"Number 13" is a

ghost story A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature'' ...

by British writer

M. R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, Medieval studies, medievalist scholar and provost (education), provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was List of ...

, included in his first collection ''

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'' is a horror short story collection by British writer M. R. James, published in 1904 (some had previously appeared in magazines). Some later editions under this title contain both the original collection and its su ...

'' (1904).

Plot summary

While researching church history in Viborg,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, in particular the events of the

reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, the narrator's cousin stays in a local inn, opting to stay in room Number 12. Once in his room, he notices that the space seems to grow smaller and his furniture sometimes vanishes. He hears dancing in the room next door, which he notices from its door marking is Number 13, however upon discussing the matter with the inn-keep, he learns that there is no such room number in the building, as it is considered bad luck. The narrator asks the inn-keep to visit his room at night. While talking, the protagonist and the inn-keep hear ominous singing in the room next door. They check Number 14, but learn that its occupant thought it was them. They then discover the door to Number 13 which the narrator had seen earlier. A clawed hand attacks them, and they attempt to break down the door but break through the plaster wall. The occupants of 12 and 14 spend the night in a double bedded room. The narrator meets his cousin a few months later, and relates the tale to him.

Adaptations

In 2000, the story was adapted for television as part of the Ghost Stories for Christmas series by the BBC, and starred

Sir Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Film Productions, Ham ...

as James narrating his story. In 2006, the story was adapted for television starring

Greg Wise Matthew Gregory Wise, born 1966, is an English actor and producer. He has appeared in several British television programmes and feature films. He played the role of John Willoughby in ''Sense and Sensibility'', which also starred Emma Thompson, ...

, Paul Freeman and David Burke.

References

External links

* *
Full text of "Number 13"A Podcast to the Curious
Episode 5 - Number 13 Short stories by M. R. James Horror short stories 1904 short stories {{1900s-horror-story-stub