“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under
conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some,
to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding
darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty
more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and
doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of
Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
~ The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
The opening paragraph from the
book I consider to be the best ghost story ever written. A bold claim, but true. A perfect long winter night read.