“The Haunted Dolls’ House” is a captivating short story by M. R. James, featured in the collection A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925). This eerie tale was commissioned by Queen Mary, wife of George V, as a miniature book for her renowned Dolls’ House, which remains on display at Windsor Castle.
The story opens during a conversation between an antique dealer named Mr. Chittenden and his potential customer, Mr. Dillet. They discuss a collector’s item in Chittenden’s stock, haggle over its price, and eventually seal the sale. Dillet departs with his purchase.
The acquired item is a dollhouse in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style, measuring six feet long. The dollhouse features several dolls, including a middle-aged couple, two children, an old man in bed, and various servants.
That night, as Dillet examines the dollhouse, something extraordinary occurs. The dollhouse transforms, resembling a real house set in a landscape. The lady of the house visits the old man’s bedroom, where she and a nurse administer a posset. Tragically, the old man suffers a fit and dies.
A mysterious man in black arrives, bearing papers, but is turned away. Another vision unfolds, revealing a coffin within the house. The father playfully frightens the children by pretending to be a ghost.
Later, a man-sized, frog-like creature enters the children’s darkened bedroom, busying itself around the truckle beds.
Dillet witnesses further disturbances, including the tolling of a clock at precisely one o’clock. In the final scene, two small coffins emerge from the dollhouse.
Disturbed by these events, Dillet takes a holiday on the east coast, where he encounters Mr. Chittenden, who has also experienced similar visions. They deduce that the man in black was a lawyer delivering a draft will. Dillet investigates further and discovers a tragic history associated with the Merewether family of nearby Ilbridge House.
Ilbridge House, now in ruins, once belonged to an architect who had created architectural models. The chime of the church clock there eerily resembles the tolling clock in the dollhouse.
Story narrated by Chris Halton.
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Introduction music:
Dramatic Atmosphere with Piano and Violin
UNIVERSFIELD
A.K.A: Dramatic Atmosphere with Piano and Violin
Vasya Sakal
pixabay.com/music/mystery-dra...
5 май 2024
