Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

Quercu de Cordibus Vestris
by John Clewarth
I?ve always had a love of ?period?ghost stories, M.R. James and H.P.
Lovecraft ? and this story combines flavours of all three! Add in a
generous sprinkling of trees and the great outdoors plus a tablespoon
full of suspense, and Quercu de Cordibus Vestris is the result of this very
strange recipe.
Can't you see? I love you
Please don't break my heart in two
That's not hard to do
'Cause I don't have a wooden heart
Wooden Hear t : Elvi s Pr esl ey ? 1960
Si r Cl ar ence Whi t l ock dr ew deeply on hi s l ar ge ci gar , sl owly ex hal i ng t he
bl ui sh sm ok e.
It sw ir led in the war m air of the Club, w r apping itself ar ound the gas lights,
tw isting thr ough the br anches of the tastefully-decor ated Chr istmas tr ee like an
indolent ghost. Whitlock was a lar ge man, in all aspects; br oad-shoulder ed, hefty of
gir th, and gr uff-voiced. He looked evenly at me, thr ough eyes that bor e clar ity
nor mally seen in much younger men: they w er e small, br ow n and eagle-like.
Bushy w hite br ow s bor der ed these, set in a r uddy face, bear ded and lined, giving
mute testament to ever y one of his seventy or so year s.
He leaned for war d, taking up the glass of br andy fr om his side table, befor e
settling back in his gr eat leather chair - a metaphor ical king on his thr one. The
image was compounded by the lar ge por tr ait of Whitlock, star ing out gr andly,
alongside the pr eceding pr esidents of the Club. A Latin phr ase, car ven into a
123