Visiting a quiet hotel in a Danish town for his antiquarian research, a meticulous scholar, Mr. Anderson, settles into his numbered 12 room. Noticing a terrifying, spatial anomaly: a missing room that occasionally appears between his and the next, room 14. This room, numbered 13, suddenly materialises at night, bringing with it chilling sounds and the presence of a terrifying, spectral occupant. Anderson must determine if the phenomenon is a trick of the mind or a genuine breach in reality tied to some ancient, unholy secret.
From the mind of M. R. James, the acknowledged master who redefined the ghost story for the 20th century and founded the 'antiquarian ghost story' genre, comes a chilling tale of shifting reality and localized terror.
This story is a quintessential example of James' genius for building palpable creeping dread from everyday settings, making it essential reading for fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction, and proving that sometimes, the most terrifying thing is what lies just beyond the wall.