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.
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