The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it "the Heart House," even though many years had passed since the Heart family lived there. It was situated on a hill overlooking the village: many windows were boarded up, tiles were missing from the roof, and the facade was covered with brazen ivy. The Heart House, which was once a beautiful mansion and undoubtedly the largest and most stately building in the area, was now dilapidated, abandoned, and uninhabited. In Little Hangleton, everyone agreed that this house had something eerie about it. Half a century ago, something strange and terrible had happened there, something the village elders still talked about when there were no other topics for gossip. They had told the story so many times and with so many variations that no one was sure of the truth anymore. However, all versions started from the same point: fifty years ago, at dawn on a beautiful summer day, when the Heart House was still well-kept and impressive, the maid entered the living room and found all three Hearts dead.