When Carter Jr., Lord Combermere, Reverend Thomas Orderson, and the cemetery keeper entered the crypt, they were no longer surprised to find the coffins scattered all over the place. However, they did notice the figure sitting at the back, completely covered by a blanket.
"John! John!" —exclaimed Carter, rushing toward the spot. But upon discovering that what was hidden under the blanket was not me, but a corpse, he let out a horrified scream, thinking that his friend had turned into that putrefied creature. However, what they had found was the body of Colonel Thomas Chase. And I was found inside his coffin, unconscious.
Two weeks later.
—What are you going to do, John? —asked my friend Carter as we watched the island shrink to a small dot in the distance.
—I’m going to keep investigating the strange phenomena, no doubt about it. But, if I ever come up with an idea as stupid as entering that crypt again, I beg you to give me a good punch—, I answered sincerely.
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—I don’t think that will be necessary! —Carter laughed. —Let’s relax and have a drink.
—Let’s go—, I nodded, leaving that chilling episode behind and ready to enjoy my friend’s company and forget, for a moment, the horrors we had witnessed.
THE END
Author's Note Extracted from the True Story
In 1819, after having placed all the coffins back in their original positions, Lord Combermere decided to cover the floor of the crypt with a layer of white sand in order to search for evidence that might solve the mystery once and for all. The marble slab sealing the entrance was fixed with cement.
The inhabitants of the Bay could not wait for another death in the Chase family to uncover the truth. And so, on April 18, 1820, it was decided to open the sealed vault to examine its interior.
The Christ Church cemetery was filled with eager people. Everyone wanted to witness the results of the governor’s investigation. Uncertainty and astonishment filled the air. The heavy marble slab was carefully removed after the cement was cleared. A sense of a curse seemed to surround the Chase family mausoleum.
Once again, the coffins were disordered and repositioned. No footprints were found in the white sand to point to anyone as responsible for this strange occurrence. Shortly afterward, the governor decided to move the coffins to another cemetery, and since then, the crypt has remained empty to this day.