Steve & Melissa in an English Country Garden | Season 2 Recap

“The man fanned himself with this hat. This time a different odour caught in Lara’s nose, something sweet, but not exactly pleasant, like overripe fruit…” This is Haunted UK Fiction, original stories of the supernatural, the monstrous, and the unknown. Today’s story is The Same Dark Heart by Robert McDermott. If you’ve been listening to our show for some time, you’ll recognize Robert as the author of other brilliant stories like It Shows Up When It’s Needed, One Always Comes Back, and Sukie in the Graveyard. This particular story of Robert’s skews less toward nostalgia than his previous work, and more towards outright terror.

“Amidst the hundreds upon hundreds of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes that lay in that field, there sat one unique and peculiar, and rather large misshapen one. Creepily, it displayed all of Eugene’s exact same facial features, right down to his large set of slowly blinking, bloodshot eyes, bulbous, crooked nose, as well as his quivering, signature devious grin…”

“I persisted up those grimy stairs. I had to. For up on the thirteenth floor was Mr Barnes. The man who said he had a message for me; a message from my dead husband, Simon…”

“As I looked at this John Doe, I felt odd. Not scared, or creeped out, just… I don’t know… an unease? That might be the word… I had the oddest feeling, difficult to describe, a sort of apprehension. A bit like the feeling when you think you are being watched, but no one is there…”

“You’ve run out of time. But if you let me have your watch for just a moment, I can give you some back…”