Hi, I'm Levar Burton and this is Levar Burton Reads.

In every episode I hand-picked a different piece of short fiction and I read it to you.

The only thing these stories have in common is that I love them and I hope you will too.

Today's story, y'all, has the markers of a good haunted house story.

It starts off with a realtor running an open house in a property that's been vacant for

many years hoping to lure in clients with a bargain basement price.

One of the protagonists in the story is actually a sentient house that uses its powers to manipulate

those folks who dare to enter.

But as the author, John Whistwell has noted,

well, when he tries to write horror, it often times comes out a little less creepy and

ghoulish and more life affirming.

So what we've got is a life affirming haunted house story today for y'all.

Open House on Haunted Hill is the story of a house haunted by its own loneliness.

It was written, as I say, by John Whistwell and published in Diabolical Plots.

This story was nominated for a Hugo Award and was awarded the Nebula for Best Short Story

of 2020.

John is a writer of short stories and fiction criticism and his work has appeared everywhere.

An uncanny magazine, nature magazine, podcast, fireside, nightmare magazine, among many other

venues.

He's also currently working on a novel.

I loved reading John's story today, so let's just get to it, shall we?

Here we go.

...