Frances Hodgson Burnett’s "The White People" is a haunting and atmospheric novella that delves into the supernatural and the Celtic folklore of the Scottish Highlands. The story is presented as the posthumous manuscript of a young woman named Ysobel, who has grown up in a remote castle, isolated due to her perceived delicate health. From earliest childhood, Ysobel has possessed the rare and lonely gift of being able to see “the white people”—not ghosts in the conventional sense, but a race of serene, luminous, and ethereal beings who coexist with our world, often visible in the misty glens and ancient places of the Highlands. Her stern, practical nurse, Angus Macayre, is the only one who does not dismiss her visions, as he shares her deep connection to the old legends of the land. Ysobel’s solitary life is interrupted by the arrival of a charismatic and wounded Frenchman, Hector MacNairn, and his mother, who are also sensitive to the unseen world. For the first time, Ysobel finds kinship and understanding. The narrative explores themes of life after death, the thin veil between worlds, and the nature of beauty and perception. Unlike a traditional ghost story, the tone is one of mystical wonder rather than horror, as Ysobel’s connection to the white people leads her to a profound and poignant understanding of love and loss, suggesting that death itself may be a beautiful transition into the company of these radiant beings.

Table of Contents:

• The White People (Full Story)