the demon lover by elizabeth bowen

i felt that this story was able to set that scary atmosphere right from the beginning. in the first paragraph, it already gave away hints that something supernatural was in the midst. i was curious to know what that supernatural creature would look like. would it be a ghost, a monster, or a demon? i didn't really know. and the letter made everything seem mysterious. how exactly did it get there? and the message was quite scary, too, if you'd think of it. the message was short, but the person who wrote it really made a statement by just writing that letter and placing it on that table. it was a very sly move. obviously, it was mrs. drover's former lover. maybe she had feelings for him, but the passage of time eventually let those feelings fade. or maybe, thery weren't even real. and at the time when the story was unfolding, there were no feelings to speak of anymore. there was actually fear already and maybe bitterness. i think he didn't treat her very nicely. and she didn't have particularly beautiful memories of him and them together. and the "mystery guy," the former lover and soldier, had a domineering disposition. at least that's what i sort of deduced from the way he behaved with mrs. drover (when she was single) and the way he came back. it's like telling her that hey, i'm back, and we made a promise remember? be true to your word. although the message didn't blatantly include threatening phrases, the scary way of presenting should have been enough to freak mrs. drover out. also freaking her out could have been the former lover's way of delivering revenge against mrs. drover. she got married when he was on duty somewhere, remember?

i also vividly imagined the house. the dust and the old things. the isolation. in the end, mrs drover rode a taxi which made a turn 'round the bend when she didn't even tell the driver which way she wanted to go. the ending was scary. was the driver the demon lover? and where were they heading? it was a deep and scary plunge into the unknown. also, was mrs drover sane at that time? or maybe she was just hysterical? either way, it was a very scary experience for her. and for the readers who had been with her.