This article includes more connections to
existing articles, with references to attack dogs, getting what we want, lions’
mouths and rowan trees.
The attack-dog syndrome
I noticed one very subtle and one very
obvious example of the attack-dog syndrome, which has been covered elsewhere.
This is the subtle and mild example:
We are told that the vicar who preceded Uncle
Ambrose was fond of the witch Emma Cobley and would never believe the stories
told about her in the village.
We are not told anything more, but I would
bet that he became annoyed and said something like, “How can you say these
things about such a fine person?” Maybe he even sternly told them not to bear
false witness!
Someone in his position should have taken the
accusations very seriously; not doing so is a dead giveaway that something is
very wrong. His reaction is a sign that the stories are probably true.
This is the obvious and potentially very
serious example:
When the children first go into the village,
they see an inn called The Bulldog. They learn from an old postcard that the
inn formerly had a wonderful bird on its sign. They also learn that the inn is
owned by some of Emma Cobley’s unpleasant associates.
The inn has a fierce bulldog on its swinging
sign. A huge and ugly bulldog sits in the doorway and growls at the children.
Just like Emma Cobley’s cat, the bulldog grows
to an enormous size and attacks the children. Emma and her associates are also
involved in this attack, which the children brought on themselves by not
obeying Emma’s orders to stay away from a particular area.
One of the gang later greets the children in
a friendly way. Inflicting or attempting to inflict serious blows and injuries
and expecting the victims to carry on as if nothing had happened is another
game that people who are under evil influences play.
Everything changes for the better once Emma’s
figurines have been burned. There are no more attacks, and Emma replaces the
inn sign with a picture of a beautiful peregrine falcon.
