In Roald Dahl’s short story ‘The Landlady’, the landlady kills Billy Weaver as part of her sinister hobby of preserving young men. The story is a chilling tale of deception and murder, where the landlady lures Billy into her bed and breakfast with the promise of a cheap stay. However, her true intentions are far more sinister.
The landlady is revealed to be a taxidermist who has a macabre fascination with preserving her guests. She drugs Billy’s tea, which leads to his death, and then proceeds to stuff and preserve his body, much like she has done with her previous victims. The story ends on a haunting note, leaving readers to ponder the fate of Billy and the landlady’s previous guests.
This act of killing and preserving Billy is a reflection of the landlady’s twisted psyche and her desire to keep young men forever young and beautiful in her collection. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of trusting strangers and the hidden horrors that can lurk behind a seemingly innocent facade.