He gradually became aware that the words in the article he was reading were following a faint, rhythmic pattern that ebbed and flowed around a soft, steady beat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It sounded like a heart beat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It sounded like Polly’s heart beat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Jason screamed in terror and flung himself out of the house, running toward the bridge as the heart beat grew louder and louder in his ears.
“HEARTBEAT” From SPooky Maryland
Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for thirty creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past. Set way back near the cold, calm waters of Crisfield, in the quiet rural farmlands of Venton, and in the dark, heavily wooded swamplands of Cambridge, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again. You will encounter:
- Crooked Kate, a witch who takes her revenge against a Chesapeake Bay Waterman
- Jason, a jealous husband who is haunted to death by the sound of his wife’s beating heart.
- Marmaduke Mister, who finds gold on Smith Island, with fatal consequences
- Plus many other ghosts and spooky creatures, including the evil Jack-O-Lantern.
Maryland folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser and through artist Paul Hoffman’s evocative illustrations. Whether read around the campfire on a dark and dreary night or from the backseat of the family van on the way to grandma’s, this is a collection to treasure.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part One: Ghost Stories
1. Whalem-Balem – Salisbury
2. Cruel Master – Bethesda
3. The Headless Confederate – Annapolis
4. Dead Man’s Coat – Crisfield
5. Open Grave – Venton
6. Big Liz – Cambridge
7. The Life-Car – Ocean City
8. Ghost in the Mizzen – Baltimore
9. The Well – South Mountain State Park, Boonsboro
10. The Ghost House – Dorchester County
11. Ghost in the Chimney – Frostburg
12. The Music Lesson – Baltimore
13. Traitor – Clinton
14. Steal Away Home – Berlin
15. Handprint – Calvert County
16. The Ghost of William Jinks – Allegany County
Part Two – Powers of Darkness and Light
17. Goatman – Bowie
18. The White Horse – Cambridge
19. Eavesdropper – Hagerstown
20. The Devil’s Racecourse – Baltimore
21. Marmaduke Mister’s Gold – Smith Island
22. The Hairy Toe – Upper Marlboro
23. Crooked Kate – Somerset County
24. The Card Game – Ward’s Crossing
25. Dawn’s Early Light – Fort McHenry, Baltimore
26. Heartbeat – Ellicot City
27. Jack O’Lantern – Worchester County
28. Der Belznickel – St. Mary’s County
29. Black Aggie – Pikesville
30. The Floating Coffin – Hoopers Island
31. Buried Alive – Easton
32. Lords of the Manor – St. Charles
33. The Werewolf’s Bride – Baltimore
34. Don’t Turn on the Light – Prince George’s County
