ID This Short Horror Story

Cafe Society
1

Asking for the Dope’s help in identifying a short horror story I read many moons ago.

Not sure even what decade I read it in, but I hazily think it was during the '80s, so the story probably isn’t any newer than that. I also believe I came across this story in a book of short horror stories, likely by a variety of authors.

Here are the details I remember: man goes into a house, reason unremembered. I think he was warned by locals about keeping the door propped open. He leaves the main door open, and enters the first room, which is windowless. Door shuts somehow, of course, and he’s in complete darkness. Unworried, he proceeds to walk back the few steps he took to enter the house/room, thinking he’ll encounter the door. He doesn’t, and his attempts to find his way out include finding the wall and feeling his way along it, thinking he got turned around somehow and will eventually find the door.

The wall, despite turning corners as the walls in a room do, doesn’t seem to lead him anywhere. He does find a small hall or passageway, but since he can’t see at all, he doesn’t want to leave his current room, still trying to find the door. Somewhere along the way, something touches or brushes his forehead. Along the wall he continues, becoming more and more frantic, finding the little passageway again and again (but no door), having his forehead touched again and again at random intervals. There may be other things that repeatedly happen. Eventually he works up into a state of screaming hysteria.

Of course he never gets out, and is found dead the next day by locals (who enter the house by an open front door?). Authorities ask the locals why, if they heard him screaming, didn’t they try to help him? Because the house is haunted, or something very similar. “We don’t go in there (at night).”

I think I got the few details I remember right, and hope I haven’t mixed 2 or more stories together. I’m confident that someone will be along soon with the right answer, knowing this board, and for that I thank you all for your attention.

2

Well, I don’t know, but I can bump the thread for you. I’d like to know the answer.

3

This sounds very similar to an old SF story set on Mars, told mostly in the form of diary entries from an explorer who goes into a labyrinth made of completely transparent material. He quickly gets lost and spends the rest of his time on increasingly frantic efforts to find his way back out before he runs out of air/water/food.

EAT - “In The Walls Of Eryx” by HP Lovecraft and Kenneth Sterling and it was Venus, not Mars.

4

ETA not EAT

:smiley:

5

I was trying to think of this story just a few days ago because I wanted to read it again, and I can’t remember the name of it nor who wrote it. I’ve looked through a couple of dozen anthologies that I have, and I can’t find it.

It’s very short, three or four pages at the most, and very effective – I’ll keep looking.

6

After roughly fifteen years I’m finally delurking to answer this question!

tripthicket, I recognised this story as soon as I read your description; it’s “Blind Man’s Buff” by H Russell Wakefield. I have it in a kindle edition of an anthology of his stories called “Old Man’s Beard”, published by Ash Tree Press - I couldn’t track down a copy online I’m afraid.

The last line is indeed “None of us chaps go to Manor after sundown.”

7

Google Books has an excerpt of the story here Haunted Trail Tales: Paranormal Stories From The Woods - Amy Hoitsma - Google Books

8

Excellent, Ghost Ship! That is indeed the story I had in mind. Thanks so much!

After reading the excerpt from the link that Andy L provided, I see that time has blurred my memory somewhat, adding things, leaving some things out, but generally I thought I remembered the story having more substance to it, though it’s still a favorite ghost story.

9

Yay! Good job. :slight_smile: