Fiction Reviews: South-West Room (Mary E. Wilkins Freeman)

 

Aunt Harriet has left her mansion to two sisters: Sophia and Amanda Gill.

Problems arise immediately; the two sisters are unable to maintain the massive house or pay the bills. One day, they decide to rent out the rooms. They rent out the southwest room—where Aunt Harriet lived for many years—to a schoolteacher. Soon, inexplicable things happen in the room, such as a blue duvet turning yellow, alongside other sinister events. Realizing that the mansion is haunted, the guests quickly flee.

Eventually, the southwest room is occupied by Sophia herself. She is a deeply rational girl who doesn't believe in spirits, always trying to find a logical explanation for what she sees. Angered by the girl's boldness, Aunt Harriet's spirit does everything she can to shatter Sophia's identity using everyday objects. Meanwhile, unable to cope with the terror, Amanda Gill suffers a psychological breakdown and gives up entirely.