The Landlady

Billy is a seventeen

Billy is a seventeen-year-old young man travelling from London to Bath for a job. He is polite, impressionable, and eager to find accommodation. His i

The landlady appears warm

The landlady appears warm, motherly, and helpful, but her behaviour is unsettling. She is about forty-five or fifty years old and keeps the room ready

The cosy room

The cosy room, the smiling landlady, the sleeping dog, and the harmless-looking parrot all seem safe at first. Later, these same details become signs

Roald Dahl plants small clues such

Roald Dahl plants small clues such as the old guest book entries, the empty hall, the stuffed pets, the bitter almond taste of the tea, and the landla

The parrot and the dachshund

The parrot and the dachshund are not living pets. They are stuffed and preserved by the landlady herself, which reveals her disturbing habit of keepin