The short story Landlady by Roald Dahl is about a man named Billy Weaver who made a big mistake by going in a hotel called Bed and Breakfast. This was his first time in the town named Bath and he was first advised to go to a hotel called The Bell and Dragon. However, on his way there, he saw the Bed and Breakfast sign and it lured him in. Inside was a lady who was very nice to him so Billy failed to notice the danger. There are many signs that foreshadowed what she was planning to do with him. When he was first peering into the hotel, he noticed a dachshund and a parrot. He thought it was a good sign but it turns out that they were stuffed and dead the whole time. When he rang the doorbell, the lady appeared immediately to open to door which is very strange. She also observed Billy a lot which seems a little creepy. ” … her blue eyes traveled slowly all the way down the length of Billy’s body, to his feet, and then up again.” (Dahl) While signing the guest book, he also noticed two names, Christopher and Gregory. He remembered these names vaguely as they were newsworthy at one point for disappearing. She also said some things that a “normal” person wouldn’t say which is suspicious. She said that 17 is the “perfect age” and also how Mr. Mulholland was a little shorter with less whiter teeth. In the end, Billy tasted a little bitter almond in the tea which hints of a poison. It ends in a slight cliffhanger but Billy will probably die from the poison and get stuffed, like what might’ve happened to her other two guests.
