“Rough Musick” first appeared in Fiction River Magazine, the Superstitious issue, edited by Mark Leslie. A murder mystery of sorts, the story is set in a seventeenth-century Cornish mining town and explores the role and influence of superstition in the everyday lives of its citizens.
Researching this was a fascinating enterprise, and the story took root when I read about a mining superstition regarding shoes on the table. Back then, a man’s shoes were as recognizable as his face, and putting his shoes on the table meant he wouldn’t be needing them anymore.
Superstition pervaded life in Cornwall, especially in mining communities, governing customs and practices and calling the tune. Those who ignored its demands laid themselves open to great misfortune. Or so they believed.
“Rough Musick
