|
The
|
villagers
|
of
|
Little
|
Hangleton
|
still
|
called
|
it
|
"the
|
Riddle
|
House,"
|
even
|
though
|
it
|
had
|
been
|
many
|
years
|
since
|
the
|
Riddle
|
family
|
had
|
lived
|
there.
|
|
|
It
|
stood
|
on
|
a
|
hill
|
overlooking
|
the
|
village,
|
some
|
of
|
its
|
windows
|
boarded,
|
tiles
|
missing
|
from
|
its
|
roof,
|
and
|
ivy
|
spreading
|
unchecked
|
over
|
its
|
face.
|
|
|
Once
|
a
|
fine-
|
looking
|
manor,
|
and
|
easily
|
the
|
largest
|
and
|
grandest
|
building
|
for
|
miles
|
around,
|
the
|
Riddle
|
House
|
was
|
now
|
damp,
|
derelict,
|
and
|
unoccupied.
|
The
|
|
|
Little
|
Hangletons
|
all
|
agreed
|
that
|
the
|
old
|
house
|
was
|
"creepy."
|
Half
|
a
|
century
|
ago,
|
something
|
strange
|
and
|
horrible
|
had
|
happened
|
there,
|
something
|
that
|
the
|
older
|
|
|
inhabitants
|
of
|
the
|
village
|
still
|
liked
|
to
|
discuss
|
when
|
topics
|
for
|
gossip
|
were
|
scarce.
|
The
|
story
|
had
|
been
|
picked
|
over
|
so
|
many
|
times,
|
and
|
had
|
|
|
been
|
embroidered
|
in
|
so
|
many
|
places,
|
that
|
nobody
|
was
|
quite
|
sure
|
what
|
the
|
truth
|
was
|
anymore.
|
Every
|
version
|
of
|
the
|
tale,
|
however,
|
started
|
in
|
the
|
|
|
same
|
place:
|
Fifty
|
years
|
before,
|
at
|
daybreak
|
on
|
a
|
fine
|
summer's
|
morning,
|
when
|
the
|
Riddle
|
House
|
had
|
still
|
been
|
well
|
kept
|
and
|
impressive,
|
a
|
maid
|
|
|
had
|
entered
|
the
|
drawing
|
room
|
to
|
find
|
all
|
three
|
Riddles
|
dead.
|
The
|
maid
|
had
|
run
|
screaming
|
down
|
the
|
hill
|
into
|
the
|
village
|
and
|
roused
|
as...
|
|