"[2] Borges himself was quite skeptical about his memorial to Lovecraft (as expressed in the book's epilogue), whom he in fact considered "an involuntary parodist of Poe.
"[6] The story's protagonist, while in Austin, Texas, receives the news of the death of his uncle, Edwin Arnett, in Turdera, Argentina, south of Buenos Aires.
Preetorius immediately disposes of all the furniture and initiates a series of modifications in opposition to Alexander Muir, the architect responsible for the original design of the house and the late Arnett's best friend.
[1] One rainy night, the protagonist is caught in the storm and is forced to enter the mysterious house; the front door is unexpectedly open.
"[1] Turning on the lights, he discovers strange, incomprehensible pieces of furniture,[2] such as a long U-shaped desk with circular holes on opposite ends and a ladder with irregularly-spaced steps.