Originally titled The Curse of the Claw, a pal in the writing circle recalled that one of Michael Palin's hilarious Ripping Yarns shared the same title - hence the last minute name change.
Not wishing to give away the plot, the story involves three 'cursed' fossilised claws, kept in a town museum, belonging to the extinct ursa giganticus - the Giant Bear.
As you can see from the illustration to the right, giant bears did exist, and were substantially larger than human beings.