Throughout the Victorian Era sightings of Jack continued, and spread outside of London all across the country, although the most serious was in 1845 when it was claimed that he cornered thirteen-year-old prostitute Maria Davis, breathed fire into her face and threw into a ditch below, the muddy waters claiming her life. In 1877 he was sighted at Aldershot Barracks, where sentries fired shots at him but he merely laughed and leapt away.
By the end of the era, sightings of Jack had dwindled, but never went away completely. Reports of him, and of similar creatures and bogeymen, have continued to this day across the entire world. In modern day Surrey, Children have reported seeing a man in black and with red eyes who can run as fast as a car, who approaches dark-haired children and says ‘I want you’.
Of course, we’ll likely never actually know if there ever was a real Spring-Heeled Jack, a man or group of men who decided to don costumes and terrorize 19th century Britain, and others emulating and imitating the myth they created for the next two centuries. In the absence of any such explanation, it’s only natural that many turn to the super-natural to provide an answer. Perhaps Jack was a demon, or a being from another world who somehow got stranded here, or really was just the devil himself.
In addition, the difficulty in verifying many of the ‘historical’ accounts about Jack, matters are father convoluted by the fact that a great deal of fiction has been made about him, or other characters who, like in our story, have taken on his mantle for their ends.
It wasn’t long after he first appeared that his name was being used by parents to frighten children into behaving themselves, and fictional accounts of encounters began to be circulated by the media of the time looking to cash-in on all the hysteria about him. Serialized stories about him started appearing in Penny Dreadfuls in the 1860’s. He’s popped up many times in novels, and in modern media he has appeared as a villain in a number of comics and TV shows. In some cases, writers have even tried to turn him into a vigilante super-hero… but, given what his general attitude toward women seems to be, he’s not a hero I would cheer on.
Nevertheless, his legend continues to endure in some form or another, and he’ll likely stay with us for a long time into the future.
About the Author
John Coutelier studies psychology from his home in Hampshire, England. He grew up watching Star Trek and Doctor Who and early developed a keen interest in science, technology, the paranormal, myth, magic, dinosaurs, the great western railway, space and... a lot of things. More relevantly, he developed an interest in reading and in telling stories about all those things. While he now accepts that the ghost he saw in his cupboard once as a child may in fact have just been a coat on a hangar, his interest in story telling has never gone away.
These days, when not studying, he spends his time reading and listening to podcasts about science, playing video games, watching TV, reading fantasy and science-fiction novels... he's a nerd, basically. He pretends not to be sometimes, pointing out for example that he does not own a Star Fleet uniform. He does own a few Daleks, but those are just to keep his niece and nephews entertained when they visit. As are the Batman action figures. And the My Little Pony DVD's (seriously, those aren’t mine – they belong to my nephew).
His other hobbies include art, photography, long walks in the countryside, violin, and origami. At least it was until his pet hamster decided it could make something much better and shredded all of his books to make a bed.
That hamster is now dead (from natural causes). He now only keeps birds, away from his bookshelf.
He also comes from a large Irish family, most of whom he doesn't really know very well and tries to avoid as much as possible because they are all very silly and annoying.
Other books by this author
Please visit your favorite ebook retailer to discover other books by John Coutelier:
Novellas
Jen Air: Springheel
Jen Air: Out There
The Jen Air Series
Jen Air: The Little Queen
Jen Air: Asterion (Coming Soon!)
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