Maria is always getting lost in the secret world of her imagination.

A ghostly mystery and winner of the Whitbread Award, newly republished in the Essential Modern Classics range.

Maria likes to be alone with her thoughts. She talks to animals and objects, and generally prefers them to people. But whilst on holiday she begins to hear things that aren't there - a swing creaking, a dog barking - and when she sees a Victorian embroidered picture, Maria feels a strange connection with the ten-year-old, Harriet, who stitched it.

But what happened to her? As Maria becomes more lost in Harriet's world, she grows convinced that something tragic occurred.

Perfect for fans of ghostly mysteries like 'Tom's Midnight Garden'.