Mackintosh Willy is a horror short story written by Ramsey Campbell.
The story centers on an unnamed youth terrified of a local homeless man nicknamed Mackintosh Willy, who terrorizes the local children. The narrator is traumatized when, one day, he discovers Willy's desecrated corpse. As he grows into adolescence, the narrator joins local malcontent Mark's gang and puts his childhood boogeyman behind him... but Willy might not be so keen to let him go in turn.
List of tropes applying to this story:
- Ambiguously Evil: It's heavily implied Mark is the one who desecrated Willy's corpse, but never confirmed.
- Asshole Victim: Downplayed by Mark, who is kind of a jerk, but not really that bad of a kid. Regardless, he's either killed by Willy's ghost, or grows so panicked by the belief Willy's spirit is after him that he falls into the pond and drowns.
- Crazy Homeless People: Mackintosh Willy is a mentally ill homeless man who lives in a tunnel, and chases away any kids who enter. He becomes a sort of boogeyman for the local children, and it's rumored he haunts the tunnel even after he dies. His spirit may or may not have killed Mark in the end.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The narrator is a bit of a prick as a teenager, but he shows quite a bit of compassion beneath the surface.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Did Willy's ghost take revenge on Mark and kill him? Or did Mark drown in a tragic accident? It's left ambiguous.
