Author’s note: These stories are inspired by the folklore and history of Norfolk. They are works of fiction, and some details, characters and events have been altered or invented in the telling. They are accompanied by an original musical score by Dutch Avalanche, composed to sit beneath the vocals I have provided.
Shapeshifters
Shapeshifters brings together six interwoven tales inspired by legends such as Old Shuck, the Sheringham Mermaid, and the lost town of Shipden juxta Mere, alongside echoes of witches and witch hunters. Some elements will feel familiar, others are newly imagined. The intention is simple and sincere: to honour the spirit of these stories by allowing them to change, connect, and speak to one another…
Before the sea took it, Shipden juxta Mere was a place of salt wind, shifting ground and quiet unease.
This story follows a mysterious girl who comes of age as a town slips beneath the waves, carrying the homes and the certainties of the local people with it. Through these trying times, she becomes a mother and like every birth, this one unfolds in its own way, singular and unrepeatable. Through loss and her struggle for survival, she learns a wisdom, shaped by the tides, that nothing truly remains unchanged, nor unfilled.
Along the North Norfolk coast, where rocks and sea conspire in mist and darkness, Old Shuck is waiting…
This tale follows a crew of smugglers bound together by greed and fear, led by a captain whose rule is as brutal as storms in open sea. As their mission unfolds, it becomes clear that his riches are no accident, but the bounty of a bargain struck in secret, meant to bury sin as deeply as treasure. Yet, with a spectral hound on their trail, the captain and his crew are forced to reckon with the dark deeds they have committed, for no one can escape the wrath of Old Shuck.
Travel through the East of England enough and you’ll notice dips in the land, places where angels have possibly fallen…
This retelling of the story of the Callow Pit attempts to explore how the angels amongst us might fall. It is a yarn about the desperation of a village, the greed of a family and the hubris of one man.
The small seaside town of Sheringham once received an unexpected visitor… what if there was more to her story?
In this version of the tale the famed siren is drawn to mysterious music coming from the shore and through her curiosity and sheer will finds more than she could have imagined.
Wander the roads of Norfolk and you’ll find places marked by fears that refuse to pass…
A survivor of the Callow Pit has found new purpose: hunting witches. His crusade carries him from village to village, fuelled by suspicion, certainty and the conviction that evil can always be recognised in someone else.
This is a yarn about fear mistaken for faith, obsession confused with righteousness, and what might happen when a zealot is confronted with life’s mystery and complexity…
Every tale must end somewhere. But in Norfolk, stories have a habit of returning…
In this final yarn, the priest must decide how far he will go for the creature he loves. The wise woman faces the consequences of living too long in a fearful world. The witch hunter finds his conscience, but in the woods… Old Shuck is waiting.
Promises have been made. Wrongs have gone unanswered. And before the night is over, the sea, the sky and all the powers of the earth will have their due.