At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern

A rain‑soaked couple steps out of a rattling carriage and into a sprawling, oddly shaped manor that seems to have been plucked from a gothic sketch. Dorothy laughs nervously at the sight, while Harlan wrestles with damp matches and a flickering candle, trying to make sense of the place’s grim furnishings and the strange whisper of “Jack‑o‑Lantern” from a passing driver. Their uneasy welcome is set against a storm that thrashes the windows, turning the house’s silhouette into a fleeting blaze of light before plunging it back into darkness.

Inside, the rooms are filled with heavy walnut furniture, a red‑velvet album, and a portrait of a stern, long‑dead relative whose eyes seem to follow every move. As the couple lights a fire and settles by the hearth, the atmosphere shifts from foreboding to a fragile comfort, hinting at hidden histories and lingering spirits that may yet stir the house’s secrets. The stage is set for a tense exploration of memory, fear, and the uncanny within these shadowed walls.