"The Bus-Conductor"
by E.F. Benson
Synopsis:
Our narrator tells the story of the time his friend recounted a strange and eerie experience with the ~~Other Side~~. (Ooooh, spooooky.)
My Reaction (with SPOILERS):
This one has a couple of creepy moments. The basic idea of the story is probably familiar to most modern readers, but it's still eerie-- a classic case of a "warning from beyond". Incidentally, the word around town-- eh, the Internet-- is that Benson's story was the first to use the so-called "coachman's warning". It's been popular ever since, even making its way into an episode of Twilight Zone.
-- "'But why you go ghost-hunting I cannot imagine,' he said, 'because your teeth were chattering and your eyes starting out of your head all the time you were there, from sheer fright. Or do you like being frightened?' Hugh, though generally intelligent, is dense in certain ways; this is one of them. 'Why, of course, I like being frightened,' I said. 'I want to be made to creep and creep and creep. Fear is the most absorbing and luxurious of emotions. One forgets all else if one is afraid.'"
-- "'Just room for one more inside, sir.'"
