SOURCE: "Inexplicable" (The Strand December 1917)  by L. G. Moberly

DESCRIPTION: "...A frozen horror must have paralysed his speech, as it prevented me from uttering a syllable, and we stood there clutching each other and looking at the stairs, down which in the dusk we could see a huge shape gliding at lightning speed. Another was coming more slowly out of the drawing-room door, and from amongst the dark shadows of the hall came sounds of sliding and pattering--sounds which made my very blood run cold." ("Inexplicable" by L. G. Moberly)

NOTES: The House at 119 Glazebrook Terrace comes with a special treat, a carved table bearing two crocodiles in exquisite detail. Unfortunately these creatures and their odor haunt the house. One man is tripped while moving the table, and servants see things moving around the house in the dark. A guest says the smell reminds him of a swamp he had just barely escaped with his life. Finally the master and mistress of the house see the horrors for themselves. The next day, in full sunlight, the master takes the table outside and burns it, ending the monsters' shenanigans.

HISTORY: Moberly's writing is compared to Ethel M. Dell's: Critic Edward Shanks said Dell 'could not write but her stories were good'. This pretty much sums up this story. A cool idea but not nearly developed enough. The gators are creepy but they don't snack on anyone.