"π―πππ π πππππ ππππ πππ ππ πππππππππ πππππππππ, ππ πππ ππππ πππππ ππ ππππ. πΏππ πππππππππππ πππ." - William Gay π·π·π·π·π·π·π· Spanning over 150 years, the π₯Southern Spellπ₯ short story readalong season ends close to the modern day with William Gay's 'The Paperhanger', published in 2000. Gay's short story begins in the final moments of the "then" - the time before the disappearance of a young girl named Zeineb. This disappearance is the main event of the short story. The setting is anchored in the gothic through architecture, nature, and atmosphere. The house, of course, is pivotal. It necessitates the paperhanger. The titular paperhanger is an intriguing figure, whose long hair Zeineb likes to run her fingers through, and who knows how to get to the abandoned graveyard. I won't get spoilery in this caption - I really do urge you to read the short story for yourself (free pdf linked in bio) - but I will post about it on the blog soon (today ran out β³). Coming soon: β’Into the Abstract: 'The Paperhanger'β’ I'd love to discuss it with you below though. π€: What did you think of 'The Paperhanger'? π€: Where did you find the gothic and the Southern Gothic within its words? π€: Anyone else getting Unsolved Mysteries vibes? π· πA huge thank you to @shed.milkteeth for recommending this short last winter - it took me a while, but I didn't forget. Truly excellent recommendation ππ€. . #thepaperhanger #williamgay #southerngothic #americangothic #southernliterature #americanhorror #shortstory #shortstoryreadalong #readalong #bookstagram #books #bookish #graveyard #cemetery #spookynerd #bookworm #horror #spookystories #generallygothic #bookclub #gothic #gothicfiction #unsolvedmysteries #crimefiction #missingpersons #netflix #truecrime https://www.instagram.com/p/CDUknsmAm-X/?igshid=192clao9jx8ci