A Taste of Terror

You were looking forward to a break from chess, and a holiday on Aunt Clarissa's farm was just what you needed.

You may have been the county's youngest chess champion, but those long afternoons hanging around the Wigtown chess tables was not much fun for a ten-year-old. You would much rather be running around on your Aunt Clarissa's farm. Well, it used to be your Uncle Bill's farm, but Uncle Bill died under mysterious circumstances on the full moon just one month ago. Now Aunt Clarissa looks after the farm by herself.

The train's whistle breaks you out of your reverie. As the brakes squeal, you quickly gather your backpack and get ready to alight at Forfar Station. Your Aunt Clarissa is there to greet you. Her wrinkled hand reaches out and she gives you an icy hug. "How's my little Sean? Welcome back to Forfar!"

Your aunt seems to have aged incredibly since you last saw her at Uncle Bill's funeral. She just doesn't look her normal sprightly self. Her voice is raspy, her skin looks more flabby than usual and she seems to have grown a hooked nose. Uncle Bill's death must have hit her hard, poor thing.

After a short taxi ride through the Sidlaw Hills, you soon reach the farm.

The following day, you go wild jumping in the barn, running through the fields and exploring the hills. Chess is soon a distant memory. Everything is perfect, yet something bothers you about Aunt Clarissa.

When you go to bed that night, you can't get to sleep due to a pain in your back. You guess you must have torn a muscle or something with all the running around, so you tip-toe down to the kitchen to see if you can find a painkiller...