January 29th 2011

Fossilized remains of a Pestral discovered in Scotland in 1933.
Fossilized remains of an unknown creature... presumably Pestral... discovered in Scotland in 1933.

Excerpt taken from the unpublished manuscript, ‘Materials for the Study and Classification of Variants in the Animal Kingdom with Especial Regard for those Falling Outside the Boundaries of Natural Selection’, compiled by Roger Holbien.

Pestral

There is scant information available concerning the origin of the Pestral.  We do know that it is a creature which must consume or wear human flesh in order to survive.  Wearing human flesh acts as a balm to their hunger, for a time at least.  The more rotten the meat the more intoxicating it is for them.  Eventually they will consume the meat when the smell begins to alert other animals to their presence.

The Pestral is a delicate and furtive creature with nocturnal habits.  They are scavengers and live mainly in and around graveyards.  A burial will occasionally bring out an almost silent swarm of Pestrals.  They’re smart enough to remain undetected by most humans, lying in wait until the body is left on its own.  Using their powerful claws and jaws they can burrow down to the deceased and are generally careful enough to cover their tracks.   They will steal and fight with each other over the rights to the flesh.

One eyewitness account was discovered in 1892 in the archives of Father Gregory Dunn.  It was penned in 1874 by an unknown source. Along with its signature, the letter’s bottom half had at some point been torn off and presumably destroyed.

“I begin to doubt my own sanity while writing these words, but I cannot continue without relating the events of three nights prior to some other living soul.  We buried old Patrick Warton in the Highgate cemetery where, you may be aware, I’ve recently been employed as night watch.  I believed I heard a queer sound and, going to check, I came upon a creature, no larger than a small mongrel, it had long sharp claws and a powerful jaw.  It had dug a hole through the earth and into Mr. Warton’s coffin.  It was emerging from this tunnel when I came upon it.  It shrunk in fear as soon as it saw me, while I , in turn, was rooted to the spot.  In the little monster’s hands was a long piece of meat, still covered in skin, which it had adroitly removed from the deceased’s body.  The beast regained its wits, or instinct for self preservation, before I and it threw its bloody quarry over its shoulders like a shawl before escaping into the darkness.  I write to you Father because I fear I may need God’s assistance in this matter.  Please help.  I  believe I’ve steeled my nerves for another encounter and have resolved to keep…”

The letter ends here.  I can find no record of any night watchman employed by Highgate cemetery in 1874.

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