When I was younger, I thought houses were dull places full of doors and windows. I understood that some strange adults loved them. Big mansions with expensive drapes, beige wall paper, brass door knobs and lilac bath mats.
But for me, I wanted to live in a hollow tree or in a Hobbit hole. That would be exciting climbing the branches to enter your home or crawling underground in a comfortable soft corner of earth with tree roots around your head.
 
All that changed the day that I visited all three of Pablo Neruda's houses. Yes, that’s correct. Three.  He was a famous Chilean poet who had them in Isla Negra, Valparaiso and Santiago.  Each place reflects his passion for life and the sea. They were his treasure chests full of bits and bobs, driftwood, and seashells. Don't worry, I won't tell you everything I saw because I don't want to ruin your visit to his houses (or the ending to my book), but my favorite discovery was a quote that was carved on a wooden beam at his house in Isla Negra.
“From the joy of my journeys, I navigated building happiness.”
In real life, houses have many uses. Some are normal and others aren’t. They are places to store your stuff, to sleep in, to protect from the wind and the rain. They are full of objects and people. But, Pablo taught me that they should also be filled with emotion. All kinds.
In stories, houses also have similar functions which also include being metaphors for their characters’ and their emotions. My group interacts in/around a depressing run-down house, I hope it will hook you to find out – why?