The Fall of the House of Usher

by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe is a short story first published in 1839. A narrator visits his ailing childhood friend Roderick Usher at his decaying family mansion. There he encounters Roderick's mysterious twin sister Madeline, who suffers from a strange illness. As the atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive, the house itself seems alive with malevolent energy. When Madeline is entombed within the estate, terrifying sounds begin echoing through the halls, building toward a shocking climax that binds the fate of the twins to their ancestral home.