown.

Driven by his antiquarian interest (and perhaps a touch of greed), Paxton sets out to find this last crown. He manages to locate the burial spot, near an old church, and secretly digs it up.

However, once he possesses the crown, Paxton finds himself relentlessly stalked by a terrifying supernatural entity – the ghost of William Ager, the last of the crown's guardians, who died recently. The ghost is not malevolent in the traditional sense, but rather a relentless, single-minded force determined to retrieve its charge.

Paxton experiences increasing dread and terror as the entity pursues him. He sees glimpses of it, feels its presence, and is overwhelmed by a sense of impending doom. Desperate, he seeks help from two other holidaymakers at his hotel, the narrator and his friend Henry Long. He confesses what he has done and begs them to help him return the crown to its rightful place.

They agree, and the three men venture out at night to rebury the crown. Even as they do so, they feel the oppressive presence of the guardian.

Despite returning the crown, Paxton remains deeply disturbed. The haunting continues, culminating in a horrific chase on the beach in a thick sea mist. The narrator and Long follow Paxton's footprints, alongside unsettling, bony bare footprints, and eventually discover Paxton's violently deceased body, suggesting he was killed by the spectral guardian.

The story concludes with the narrator and Long keeping the true nature of Paxton's death a secret, haunted by their experience and never returning to Seaburgh.

M. R. James was known for his subtle, unsettling horror, often revolving around antiquarian scholars who meddle with ancient, sacred objects and face the consequences of disturbing what should remain undisturbed. "The Crown" (or "A Warning to the Curious") is a quintessential example of this, emphasizing dread, atmosphere, and the slow, inexorable approach of a malevolent supernatural force.