The Willows

"The situation called for a courage and calmness of reasoning that neither of us could compass, and I have never before seen so clearly conscious of two persons in me-the one that explained everything, and the other that laughed at such foolish explanations, yet was horribly afraid."

A fierce wind blows along the Danube river; the storm is approaching. Two friends, travelling by canoe, come across a small island surrounded by willows where they can escape the rising waters and rest. A miasma of dread envelops their campsite - a paddle goes missing, their canoe is damaged, mysterious sounds and shadows come and go throughout the night. Are these events the result of human sabotage, or something much more sinister?

Algernon Blackwood's short yet chilling narrative was a personal favourite of H.P. Lovecraft, who called it the finest example of weird fiction in English literature. Published in 1907, The Willows is one of the author's best-known works.

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