The Breakdown by Marjorie Bowen (Kecksies and Other Twilight Tales, 1976) sees a young man called Murdoch get off an unserviceable train. Then, rather than wait for a conveyance to his acquaintance’s house, he decides to walk. During his journey we find out that part of the reason for Murdoch’s visit is that his friend owns a portrait of a young woman who Murdoch is attracted to—although she is long dead.
Later, the winter weather worsens, and Murdcoch comes upon a spooky house called The Wishing Inn. Murdoch decides to stay the night and, when he asks the proprietor about the inn’s name, he is told that wishes come true on Xmas Eve. Sure enough, the woman in the portrait arrives at the inn looking for her lover.
Murdoch speaks to her, and goes to help her look, and they later end up in a carriage riding to an unknown location. Then Murdoch realises she is not really there and jumps out. He ends up in a village graveyard, and stumbles upon the woman and her lover’s gravestone.
Fortunately, Murdoch’s friend is at the church, and takes him home. The next day Murdoch gets told the story of the woman and her lover. The final twist comes when the narrator meets the acquaintance’s sister—who looks like the woman in the portrait.
This isn’t bad but it’s a contrived sequence of spooky events that you can mostly see coming—with a convenient co-incidence for an ending.
* (Mediocre). 3,200 words.