Whilst investigating the death of a local teacher, an intuitive computer programmer called Roger Thornhill uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, stripy teapot circulating throughout London. As soon as anyone uses the teapot, he or she has exactly 55 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look shrunken. A marked person feels like a quiet toad to touch.
Roger gets hold of the teapot, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into his mind: a nippy frog balancing on a windy teacher, an old newspaper headline about a bear baiting accident, a hooded owl ranting about elbows and a drinking well located in a backward place.
When Roger notices his feet have toad-like properties, he realises that the curse of the stripy teapot is true and calls in his grandfather, a gardener called Pete Thornton, to help.
Pete examines the teapot and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the nippy frog balancing on a windy teacher particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Roger and Pete pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded owl. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?
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From @memeon