
A young couple has just moved into a sprawling, seemingly ordinary house on Cedar Lane, but the home quickly proves anything but typical. Ernie Lane can’t shake the feeling that an extra door—mentioned by the real‑estate agent—appears one night and vanishes the next, turning a simple floor plan into a baffling puzzle. The mystery deepens as the couple’s routine settles into an unsettling rhythm, hinting that the house itself may be playing tricks on them.
Determined to get answers, Ernie reaches out to the realtor, only to find the agency doesn’t even exist under the name he remembers. Meanwhile, his wife’s appearance shifts in a startling way, her hair changing color and even her name slipping from “Melinee” to “Marsha” as if reality were slipping. The disorienting clues pile up, leaving Ernie to wonder whether he’s confronting a prank, a hallucination, or something far stranger.
As the days pass, Ernie’s professional life runs smoothly, yet the strange occurrences at home gnaw at his peace of mind. A sudden headache, a curious doctor’s questions, and the lingering presence of the phantom door suggest that the couple’s new beginning may be haunted by forces beyond ordinary explanation.
Language
en
Duration
~25 minutes (24K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2019-12-06
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

A bestselling thriller writer and influential writing teacher, he is known for page-turning novels and practical advice that has helped many aspiring authors sharpen their craft.
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