The Ash Tree: A Tale of Witchcraft, Spiders, and Vengeance

In M.R. James’ The Ash Tree, Mrs. Mothersole is accused of witchcraft after being seen climbing a gnarled ash tree and harvesting ash twigs under moonlight. After her execution, strange deaths plague the family that condemned her, beginning with Sir Matthew Fell, who dies in terror after leaving his bedroom window open to the tree.

Years later, Sir Richard, his descendant, sleeps in the same room. When Sir Richard is found dead in his bed, his face contorted in pain and terror, bloated and black as from some powerful poison, the house is gripped with fear. That night, one of the guests witnesses a cat silently slink toward the ash tree outside the bedroom window. Drawn by something unseen, it climbs into the gnarled trunk and, moments later, lets out a bone-chilling scream. The cry is so unnatural and filled with terror that it rouses the household.

The guests, now shaken, demand answers. A gardener is summoned to investigate. With a lantern in hand, he ascends a ladder and peers into the hollow center of the ancient tree. What he sees inside makes him recoil in horror. His grip slips, and the lantern crashes to the ground, shattering and igniting dry leaves and bark.

The tree erupts in flames—and as it burns, the truth is laid bare. From deep within the ash tree, massive spider-like creatures—some as large as human heads—begin to spill out, writhing and ablaze. Several locals stay near to the tree and beat the enormous spiders to death as they emerge from it. The night becomes a scene of writhing, shrieking chaos as these unholy arachnids are killed before they can flee.

The following day, when the flames finally die, the horror continues. Beneath the tree, hidden in a cave-like hollow at the roots, lies the skeletal body of a woman, preserved unnaturally for decades. It is Mrs. Mothersole, her curse fulfilled, her vengeance complete.