The Hamishton Letter
An original holiday story about The Suff
Excerpt from the TV documentary, Hamishton: A Village Vanishes …
(Narrator)
“Historians uncovered disturbing new evidence shedding light on what happened in Hamishton in December of 1899. An unfinished letter found on a table inside one crumbling abandoned home hints at a terrifying ordeal. Details are scarce, but it suggests that every resident of the tiny New England village vanished without a trace.
We’ve reproduced the letter’s contents for our viewers to let you judge for yourself what happened in Hamishton.”
Dearest Victoria,
I do not know when or how this letter shall reach your hand. I only beseech the heavens for a miracle wherein you may yet read these words and know that you were indeed near to my soul in this desperate hour.
Oil diminishes in my lamp and the flickering flame wanes. Yet I press forward knowing my time is limited before my voice is silenced. Oh, that I had listened to that medium in the day of my folly! Alas, I played the part of a fool.
The Suff, she told me, must not be trifled with. Do not invite his rage to settle upon your home. The Suff will infest your mind. The Suff will steal your soul.
I dismissed Madam Chovsky's warnings as a charlatan's ramblings. A mere old wives' tale meant to scare the foolish and drum up business for the cunning. How foolish to ignore the dangers before my eyes.
All have vanished, dearest Victoria. Shambled off into the darkest woods. Pairs of vacant eyes drawn away to a dark fate. The carolers have fallen silent. Our village belongs to the ghosts now.
Hamishton is but a forgotten memory.
Sweet Victoria! How I yearn for your warm, tender embrace. Please know that I made this choice out of concern for your welfare.
The Suff must not ...
(Narrator)
“The letter cuts off mid-sentence, leaving the author’s fate unknown. Attempts to identify either the author or the woman to whom it the letter addressed have proven unsuccessful to date.
Why did 200 people walk away from Hamishton never to be seen or heard from again? How does their disappearance relate to the Suff? Multiple theories have arisen to explain what happened in the tiny New England village. True answers to those questions still elude us. We only know that the Hamishton Letter truly remains one of history’s greatest mysteries.”
Did you enjoy this latest tale of The Suff? Check out my Strange New Worlds archives for other original short stories.
I love this little hint of a story! It’s very chilling.