08 - Beckoning Fair One by Oliver Onions

The Beckoning Fair One stands as the most renowned and widely anthologized work of British author Oliver Onions. This haunting novella, part of the 1911 collection Widdershins, delves into the eerie and the unknown. A contemporary reviewer from The Athenaeum described it as a successful ghost story that weaves together imagination, horror, and an enigmatic atmosphere. The titular Fair One teeters on the edge of reality, leaving both the protagonist, Oleron, and the reader questioning his sanity. Set against the backdrop of a crumbling old house that may harbor its own sinister intentions, the story immerses you in a world of dripping faucets, the soft rustle of hair being brushed, and the shadows of a growing obsession. Are these merely figments of Olerons mind, or are they the manifestations of a chilling supernatural presence? - Summary by Louise J. Belle