Summary of “Haunted Heart” by Kim Wilkins,

Summary of “Haunted Heart” by Kim Wilkins, one of her most haunting short gothic stories blending love, memory, and the supernatural:

Paragraph 1–2: The Setting and Grief

The story opens with Emma, the protagonist, arriving at a lonely seaside cottage after the tragic death of her lover David. She has come seeking solitude and recovery from her grief. The sea outside mirrors her emotions — cold, vast, and endlessly restless. The tone is melancholic and isolated, showing that Emma’s world has been hollowed out by loss.

Paragraph 3–4: The House and Memory

Inside the cottage, everything feels strangely familiar and alive, even though Emma has never been there before. She notices subtle things — a creak in the floorboards, a curtain moving, and the scent of salt and lavender that reminds her of David. It feels as though his presence lingers in the air. The house becomes a reflection of her emotional state — full of silence, yet whispering with ghosts of memory.

Paragraph 5–6: The Haunting Begins

At night, Emma hears footsteps and feels a touch on her shoulder, soft and tender, like David’s. She doesn’t scream; instead, she feels comforted and confused. She starts to believe that David has returned to her, not as a vision, but as a spirit drawn back by love. The story blurs the line between haunting and hallucination.

Paragraph 7–8: Flashbacks to Love and Loss

The narrative shifts briefly to Emma’s memories of David — their first meeting, their shared passion for art and music, and the sudden accident that took his life. The flashbacks are warm and vivid, contrasting sharply with the coldness of the present. They show that Emma’s love was genuine and intense, but also fragile, hinting that she may be clinging too tightly to the past.

Paragraph 9–10: The Ghostly Presence Strengthens

The haunting becomes stronger. Emma finds David’s old photograph lying on her pillow, though she never brought it with her. She hears his voice calling her name from the other room. She begins talking to him aloud, convinced he can hear her. The cottage becomes a bridge between life and death, and Emma crosses it willingly.

Paragraph 11–12: The Truth Emerges

A storm hits the coast, and in the chaos of thunder and wind, Emma feels David’s arms around her. But the warmth turns to coldness; the embrace becomes suffocating. In that moment, Emma realizes that what haunts her is not David’s love, but her own grief made flesh — her refusal to let go has turned memory into a ghost. The haunting is psychological as much as supernatural.

Paragraph 13–14: The Resolution

By morning, the storm has passed. The cottage is silent again. Emma opens the windows and lets in the sea air and sunlight. She places David’s photograph on the windowsill and whispers goodbye. The ghost no longer visits her. The story closes on a quiet, bittersweet note — Emma has finally accepted that love cannot hold the dead, and peace comes only with release.

Tone and Mood

The mood throughout is melancholic, intimate, and gothic. Wilkins uses sensory imagery — sound, scent, and touch — to evoke emotional haunting rather than horror. The story is about love surviving beyond death, but also about the danger of living in memory instead of the present.