The story follows a young man named Tom, who is sent to keep watch over a dead body in a churchyard. Tom is warned by the sexton that the dead man's ghost may appear, and he is given a bell to ring if he sees it. Tom spends the night in the churchyard, and as the hours pass, he begins to feel increasingly uneasy. He hears strange noises and sees strange shapes in the darkness. Eventually, he is so scared that he rings the bell, and the sexton comes to his aid. The sexton reveals that the noises and shapes were caused by a cat, and that the dead man's ghost never appeared. Tom is relieved, but he is also embarrassed for having been so scared. The story ends with Tom reflecting on the power of fear and superstition, and how it can cause us to see things that aren't really there.
By W. W. Jacobs · First published 1843 · Genre: Horror, Mystery, Fantasy