There once was a house, and it sat in the middle of a simple and quaint treelined street. A beautiful woman named Rebecca lived in this house with her faithfully devoted husband and their newborn daughter. They were happy, and they were proud.

The house had originally belonged to a great-great-aunt of Rebecca’s named Minerva. She lived in the house all the days of her life, and she died there on the very last night of the year. In her final earthly wishes, Minerva bequeathed the house to her next of kin and all of its belongings, including a golden sealed letter reading “Instruction for the Keeper of the House”, to be given to whomever took legal ownership of the house.

None of her next of kin came forward to claim the house. Some neighbors speculated that the relatives passed on such a beautiful home because of the rumored hauntings attached to it; the wild sobs of a young woman heard through the winter winds as the year closed, coupled by a sturdy knocking at the front door that emanated onto the street. The house sat and sat, empty until the law firm handling Minerva’s estate located Rebecca as being the next in the family line to inherit the house and all its belongings, if she so wanted.

Rebecca and her husband were thrilled and received the house gratefully. This stroke of luck came at just the right time in their lives as they were starting a family. With the arrival of autumn, Rebecca and her husband moved into the house welcoming this new chapter in their lives, on this street, and in this house. It was the house of their dreams. As the last leaves of autumn blew out, in came the arrival of their first child; their daughter was born.

On the very last day of the year, Rebecca prepared a “special” bread for her family’s first New Year’s Eve together. As she opened the kitchen window to let in the cool winter breeze, she heard a sturdy knocking at their front door. She peeped out the window and saw two children standing there, a boy and a girl.

• Audible
• Amazon Kindle E-book
• Video storybook
• Apple iBooks

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Although this story is short, it’s worth the read. The writing is eloquent, but the story is creepy. I loved it!

There are different ways to enjoy the book. I had the chance to listen to the audio while watching the video storybook. It was great! That’s the version I recommend, but I think if I had to choose between the kindle or audiobook, I’d read it. The author did a wonderful job with all of the versions.

Just remember, you don’t have to welcome everyone into your home.

About the Author

Jennifer Skliás-Gahan is an American actor, writer, and producer.

In 2018 she co-founded the film production company, 18 Bleecker Films. Matilda, written and starring Jennifer, produced by 18 Bleecker Films, won the best short award on the festival circuit along with qualifying for the Academy Awards. Data Management, co-starring Jennifer will be released on DUST a sci-fi platform of Gunpowder and Sky on January 2023.

Tonight Is Your Night, written and co-starring Jennifer, is a short film being released by 18 Bleecker Films December 2022.

Jennifer will direct her first short film, THE CLOCK SHOP in winter 2023.

Jennifer is presently working on a documentary threading together interviews filmed in the last 10 years to present from the “MasculineUS” project, a not-for-profit multimedia project promoting positive images of women who occupy a BLIND SPOT in society.

“The House in the Middle of the Street” was written and narrated by Jennifer. It is a gothic fable about an old house, its occupants and the yearly visit of a boy and a girl on New Year’s Eve….that knock and knock and knock until they are invited in.

Jennifer wrote and narrated The House in the Middle of the Street as well as performed its music.

She wrote this tale to be listened to in the vein of the ancient tradition of storytelling she grew up with in her Greek family. She narrated The House in the Middle of the Street as well as performed the music used in its sound design and its opening and closing theme.