
A seasoned storyteller recounts the most unforgettable moment of his life—a macabre tableau of a man found dead in his own bed, surrounded by strange symbols and delicate trinkets. The eerie scene, described with vivid detail, hints at ancient rites and unsettles the narrator, setting the stage for a new mystery that beckons from the North Woods of Wisconsin.
He accepts an invitation from his old fishing buddy, detective Kee Moore, to spend the summer at the Moores’ remote lakeside estate. The journey through shadow‑cloaked forests and the twilight‑kissed waters of Deep Lake creates a hauntingly beautiful backdrop, while the reserved yet friendly host, Lora, adds a subtle tension to the gathering.
As the narrator settles into the quiet, secluded bungalow, the calm of the wilderness feels both inviting and foreboding, promising that the secrets hinted at in the opening tableau may soon surface beneath the lake’s still surface.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (366K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2014-06-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1862–1942
Best known for witty verse, lively children’s books, and clever mystery stories, this remarkably prolific American writer published more than 170 books. Her work ranged from nonsense rhymes to detective fiction, all marked by a playful style and an obvious love of words.
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