The narrative follows a family that relocates to a seemingly modern house by the sea for health reasons. Upon moving in, the wife experiences a terrifying encounter with a tall, colorless figure beside her bed, which she insists was real. The husband dismisses it as a dream, but soon, the household staff report seeing a mysterious woman in ragged clothing, who appears to be searching for something in the house. As the family settles in, strange occurrences escalate. The servants witness a shadow of a woman moving across the wall, and the nursery experiences unexplained knocking sounds and disturbances at the door. The children also report seeing a figure resembling the woman, who seems to be digging in the garden. The family discovers a piece of a jawbone and teeth buried in the same spot, raising suspicions about the house's history. Despite the unsettling events, the family remains skeptical of supernatural explanations. The husband conducts investigations but finds no evidence of intruders or natural causes for the disturbances. The children’s encounters with the spectral figures continue, including a vision of a pale woman with a scar on her throat, which terrifies one of the girls. As the narrative unfolds, the family learns from a visitor that the house was once a government store, suggesting a darker past. The husband reflects on the strange occurrences, noting the collective experiences of the family and staff, which defy rational explanation. Ultimately, the family decides to leave the house, having experienced a series of inexplicable events that leave them puzzled and unsettled. The story concludes with the narrator contemplating the mystery of their time in the house, which remains unresolved.
By J. Sheridan Le Fanu · First published 1838 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Horror, Mystery