History Literature / TheCroning

* TheVerse: This book shares a universe with several of Barron's other stories, most notably through the Children of the Old Leech, who are also the main villains of "The Broadsword", "The Men from Porlock" (which even features a protagonist named Miller, who is heavily implied to be one of Don's relatives), and "Mysterium Tremendum". The narrative mentions Michelle's associates Toshi Ryoko and Howard Campbell, who appeared in person in "The Forest" and met Barron's HardboiledDetective, Isaiah Coleridge, in ''Worse Angels''. Don's and Michelle's brief stay in Ransom Hollow also gives this story a connection to Barron's Black Bill stories [[spoiler:implying that Michelle's relatives were the founders of the Black Ram Lodge from these stories]].

* TheVerse: This book shares a universe with others stories by Barron, most notably ''The Broadsword'', ''The Men from Porlock'' (which even features a protagonist named Miller, who is heavily implied to be one of Don's relatives), and ''Mysterium Tremendum''. The narrative mentions Michelle's associates Toshi Ryoko and Howard Campbell, who appeared in person in ''The Forest''. Don's and Michelle's brief stay in Ransom Hollow also gives this story a connection to Barron's Black Bill stories [[spoiler:implying that Michelle's relatives were the founders of the Black Ram Lodge from these stories.]]

* TheVerse: This book shares a universe with others stories by Barron, most notably ''The Broadsword'', ''The Men from Porlock'' (which even features a protagonist named Miller, who is heavily implied to be one of Don's relatives), and ''Mysterium Tremendum''.

* BrotherSisterIncest: In addition to being the Queen's brother, the Spy is madly in love with her and the father of the child they're trying to protect.

''The Croning'' is a CosmicHorrorStory from 2012, written by American author Laird Barron.

* HumansAreInsects: Don all but directly says the trope name doing his confrontation with [[spoiler:Bronson Ford]], as by now he has seen enough to of [[AliensAreBastards the Children's behavior]] to assume that this must be how they view mankind. [[spoiler:Ford]], however, tells him that it doesn't quite work like that.

* ForTheEvulz: The Children delight in casually inflicting traumatizing horror and pain upon any hapless human unlucky enough to stumble upon them, just for kicks.
** [[spoiler:Most telling, Bronson Ford aka Rumpelstiltskin doesn't need to give the people he offers to make a deal (a wish in exchange for one of their children) with any choice in the matter. He admits that him and his kin could just take whatever they damned well pleased if they wanted to do so. He really just likes to see the unfortunate human squirm under the weight of the SacasticChoice.]]

* HumansAreInsects: Don all but directly says the trope name doing his confrontation with [[spoiler:Bronson Ford]]. [[spoiler:Ford]], however, tells him that it doesn't quite work like that.

** [[spoiler:Most telling, Bronson Ford aka Rumpelstiltskin doesn't need to give the people he offers to make a deal (a wish in exchange for one of their children) with any choice in the matter. He admits that him and his kin could just take whatever they damned well pleased if they wanted do so. He really just likes to see the unfortunate human squirm under the weight of the SacasticChoice.]]

* TheVerse: This book shares a universe with others stories by Barron, most notably ''The Broadsword'', ''The Men from Porlock'', and ''Mysterium Tremendum''.

* AwfulTruth: [[spoiler:It is revealed that the holes in Don's memory are not due to onset dementia, but because the Children and the Dark Ones induce small scale brain damage in everyone they come into contact with. Don, however, suspects that it is also his own mind at play, trying to protect itself from remembering the full implications of what it has witnessed during his encounters with the Children of the Old Leech.]]

In 1958, Donald "Don" Miller, a professor in geology is on vacation in Mexico City with his wife, Michelle, who is a renowned professor in anthropology, but after a phone call from a colleague, Michelle goes missing. As he attempts to find her, a worried Don is recommended to seek out help from two local retired police officers, who join Don in his search. But his two companions quickly prove to be somewhat unhinged and untrustworthy, and Don finds himself getting involved in a series of increasingly bizarre and dangerous situations in the far outskirts of the city, that culminates in him ending up in a cave in the mountains outside the city, which is rumoured to contain a bottomless pit. Here, he has a close brush not only with death, but also something much, much worse...

* AliensAreBastards: The Children are powerful, immortal, and are leagues beyond humans in technology. They are also extremely petty jerks who love to torture and scare humans out of their wits simply because they enjoy feeding on their fear. And [[EatsBabies they eat kids]].

* AliensAreBastards: The Children are powerful, immortal, and are leagues beyond humans in technology. They are also extremely petty jerks who love to torture and scare humans out of their wits simply because they enjoy feeding on their fear.

* BabyAsPayment: [[spoiler:The Children's standard prize for sealing a deal with them. The Children makes it no secrets whatsoever that they plan to eat the baby in question and that they mostly demand this price ''exactly'' because they know humans considers it a heinous act -- they derive sadistic amusement from viewing a human squirm over the moral implications of agreeing to the price.]]

* DealWithTheDevil: The specialty of the Children. They can grant you quite a few things, and even fulfill some wishes otherwise thought impossible. All it costs is [[spoiler:a child. Preferably one of your own, or just one related to you]]. In the end, [[spoiler:Don agrees to such a deal too, in exchange for the safety of his daughter and him and Michelle gaining immortality]].

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Both Don's boss, Barry Rourke, and Connor Wolverton are central members of TheConspiracy that [[LesCollaborateurs collaborates]] with the Children. But they both are always unfailing polite and friendly to Don and are more than glad to answer his questions about their masters (mostly because they know he is not likely to remember any of the information they told him afterwards).]]

* AncientConspiracy: The Children have been infiltrating human society since pre-historic times, and have been known to recruit humans agents and servants for just about as long.

* AliensAreBastards: The Children are powerful, immortal, and are leagues beyond humans in techology. They are also extremely petty jerks who love to torture and scare humans out of their wits simply because they enjoy feeding on their fear.

* DealWithTheDevil: The speciality of the Children. They can grant you quite a few things, and even fulfil some wishes otherwise thought impossible. All it costs is [[spoiler:a child. Preferably one of your own, or just one related to you]]. In the end, [[spoiler:Don agrees to such a deal too, in exchange for the safety of his daughter and him and Michelle gaining immortality]].
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Don is incredibly stubborn, and steadfastly refuses to be browbeat into submission by any threats of how the wrath of the Children and the Old Leech might rain down upon him that Rourke, Wolverton, and Ford level at him, no matter how much existential dread they might instil in him, even at one point gathering enough willpower to overcome being frozen by fear and managing to kill Rourke, when he is otherwise at him and Wolverton's mercy. Ford even implies that it is something that runs in his bloodline, telling him that his distant ancestors often have shown the same tenacity throughout the ages. It is eventually subverted though; Don might be able shrug off threats against himself, but [[IHaveYourWife Michelle and the twins is another matter entirely]]...]]

In 1958, Donald "Don" Miller, a professor in geology is on vacation in Mexico City with his wife, Michelle, who is a renowned professor in anthropology, but after a phone call from a colleague, Michelle goes missing. As he attempts to find her, a worried Don is recommended to seek out help from two local retired police officers, who joins Don in his search. But his two companions quickly prove to somewhat unhinged and untrustworthy, and Don finds himself getting involved in a series of increasingly bizarre and dangerous situations in the far outskirts of the city, that culminates in him ending up in a cave in the mountains outside the city, which is rumoured to contain a bottomless pit. Here, he has a close brush not only with death, but also something much, much worse...

In the present, a much older Don Miller is enjoying his retirement alongside Michelle in the countryside outside Olympia, Washington, where they are living in a old, rustic house, that once belonged to Michelle's family. While everything seems peaceful and idyllic on the surface, the ageing Don notices much to his concern that he is struggling with an unexplainable fear of darkness and occasional gaps in his memories, especially regarding some enigmatic event that happened to him in 1980. During a visit from him and Michelle's adult twins, outlandish things starts happening around the house, and Don's fuzzy memory starts clearing up, as he soon begins to unearth some dark secrets about his wife and her family.

* IncestIsRelative: In addition to being the Queen's brother, the Spy is madly in love with her and the father of the child they're trying to protect.

* EatsBabies: Very much played for horror. [[spoiler:The Children eat their own children for sustenance, and see infants and children from every spices they colonise as a delicacy.]]

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Both Don's boss Barry Rourke and Connor Wolverton are central members of TheConspiracy that [[LesCollaborateurs collaborates]] with the Children. But they both are always polite and friendly to Don and are more than glad to answer his questions about their masters (mostly because they know he is not likely to remember any of them afterwards).]]

* IHaveYourWife: And daughter. While the Children would ordinarily not want to hurt a Mock, they explain that [[spoiler:Michelle's love for Don, combined with the fact he's openly defied them, presents a problem. They cannot tolerate divided loyalties, so either Don ''un''divides her loyalty right quick by joining them, or they'll torture Michelle for all eternity along with him. They don't explicitly mention Holly, but they don't have to.]]

* LesCollaborateurs: Several powerful human families are in league with the Children, in exchange for riches, power, and a chance at immortality. [[spoiler:Michelle's family, the Mocks, turns out to be one of them. As is Don's boss Barry Rourke.]] Don goes as far to speculate that [[GovernmentConspiracy the American government, and maybe other governments of the world are also in on it to some degree or another]]. Kurt even invokes the name of the trope, when [[spoiler:he muses on how deep his mother's family is in with the Children]].

* BlackEyesOfEvil: [[spoiler:People taken over by the Children manifests these.]]

* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Don is incredibly stubborn, and steadfastly refuses to be browbeat into submission by any threats of how the wrath of the Children and the Old Leech might rain down upon him that Rourke, Wolverton, and Ford level at him, no matter how much existential dread they might instil in him, even at one point gathering enough willpower to overcome being frozen by fear and managing to kill Rourke, when he is otherwise at him and Wolverton's mercy. Ford even implies that it is something that runs in his bloodline, telling him that his distant ancestors often have shown the same tenacity throughout the ages. It is eventually subverted though; Don might be able shrug off threats against himself, but Michelle and the twins is another matter entirely...]]

* EmotionEater: The Children have the ability to feed on human fear. [[spoiler:It is indicated that they strictly speaking don't ''need'' it, per say, but they find the sensation of absorbing it extremely delightful, like a recreational drug.]]

* IHaveYourWife: And daughter. While the Children would ordinarily not want to hurt a Mock, they explain that [[spoiler: Michelle's love for Don, combined with the fact he's openly defied them, presents a problem. They cannot tolerate divided loyalties, so either Don ''un''divides her loyalty right quick by joining them, or they'll torture Michelle for all eternity along with him. They don't explicitly mention Holly, but they don't have to.]]

* TitleDrop: A ritual called the croning is referred to several times. [[spoiler: It seems to have something to do with being turned into a Child.]]

* AdultFear:
** Your significant other is involved in something highly sinister, something that might even have brought you in harm's way, but in despite of this they are not planning on telling you, and might even count on your trust in them and your good nature to prevent you from trying to uncover it.
** [[spoiler:What is ultimately most important to you? Your spouse and your child, or your grandchild?]]

* TheVerse: This book shares a universe with others stories by Barron, most notably ''The Broadsword'' and ''Mysterium Tremendum''.

Tying all these strings together is the Children of the Old Leech. They always have been lurked in the shadows, and been with our species from time immemorial. And they love us.

In the present, a much older Don Miller is enjoying his retirement alongside Michelle in the country outside Olympia, Washington, where they living in a old, rustic house, that once belonged to Michelle's family. While everything seems peaceful and idyllic on the surface, the ageing Don notices much to his concern that he is struggling with an unexplainable fear of darkness and occasional gaps in his memories, especially regarding some enigmatic event that happened to him in 1980. During a visit from him and Michelle's adult twins, outlandish things starts happening around the house, and Don's fuzzy memory starts clearing up, as he soon begins to unearth some dark secrets about his wife and her family.

In the present, a much older Don Miller is enjoying his retirement alongside Michelle in the country outside Olympia, Washington, where they living in a old, rustic house, that once belonged to Michelle's family. While everything seems peaceful and idyllic on the surface, the ageing Don notices much to his concern that he is struggling with an unexplainable fear of darkness and occasional gabs in his memories, especially regarding some enigmatic event that happened to him in 1980. During a visit from him and Michelle's adult twins, outlandish things starts happening around the house, and Don's fuzzy memory starts clearing up, as he soon begins to unearth some dark secrets about his wife and her family.

Tying all these strings together is the Children of the Old Leech. They always have been lurked in the shadows, and been with our speices from times immortal. And they love us.

* DealWithTheDevil: The speciality of the Children. They can grant you quite a few things, and even fulfil some wishes otherwise thought impossible. All it costs is [[spoiler:is a child. Preferably one of your own, or just one related to you]]. In the end, [[spoiler:Don agrees to such a deal too, in exchange for the safety of his daughter and him and Michelle gaining immortality]].

----
!!Tropes: