Heartbeat
A Maryland Horror Story
Retold by S.E. Schlosser
excerpted from Spooky Maryland
Something was going on. Jason felt it in his bones. Polly was too happy, too cheerful. No woman could be that upbeat and still be faithful to her husband. Jason sat down to a delicious, warm meal every night, and Polly sang to herself as she washed up. What kind of woman could be cheerful doing dishes? Try as he might, Jason never heard anything that hinted of a secret romance. It drove him crazy. Life was not this perfect.
Maybe Polly was seeing the milkman, or the grocer. Jason started getting up early in order to see who it was that delivered the milk. Much to his disappointment, the fellow looked as if he’d been born several centuries ago. Then Jason started doing the food shopping, and checked out every single male employee in the local grocery store. They were either antediluvian relicts—like the milkman—or still in diapers.
Later that month Jason was over at his father-in-law’s house working in the garage when he over heard his father-in-law call to Hank…Polly’s high-school boyfriend. Now he knew! He knew why Polly was so happy all the time. Her parents must have told her that Hank was coming home, and she was planning on running off with him.
Enraged with jealousy, Jason was waiting in the kitchen when Polly got back from church. He was beyond reason. He snatched up a newly sharpened steak knife, howling: “You’ve cut out my heart, now I’ll cut out yours!” Jason leapt around the table and ripped Polly’s still-beating heart out of her chest. Blood streaming everywhere, he sailed out the back door into the dark night and flung her heart, still thumping, over the side of the bridge that spanned the creek next to their home.
Jason cleaned up the blood-stained house with extreme care and buried Polly’s body deep in the woods outside of town. Then he wrote several letters, carefully mimicking Polly’s handwriting, and mailed them to himself and her parents. Within a few days, everyone in town believed that Polly had been secretly seeing a man from the next town and that they had run away together.
Late one evening, he went out to the bridge to gloat in triumph over his unfaithful wife. Polly had gotten what she deserved, he thought. As he stood staring down at the water, he became aware of a vibration under his feet. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It floated softly through the air, a simple rhythmic thudding. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Jason’s hands began to tingle as he recognized the soft thudding sound. It was the same beat he had felt when he held Polly’s bleeding heart in his hands. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.
The heartbeat rang in his ears, thundering so loud that he was afraid it would wake the neighbors. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Jason clapped his hands over his ears and ran back to the house. But he could not escape the terrible sound: Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Even the floorboards seemed to vibrate to the slow, steady rhythm. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It sounded like a heart-beat. Polly’s heartbeat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.
Jason screamed in terror and flung himself out of the house, running toward the bridge as the heartbeat grew louder and louder in his ears. Jason leaned over the railing.
“Curse you, Polly!” he shouted.
Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.
With a wild shriek, Jason flung himself headfirst off the bridge like a diver, and was smashed to death on the rocks below.
Underfoot on the bridge, the pavement still vibrates to the beat of a dead heart. For now and always.Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.
Author's Note: Heartbeat Bridge is located in Ellicot City, MD. This folktale is told by people living in the area to explain why a heartbeat can be felt through the pavement by people standing on the bridge.
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Comments
This was great!! Super spooky! It reminded me a lot of the story... Forgot what it was called... But they did something like it on Spongebob with boots... I loved it!!
Posted by: Sophia | October 19, 2011 05:10 PM
dumb husband
Posted by: you | October 19, 2011 05:36 PM
ok that was like totally awsome but did it ever occur to him that she might have just been a joyous person all her life and that she wasnt fooling around with someone eles didi he ever think that mabey just mabey she was so in love with him that ,thats the reason she was happy
Posted by: star | October 20, 2011 11:26 AM
y would someone throw themself over the edge of the bridge. thats so sad and im still not scared
Posted by: roaring roses | October 20, 2011 06:46 PM
that is so creepy...... i love it!
Posted by: BOB | October 21, 2011 10:48 AM
freeky! :D this is k8nd of weird, but i feel happy and exited other then scrd. WEIRD
Posted by: iHateCrüms | October 21, 2011 06:50 PM
FFRREEEEEEEKKYYYYYYYYYY
Posted by: iHateCrüms | October 22, 2011 10:08 AM
Nice modern spin-off of Edgar Allen Poe's work. :)
Posted by: Tamara | October 25, 2011 02:31 AM
that was not scary
Posted by: Anonymous | October 25, 2011 04:53 PM
Kinda reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe's story I read in school. He could hear the man's heart beat under the floorboards when the cops came to check it out, and the dude went insane and confessed to the murder. It was pretty intense.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 25, 2011 05:19 PM
OMG....that was like WOW no words but WOW can describe it.
Posted by: Amanda | October 25, 2011 11:59 PM
OMG im only 10 i asked forchildrens stories and it came up wiv this in really scared now becuse my babysitter was looking after a boy and one day she ran off and the boy said she was gone now i relise where :(
Posted by: braidy | October 26, 2011 06:17 AM
wow what a great story i would have put in feet first... CREEPY
Posted by: kiera | October 26, 2011 07:10 PM
he got what he deserved in the end
FYI that was really gross how he still held her beating heart.
Posted by: Skyler | October 27, 2011 03:35 PM
This was a rip off of the tell tale heart. still good though.
Posted by: UAMAFISH | October 27, 2011 05:16 PM
that is creepy!!!!!!!!!!! i cant believe he cut out his wifes heartwhat a creeper!
Posted by: bobo | October 27, 2011 08:20 PM
isnt that edger allen poe?
Posted by: someone | October 28, 2011 07:46 PM
im with the wife just because his life was perfect doesnt mean that he had to look at something wrong with it. geez and to cut out her heart
keep on beating Holly!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Denice | October 29, 2011 03:26 PM
iluv it was not scary tho i still dontkno y should jump of a bridge !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Dahiana | October 29, 2011 09:06 PM
wow that wasfreky nice
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2011 11:45 PM
it's soooooooooooooo SSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYY
Posted by: Alexandra | October 30, 2011 02:15 PM
yawn so boring
Posted by: Devyn | October 30, 2011 08:48 PM
OMG. MY HEART HURTS NOW JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS SPOOKY TALE! ):
Posted by: Lilly | October 31, 2011 03:20 PM
It shud be renamed 'Jason's stupidity'
Posted by: amrutha | November 5, 2011 12:02 AM
that rocked
Posted by: jfnjfnck | November 7, 2011 08:23 PM
too scary for me
Posted by: harsha | November 8, 2011 02:36 AM
wow it waz alright but that waz a really dumb man
Posted by: nancy | November 8, 2011 01:42 PM
this is so scary now i feel like i cannot turn off my lights
Posted by: yaminah suber | November 11, 2011 12:40 AM
wow, this is crazy. i thought i was reading true stories. but i like it tho. in a weird creepy psychopathic way.
Posted by: Amber Woodard | November 11, 2011 10:29 AM
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Posted by: Anonymous | November 11, 2011 12:53 PM
nice
Posted by: Anonymous | November 11, 2011 07:59 PM
WOW I GOT SO SCARED!!!!!!!!!!:O
Posted by: Amanda | November 13, 2011 03:09 PM
awesome i love this
Posted by: tink | November 15, 2011 08:27 AM
That was creepy but cool. Very gross, too.
Posted by: brian | November 16, 2011 06:50 AM
scariest story ive eva heared
Posted by: ryan | November 19, 2011 06:00 AM
whoa.
Posted by: MONKEY!!!!!!!!!!! | December 1, 2011 09:42 PM
the husband did not know why Polly was so happy and jus killed her? Maybe she the husband birthday and then she got him a very gud present. Who knows?
Posted by: Krystal | December 4, 2011 05:01 AM
I sent the whole story in a e-mail to my mom to scare her!!!!
HEARTBEAT
Posted by: Shaun | December 5, 2011 10:35 PM
sounds like "The Tell Tail Heart" that edgar allen poe did. nice... love the story.
Posted by: breena | December 9, 2011 12:27 PM
Well, This scared me. But it doesn't seem possible.
Posted by: Briana(: | December 10, 2011 07:50 PM
hehe
Posted by: Anonymous | December 11, 2011 04:03 AM
that was so awesome and freaky and scary... i love it
Posted by: gjjtjbrd | December 11, 2011 06:32 PM
this story was awsome.
Posted by: bryce | December 12, 2011 01:57 PM
nice one
Posted by: no one | December 15, 2011 09:38 AM
i fink that the guy was kinda dumb
Posted by: DudeManGuyHead | December 15, 2011 02:11 PM
This story was completely AMAZING!! keep it up!! :D
Posted by: sara | December 23, 2011 02:14 PM
omg, wow, sometmes scary
Posted by: Anonymous | December 26, 2011 01:51 PM
OMG! I LOVED THAT! YOU ARE A AWESOME WRITER! I CAN"T WAIT TO READ ANOTHER! THAT WAS TRULY ABSOLUTELY AWESOME.I AM SO NOT KIDDING!
Posted by: Nasrin | December 26, 2011 05:34 PM
this guy apperantly does not think beacause she might just have a good life or good husband!??!!
Posted by: sara | December 27, 2011 01:17 AM
wow this was an amazing scary spooky story
Posted by: BHOOMIKA | December 27, 2011 07:59 AM
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 1, 2012 02:23 PM
This kind of reminds me of The Telltale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.
Posted by: caroline | January 2, 2012 02:05 PM
did it occur to him that he could have asked her for the truth or just divorced her if he thought that she has cheating. he could have asked around. people dont think often sometimes
Posted by: tori crosson | January 2, 2012 07:48 PM
this was creepy and eery but not scary but the husband was dumb and he should have thought about it more first
Posted by: quinton ludwick | January 3, 2012 02:41 PM
Freeeeeeeekkkyyyy
Posted by: Anonymous | January 3, 2012 08:59 PM
Koooool :)
Posted by: j.d | January 7, 2012 05:51 PM
Jason,deserves it.I H.A.T.E. him!!!!!(*_¤)....(poor polly)...
Posted by: Jesson Delos Reyes | January 14, 2012 05:06 PM
OMFG sooo scary lol
Posted by: Anonymous | January 15, 2012 07:44 AM
mmmm that is so disgusting
Posted by: kandy | January 17, 2012 09:48 AM
now that was scarey story sum husbands do stuff like that
Posted by: Anonymous | January 17, 2012 07:23 PM
That husband is absolutely insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Esther | January 21, 2012 08:34 PM
what if Polly was just pregnant or something like that, and she just wanted to surprise her husband later on
Posted by: Davanee | January 22, 2012 11:30 PM
scary
Posted by: emm | January 26, 2012 02:45 PM
Wow AWESOME! :D
Posted by: katarina | January 26, 2012 11:37 PM
SPOOKY!!!
Posted by: sc | January 28, 2012 09:59 PM
Thos was just love tell tale heart. Not scary
Posted by: Renee | January 29, 2012 03:16 PM
it was ok but more details would have made it better
Posted by: amanda | January 30, 2012 06:06 PM
this didn't really tie up loose ends, it should have displayed how she was never actually cheating in the first place, also it's just a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's the teltale heart, with a touch of jealousy and erratic behavior added
Posted by: alex | January 31, 2012 04:46 AM
That was a good story I luv ghost stories they like totally freak me out but they're still cool
Posted by: abby | February 1, 2012 02:27 PM
wow freaky story i tink he should have gone to pollys parents and told them what happened and then flung himself off the bridge
Posted by: bella | February 5, 2012 11:15 PM
wow i loved it
Posted by: bella | February 5, 2012 11:16 PM
Wow, that was super scary.
Posted by: Blanca Domínguez | February 14, 2012 08:14 AM
so creepy and scary but i loved it
Posted by: roscio | February 14, 2012 10:52 AM
CREEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY
Posted by: samara markham | February 17, 2012 03:44 PM
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
OO
)
o
Posted by: Anonymous | February 20, 2012 07:36 PM
Ohhh yeah when his boots kept squeaking
Posted by: Anonymous | February 21, 2012 04:17 PM
SCARY!
Posted by: MARY | February 22, 2012 02:28 PM
Not so freaky but freaky lol. Erica from al d.y.f.h high school
Posted by: Erica Ruth Emmanuel | March 1, 2012 01:03 PM
That was just like some Bed stories for kids..
Posted by: painkiller | March 2, 2012 02:48 PM
This story is a bit scary but when I told it at a sleepover everyone laughed at it, I guess it sounds better in my head than when I say it out loud though that Jason dude should really calm down, he didn't really have any good proof that Polly was cheating on him and even if he did, ripping out someone's heart? Come on, get over it already!
Lots of love,
Lilianna
Posted by: Lilianna | March 3, 2012 03:53 PM
CCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: shannon stott | March 4, 2012 09:25 AM
omg i finished reading this and my phone went off and there was no one on the other end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCARY!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: talia | March 5, 2012 05:29 PM
he should have followed her around instead of just asmummin something
Posted by: pumkin pie | March 11, 2012 09:32 PM
good story but i expected a better beginning
Posted by: Anonymous | March 15, 2012 05:56 PM
OMGlike really that made me feel the heart beating wow that was the best but i would have made it more dramatic like jasons wife made his ears bleed because of the heart beating so loud and then say that she appered out of the ground with the heart in her again.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 22, 2012 06:18 PM
nice and creepy
Posted by: aayushi | March 23, 2012 06:55 AM
It was awesome! But wasn't that scary. Still entertaining though. But was Polly really going to run away with Hank or not?
Posted by: I am Awesome! | March 28, 2012 04:50 PM
GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Gracee | April 1, 2012 01:10 AM
why was she so happy??????
Posted by: ugh | April 6, 2012 04:31 AM
Jason got what he deserves i guess
Posted by: Gigglebox14 | April 10, 2012 02:20 PM
Wow(:
Posted by: Cheyanne | April 10, 2012 11:44 PM
dis story was rrrrrrreeeeeaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy beyond my expectations.
it was GOOOOOOOOOOD.
Posted by: sssss | April 11, 2012 05:27 PM
LOL that was like a curse for riping her heart out
Posted by: Eva Le | April 11, 2012 06:53 PM
Nice book to read online
Posted by: Anonymous | April 20, 2012 04:15 PM
Scary! I read stories like this before where he man cuts off his wifes head and he can hear the body carrying on in tthe kitchen or something like that. Keep up up the good work. Batman out.
Posted by: Batman | April 20, 2012 08:06 PM
Was not scary but i loved it :-)
Posted by: Anonymous | April 28, 2012 02:44 PM
terrible, how can he do such thing to his own wife?
bad guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | May 8, 2012 05:24 AM
awesome it wasn't scary but what a dumb husband
Posted by: startrot | May 8, 2012 09:06 AM
Hey! I'm 10 yr old girl and here's my comment:Grrrrrreat!!! Pretty freaky. I think that it's a good lesson that everyone should learn early on in life; When you do something wrong, it will eventually come back to you eventually. BTW Isn't that Poe? Poe's great. I read for hours a day at the public library, and with all those books, somehow I keep bringing my self back to him. Anyway awesome story. Thanks! :D
Posted by: Anonymous | May 11, 2012 08:23 PM
it is scary story
Posted by: Anonymous | May 15, 2012 12:49 PM
lolllllllllllllll.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 18, 2012 02:26 PM
it was nyc bt plz make sure u do it a litle spookier nxt tym...
Posted by: divya | May 19, 2012 02:17 AM
hahaha this sounds like the tell tale heart we read in class a few mounths ago XD i loved it XD
Posted by: carlie | May 24, 2012 09:06 AM
It is so scary & i like it.
Posted by: Shaista | May 26, 2012 12:54 AM
The story wasn't really that creepy, but it is still enjoyable. I mean, it's not the best creepy story I've ever read but, it's still good. The husband is really stupid... I guess in the end he feels guilty for not confronting his wife first.
Posted by: Alexandra | June 1, 2012 11:43 PM
I loved this.
Posted by: Alex | June 4, 2012 11:06 PM
f
fr
fre
frea
freak
freaky
freak
frea
fre
fr
f
Posted by: HamsterLuver | June 12, 2012 10:13 AM
i would love to have more.
Posted by: Eshanee | June 16, 2012 01:25 PM
That was really tragic. I think Jason got what he deserved but Polly didn't. Why did Jason go poking his nose around! LOL x
Posted by: Bibi | June 23, 2012 05:09 PM
Jason is stupid. He might have just been spooked out and hearing his own heartbeat. and y would he throw himself over a bridge?
Posted by: Amber | June 29, 2012 06:13 AM
poor polly :(
Posted by: seonni | June 29, 2012 08:59 PM
Whow. This was a gr8 story . I would lyk de start a bit more intersting. But still the story was kwl. I would add in wat did the parents feel. And i would like the story a bit longer. Coz i luv stories like this . The name of de story is WHOW .Thanx 4 makin ih interisting. :-) :-D
Posted by: Anonymous | July 1, 2012 09:13 AM
There's a heartbeat bridge in my area too. The tales been told for years around here, a woman caught a cab in Wilmington, Nc and the cabbie drove her to the secluded spot then raped and mutilated her. Cutting her heart out and throwing it in the swamp. Legend says if you park on the bridge at night and turn off the car and lights, remain completely silent... You can hear her heart beating.
Posted by: David | July 1, 2012 06:03 PM
nice, a little scary
Posted by: Jemily | July 4, 2012 01:14 PM
This story is really cool. But Jason is a little dumb. And i really feel sorry 4 polly. :, C
Posted by: Cookie | July 9, 2012 05:58 PM
Very nice of a story. I plan on taking a trip there so I should locate Heartbeat Bridge!
Posted by: Nightmare Dreamer64 | July 13, 2012 08:21 AM
Wow
Posted by: Deyona Samuels | July 16, 2012 11:24 PM
This story is nice and creepy but I still like it and I would tell it to everyone who is coming to my campout keep up the good stories
Posted by: Anonymous | July 18, 2012 08:01 AM
That was a great story. It reminds me of Edgar Allen poes story the tell tale heart.
Posted by: Cody Graham | July 22, 2012 11:31 PM
awesome, scary, creppy, everything you could ask for a good scary story
Posted by: rohit | August 1, 2012 02:14 PM
Cool
Posted by: Joselynn | August 9, 2012 05:20 PM
wow. jason has very strong anger issues.
Posted by: celine | August 11, 2012 04:48 PM
Da-dum Da-dum
Posted by: PI | September 4, 2012 03:51 PM
nice story! Jason was too harsh on Polly and I think he should've talked things through with Polly before turning into a maniac!
Posted by: britney | September 4, 2012 11:24 PM
I am 12 ... im scared to go to sleep... can just imagine that idiot leaning over me with a knife...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!:0 Oh wait he is dead.YAY!:)
Posted by: 1 D lover | September 25, 2012 12:13 PM
this was scary. i read it during 5th period and i loved it.
Posted by: anonymous | September 26, 2012 11:55 AM
this wasnt that scary i mean come on i have read more scaryer books te then this.....bye
BoRiNg
Posted by: tammy smith | September 26, 2012 11:57 AM