Manly Wade Wellman's "O Ugly Bird!" (short story, free): Hero frees a town of a curse

This is not science fiction; it's witchcraft. I loved it because of beautiful language - content didn't really matter!

Story summary.

Penniless hero is taking a long walk along a trail. On the way he sees & hears stories about the evil Mr Onselm & his Ugly Bird. Mr Onselm can hex anyone, & whole town is scared of him.

Of course, by the end of the story, hero will vanquish the villain.

Fact sheet.

First published: F&SF, December 1951.

Download full text from Baen Ebooks or Oregon Literary Review.

This is the first of the author's "Silver John" series.

"there was a Silver John movie made back in 1972, sometimes found under the title The Legend of Hillbilly John, but it bombed at the box office. It was originally released as Who Fears the Devil?"

Rating: A.