In the House of Screaming Skulls by M Read online

  Ghost Stories, December, 1926

  In the House of Screaming

  Skulls

  by M. Bouillard As told to Ed Poirers

  Those skulls were broken to fragments-battered against walls — hurled from windows—and still they continued to scream their curse on the house of Bouillard ON the banks of the Lugre stands the Chateau

  during recent years, the old chateau still

  Lavignac. It is set upon the crest of Lavignac retains an atmosphere of age coupled with

  Hill, overlooking the town and commanding a

  something that to the sensitive and

  very beautiful view of the river for many

  superstitious is peculiarly uncanny.

  miles. It is the ancestral home of my parents.

  Is it any wonder that I have been

  For centuries it has been the dwelling place of unable to sell or rent the place? Terrible tales the Bouillards. Though it has been renovated

  have been told all over the countryside about

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  2

  the chateau. It is called by the superstitious owned, however, none were so desirable for

  folk the “Chateau of the Screaming Skulls.”

  the site of this house as the land held by

  There is an old story handed from Neighbor DeFronte. Time and time again they generation to generation by word of mouth;

  made offers to DeFronte to buy his land, but

  and if it were not for the fact that I have seen he would not sell. He could not bear to part

  these skulls with my own eyes I would be

  with the land that had been his father’s

  inclined to doubt the veracity of this weird

  father’s.

  tale. I have never heard the screams, but I

  Many times Bouillard went to him

  have seen the skulls. I cannot say that I am

  offering inducements—but to no avail.

  very proud of the story and it isn’t often that I DeFronte was obdurate. He would not sell on

  tell it, for it does, no credit to my illustrious any condition.

  ancestors. Of course, in those days might was

  As the story runs, my noble and none

  right.

  too scrupulous ancestor came back from one

  Back in the seventeenth century before

  of those meetings vowing to himself that he

  Chateau Lavignac was built, the land upon

  would get the DeFronte farm, if not by fair

  which it now stands was owned by one Jules

  means, then by foul.

  DeFronte. He was a small farmer, tilling his

  Whether or not Madam Bouillard was

  soil and loving it for what it yielded. He lived the author of the wicked deed that was done, I with his wife in a little cabin. They were a

  can not say. It is not fair to intimate she

  hard working, thrifty couple who loved their

  instigated the dastardly crime that followed,

  little home, set upon the hilltop nestled among without being definitely certain. It is a known the pines. Their few acres of ground were to

  fact, however, that she had a hand in it, and, if them as their life’s blood, for they had been

  she was not the prime mover, she at least was

  handed down to DeFronte through a long well up in the front. Some women do series of generations.

  influence men to crime and, when a man is

  Now, there were in the town of under the influence of such a woman, who am Lavignac, Jacques Bouillard and his wife, the

  I to say which one is most to blame?

  good Madam Bouillard. He was the first of my

  noble ancestors of which there is any trace.

  A FEW days after the final meeting with

  Before him they were nobodies. Bouillard had

  DeFronte, in which he received the decided

  acquired a good-sized fortune and was the

  answer, Monsieur Bouillard rode over to the

  head of a large and rather influential family.

  DeFronte cottage. Smiling, he offered his

  Though he was not titled, he was of wealthy

  hand to DeFronte, telling him that he had

  bourgeoisie that could meet the nobility on

  given up all desire to buy his land and that he terms of equality, due to his tremendous had decided to build the chateau on the land wealth and his power over the country people.

  which he himself owned. He expressed a very

  Bouillard owned all of Lavignac Hill, with the sincere wish that since they were to be

  exception of the piece of land held by neighbors, they should bury the past, be DeFronte.

  friends, and he hoped the few harsh words he

  had spoken would be forgotten. To show his

  MADAM BOUILLARD was very beautiful

  sincerity and sorrow for the way he had

  and intensely ambitious. With Monsieur treated Monsieur DeFronte, he invited him Bouillard she had planned to build a fine and his wife to be his guests at his home in house on Lavignac Hill, that would be the talk town on Christmas Day, which was then only

  of the countryside. Of all the acres they two weeks away.

  In the House of Screaming Skulls 3

  Of course, an invitation to the have attracted the attention of all those at the Bouillard’s on Christmas was not to be table, both to the farmer and the goblet. It also neglected in the town of Lavignac, at least, not served to connect them both in the minds of

  by people in the humble position of the those present. The fact that DeFronte had paid DeFrontes. So when Christmas Day rolled particular attention to the work was registered around Jules DeFronte and his wife mingled

  with those at the table.

  with Bouillard’s other guests, probably

  Two days after the dinner, soldiers

  looking, in their plain homespun clothes, like came to the house of DeFronte and arrested

  two sparrows at a peacock picnic.

  him and his wife. They were thrown into

  As the story goes, my noble ancestors

  prison without being informed of the charge

  went out of their way to make the DeFrontes

  upon which they were arrested. They were left

  comfortable, taking great pains to have them

  there for two weeks, then taken out and hauled introduced to all the guests and deeply before the magistrate. Monsieur and Madam resenting any attitude of indifference shown

  Bouillard appeared and accused the prisoners

  toward them. It was plain that they were to be of stealing the valuable goblet. The poor

  considered the guests of honor. When the farmer and his wife were disconsolate, for DeFrontes sat down to dinner they felt morose

  they had no more stolen that goblet than I had.

  and decidedly uncomfortable. They remained

  At the trial many witnesses bore

  noticeably silent. This can easily be testimony to the effect that Farmer DeFronte understood.

  had paid particular attention to the goblet at My ancestor’s jewels were the talk of

  the dinner in Bouillard’s house on Christmas

  the countryside. He was famous for his Day. Madam Bouillard told a damning story, collection of antique plate, specially wrought the most of it, I am frank to admit, untrue. She silverware and golden vessels. Around the told of the conversation that took place, how DeFrontes were placed many dishes of the

  the goblet had been set before the prisoner for finest workmanship, their
value a well him to use, and how she had been attracted by established fact The poor farmer and his wife

  the attention he had paid to it. Two of the

  never had seen such exquisite things and they

  Bouillard’s servants came forward and said

  could not keep their gaze away from them.

  that they had observed Madam DeFronte and

  They relieved their embarrassment by staring

  her husband lingering in the dining room after at these various works of art. Jules DeFronte’s the rest of the guests had withdrawn to the

  attention was especially fixed on a small parlor.

  goblet that was placed at the right hand side of Finally, the goblet itself was produced

  his seat. It was filled with the most exquisite and two soldiers swore that, when they had

  wine my ancestor had out of his cellar. Out of searched DeFronte’s cottage after the arrest,

  it DeFronte drank, during the course of the

  they had found it hidden in a cupboard.

  meal, and he continued to gape at it and fondle In face of such a formidable array of

  it whenever his hands came near it.

  testimony the denials of the poor farmer and

  A lull came in the conversation, giving

  his wife were useless. So, according to the

  Madam Bouillard a chance to remark.

  cruel code of the time, they were sentenced to

  “I see, good neighbor DeFronte, that

  death. Neither had spoken while the trial was

  you greatly admire that goblet. It is well worth in progress, but as the magistrate finished

  your attention, for it is valued at over three pronouncement of penalty, Madam DeFronte

  thousand francs.”

  sprang from her chair, pointed her finger at

  DeFronte started. This remark must Bouillard and his wife, and her voice rang

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  with a weird prophetic note as she said forgotten, so Madam Bouillard paid no heed vehemently:

  to the weird dancing shadows. She walked

  “As there is a just God in Heaven,

  resolutely up the stairs.

  Jacques Bouillard, you and your wife will rue

  Suddenly she stopped, frozen with

  this crime. It will haunt you to your graves.

  terror. She screamed—and a piercing,

  You have damned yourself to grab our land.

  agonized scream it was. The guests ran out

  Neither you nor your breed will prosper with

  and up the stairs to where their trembling

  it. Your friendship shall be fatal and all those hostess was standing. She was rigid as one

  that you and your children shall love will die petrified. Her lips moved, but she was

  in sorrow. You will have no happiness in this

  speechless. All she could do was to point to

  world and will burn in eternal fire in the next.

  the landing above her. The guests looked and

  As sure as they die, Jules DeFronte and his

  were aghast at what they saw.

  wife will be with you day and night until

  Sitting on the stair railing were two

  eternity. Never, as long as your blood flows

  grinning, leering skulls. A sickly, repulsive

  upon this earth, shall you or your posterity be grin was on each, and the eye sockets were

  rid of the specters of Jules DeFronte and his

  distorted to give a most grotesque slant to the wife. Remember.”

  whole head. It was horrifying.

  She was quickly silenced and dragged

  One of the guests, more adventurous

  off to prison with her husband. Two days later and playful than the others, approached them.

  they were dead; but Jacques Bouillard was to

  He came within three feet of them when they

  find that the curse of Madam DeFronte was to

  let out a most bloodcurdling series of cries and come to pass.

  moans. Undaunted, this brave fellow struck at

  them with his sword and they fell clattering to NO sooner were the DeFrontes dead than my

  the floor. They were real skulls, no phantoms

  most worthy ancestor seized their land. He cut of distorted minds. They crashed to the floor

  down their loved trees and wrecked their with a noise that resounded throughout the homestead; he began building the house of his

  halls of the great house; and there they were

  dreams in its place.

  broken into bits.

  Before many moons had passed over

  “This is a trick,” someone said; and

  Lavignac Hill the mansion was complete, and

  everyone present was inclined to agree with

  arrangements were made for a monster house-

  him. Here were two real skulls, and it was

  warming to which the gentry for miles around

  hard for any normal-minded person to believe

  were invited. It was a gala occasion for that they came of their own free will. They Lavignac. The gentry came in silks and satins.

  must have been propelled by some outside

  Merriment ran high. Huge bonfires were built

  force and what could be more logical than to

  on the grounds, while inside the great hall a

  assume that that outside force was a pair of

  feast such as was never seen in Lavignac, was

  human hands?

  spread.

  Suspicion immediately fell upon a

  During the course of the evening, servant of the house and he was flogged to Madam Bouillard left the great hall to get

  make him confess. But the poor fellow was

  some of her rare jewels to exhibit to the innocent. This was soon proven. My ancestors guests. The great staircase was dimly lighted

  were convinced that it was not the servant

  by candles placed in niches especially built

  who was the instigator of the trick, but some

  into the wall and grotesque shadows played on

  supernatural power.

  the wall. The curse of Madam DeFronte was

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  ABOUT a week later when Monsieur and

  heels of the family. Jacques Bouillard lost

  Madam Bouillard were preparing to visit the

  most of his fortune. Every venture into which

  home of a neighbor some miles away, the

  he went was fatal. His most intimate friends

  skulls appeared again. This time they came

  met with great distress, and they died some of when the house was asleep, resting for the

  the most horrible deaths one could imagine.

  morrow’s journey. At two o’clock in the After a few years, shunned by all of their morning terrible screams went reverberating

  friends, tired of life and sick at heart, the

  through the halls of Chateau Lavignac. master and mistress of Chateau Lavignac died, Instantly all was in confusion. The ghoulish

  leaving their son little save the chateau.

  yells came again. Faces peered out of doors,

  and half dressed men came running out into

  WHEN the heir of Jacques Bouillard took

  the halls. There, perched on the staircase, were over the house, the skulls screamed all night.

  the two skulls.

  In his headstrong youth he tried to get rid of Not very much sleeping was done in

  them by breaking them again as his father had

  Chateau Lavignac that night. In the morning,

  done, but the very next night they reappeared

  Monsieur Bouillard took the skulls and threw

  as before. From subsequent developments it

  them into the co
urtyard, where he watched

  seemed that the fury of the specters lessened

  them break with a resounding crash into a

  after the death of Jacques and Madam

  thousand pieces. But the very next night they

  Bouillard. At any rate, so the story goes, they were back in the house again.

  only appeared at Christmas when they howled

  As time wore on, my worthy ancestors

  all night. There never has been a happy

  led a most intolerable existence. Every time

  Christmas in the Bouillard family since that

  any great event would happen at Lavignac, the

  dreadful night when the DeFrontes came to

  skulls would appear and let out their fiendish dinner.

  cries. No servant would stay at Lavignac, not

  When the next in line of the Bouillards

  even overnight. Guests became fewer and was married, the skulls screamed in fiendish fewer, and only the oldest and most delight on his bridal night, nearly scaring his courageous friends dared visit the Bouillards

  young wife to death.

  at all. Invitations were declined, for people

  There are two restrictions that the

  remembered the curse of Madam DeFronte

  skulls impose on every generation of the

  which prophesied misfortune to all friends of

  Bouillard family: They must not be removed

  Bouillard. Yet no one can say that my worthy

  from the house. At frequent intervals this is

  ancestor was lacking in courage, for he went

  tried by some headstrong member of the

  on living in the chateau, regardless of the

  family, with the result that they scream all

  ghoulish disturbances.

  night long. Nor can anyone give a dinner at

  It was the stark reality of the skull that

  the chateau. It has been tried, but each time

  added the touch of horror to the curse. If they the guests have fled in terror when the skulls had been mere ghostly wraiths, it would not

  began their unearthly howling.