Esperanza is big, absolutely no question.  Though no bigger in footprint than some of the new houses in town, the existence of four floors and a veritable maze of small rooms makes it seem even larger.*

I don’t believe it is haunted, a question people always ask; but it does have a weight to it.  And part of that weight is created by the physical space.  No matter what you do, how many lights you turn on, you can’t see around all the corners.*  Always, there is a great bulk above, below, behind.  I think that this freaks out a lot of people.  It is certainly easy to let the imagination run, wondering just what that noise was that echoed down the steam pipes or through the old ducts.  And what was that reflection which flickered across the window-pane?  Easier still on a dark and windy night.  You go up one stairs, but It might have gone down another….

I like the house on those nights, the house is its own and I am within. 

*Actually, the layout is very straightforward and I can navigate it in the pitch black, but first time visitors have a hard time with finding the stair-case they went up, because it isn’t the expected layout.   They certainly never know where all the doors lead.

*Leaving aside that some sections have essentially non-existent lighting, or lighting that can only be turned on having crossed the dark room and not from the door.