For today’s choice, a selection from Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories, Cynthia Asquith’s “The Corner Shop.” In his (typically smart-ass) intro, Dahl mentions meeting Asquith, the grand dame of the English Ghost story, and getting a ghostly reading list from her, many of which he found bad to unreadable (seemingly the more famous the writer, the weaker the story correlated for many cases.)
He did find a set worth anthologizing, including one by Asquith herself. A nicely folded example of the “haunted shop” genre. (Complete with a critique of neo-liberal economics.)
Here’s the opening (full text does not seem to be available, but it’s likely in your local library).
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Corner Shop
Peter Wood’s executors found their task a very easy one. He had left his affairs in perfect order. The only surprise yielded by his methodical writing-table was a sealed envelope on which was written: ‘Not wishing to be bothered by well-meaning Research Societies, I have never shown the enclosed to anyone, but after my death all are welcome to read what, to the best of my knowledge, is a true story.’
The manuscript which bore a date three years previous to the death of the writer was as follows.
‘I have long wished to record an experience of my youth. I won’t attempt any explanation. I draw no conclusions. I merely narrate certain events.’
‘One foggy evening, at the end of a day of enforced idleness…’
A Few Reasonable Words 