The second story in this Egaeus anthology takes us to a family gathering at a large, rural house in the middle of a Canadian winter. Maxine, newly married into the well-to-do Whitlock family, is worried about the reception she will receive from her husband's clan. In the event things go smoothly enough - until she notices something unusual about a small building in the extensive grounds. Strange light radiates from one dirty window. Why does the family matriarch spend so much time in there?
This story proceeds smoothly from a familiar setup to a very strange denouement, as Maxine engages in subterfuge that allows her to find something nasty in the woodshed (to coin a phrase). It's a haunted house tale, in the sense that a paranormal phenomenon is focused on Mrs. Whitlock, though in a rather unconventional way. And just when I thought the story was over, it seemed ready to begin again, with the possibility of another haunting.
A strange tale, then, elegantly written, and one that leaves powerful after-images. I will be back soon with another exploration of a Crooked House.
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