A Horror Story
by Short
Whilst investigating the death of a local navigator, a gracious author called Susan Parkes uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, squidgy kettle circulating throughout Australia. As soon as anyone uses the kettle, he or she has exactly 210 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look grey. A marked person feels like a false bear to touch.
Susan gets hold of the kettle, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: an evil kitten balancing on a fat navigator, an old newspaper headline about a magic accident, a hooded hamster ranting about warts and a drinking well located in a crowded place.
When Susan notices her ankles have bear-like properties, she realises that the curse of the squidgy kettle is true and calls in her uncle, a cleaner called Mathias Walker, to help.
Mathias examines the kettle and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the evil kitten balancing on a fat navigator particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Susan and Mathias pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded hamster. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?
