A Shady Plot
Summary of "A Shady Plot" by Elsie Brown
A Shady Plot is a witty and satirical ghost story that pokes fun at both supernatural tropes and
domestic misunderstandings. The protagonist, John Hallock, is a writer of ghost stories who
ironically doesn’t believe in ghosts. When his editor Jenkins demands another spooky tale,
John finds himself creatively blocked—until a ghost named Helen appears.
Helen is part of the Writer’s Inspiration Bureau, a fictional organization of ghosts who
help authors craft supernatural stories. But the ghosts are now on strike, exhausted from being
summoned by amateur writers using Ouija boards. Helen warns John to stop his wife Lavinia
and her friends from meddling with the occult.
Things spiral into comic confusion when Lavinia discovers Helen’s name and suspects John
of infidelity. During a chaotic Ouija session, Helen appears—visible only to John—leading to
a hilarious climax where Lavinia believes her husband has bravely exorcised a ghost. The
misunderstanding gives John the perfect idea for his next story, aptly titled A Shady Plot.
🎭 Themes and Literary Devices
Irony: A ghost story writer who doesn’t believe in ghosts is helped
by one.
Satire: The story mocks spiritual fads like Ouija boards and the
cliché of ghost stories.
Wordplay: The title is a pun—“shady” meaning both ghostly and
suspicious.
Domestic Comedy: Lavinia’s melodrama adds humor and tension,
highlighting miscommunication in relationships.
📘 A Shady Plot – Questions and Answers
Q1: Why did John Hallock agree to write a ghost story for
Jenkins?
A1: John Hallock agreed to write the ghost story because Jenkins, his publisher, regularly
paid him for such stories. Writing ghost stories was his main source of income.
Q2: What was the Writer's Inspiration Bureau and what was its
complaint?
A2: The Writer's Inspiration Bureau was a fictional organization of ghosts who inspired
authors to write ghost stories. Their complaint was that they were being overworked by
amateur writers using Ouija boards for trivial purposes. As a result, they decided to go on
strike.
Q3: Who was Helen? What did she want from John?
A3: Helen was a ghost from the Writer's Inspiration Bureau assigned to help John. She
wanted him to stop his wife Lavinia and her friends from using the Ouija board, as it was
causing unnecessary strain on the ghosts who were being summoned constantly.
Q4: Why was Lavinia angry with her husband? What was the
misunderstanding?
A4: Lavinia became angry when she saw the name "Helen" written on John's notepad. She
assumed Helen was a woman John was having an affair with. The misunderstanding was that
Helen was actually a ghost, not a living person.
Q5: How did the Ouija board session at John's house conclude?
A5: The session ended in chaos when Helen appeared, visible only to John. In his panic to
prevent Lavinia from seeing the ghost, he knocked over the table. The women thought he was
bravely fighting a spirit and believed he had exorcised it. Lavinia’s anger turned into
admiration.
Q6: How did the ghost of Helen finally help John?
A6: Helen helped John by giving him a real-life ghostly experience filled with humor and
confusion. This incident inspired him to write a new story, which he titled A Shady Plot,
solving his creative block.
Q7: Justify the title "A Shady Plot."
A7: The title is a clever pun:
“Shady” refers to the ghostly nature of the story.
“Shady” also means suspicious, referring to Lavinia’s mistaken
belief that John was having an affair. The plot revolves around both a
ghost and a misunderstanding, making the title perfectly fitting.
Q8: What kind of a person was Lavinia?
A8: Lavinia was dramatic, sentimental, and easily influenced by trends like the Ouija board.
She was quick to jump to conclusions, assuming infidelity based on little evidence. However,
she was also easily swayed emotionally, as seen when her anger turned into admiration for
John.
