Crumb & Crypt

The Baker Who Never Left

The Ghost of Old Mister Hollowbread

They say Elias Hollowbread perished in his own ovens on a bitter winter's eve in 1861, refusing to abandon a rising batch of his famous plum-and-bone loaves. His shop stood shuttered for a century, flour dust settling like snow over broken shelves.

Then, one foggy Michaelmas, the windows flickered gold again. Passers-by swore they smelled cinnamon and something colder beneath it. Mister Hollowbread had returned to his trade — and he takes on the midnight shift still, kneading dough with hands that leave no warmth, watching over every batch until dawn chases him back to the flour cellar.

— as told by the current proprietors, who have never once seen him leave