
A winter journey to a remote lakeside farm leads the narrator into the stark, snow‑capped hills of Jacobia, where a solitary water tower looms against a storm‑torn sky. The cold landscape, with its barren bluffs and the quiet glow of a modest Yule‑tide celebration, sets a mood of both isolation and lingering comfort. As night falls, the narrator wanders the moon‑silvered woods, listening to the mournful call of an owl and the whisper of wind through leaf‑less branches.
Inside the towering structure, a maze of timber, pipes and winding stairways creates an eerie, perfect hideaway for something unseen. The narrator’s longtime friend insists a ghost haunts the tower, and during a long, solitary interview the specter seems to materialize, its presence felt only by the two of them. The story balances the stark beauty of the frozen wilderness with the unsettling intimacy of a private haunting, inviting listeners to share in the quiet suspense of a single, chilling encounter.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (76K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by ellinora, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2018-11-03
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1863–1931
Best known for his lyrical etchings of the Indiana Dunes, this American artist also wrote vividly about the landscapes he loved. His work brings together close observation, quiet mood, and a deep feeling for place.
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