Welcome back! I'm Cain, your conscientious caretaker, waiting to check out this issue's stories from my own private library--here, beneath the House of Mystery! Been waiting quite a while, in fact--but my private librarian hasn't made a move to help me! Come to think of it--he hasn't made any kind of move since 1846! Must be that steady diet I feed him--all my old stories... Hee, hee, hee 
- — Cain
House of Mystery #206 is an issue of the series House of Mystery (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1972.
Synopsis for "Sentimental Journey"
A man schemes to get rid of his aunt by hiring a fake medium to convince her that her dead husband wishes her to commit suicide in order to join him. He succeeds in convincing her too well that he will miss her when she's gone as she poisons his wine glass as well.
Appearing in "Sentimental Journey"
Narrator:
Featured Characters:
- Agatha "Aunt Aggie" Wingate (Single appearance)
- Dana (Single appearance; dies)
Supporting Characters:
- Harold "Uncle Harry" Wingate (Mentioned only)
Antagonists:
- Phony Medium (Single appearance)
Locations:
- 19th Century
- The Wingate estate
Items:
- Poisoned wine
Synopsis for "The Burning!"
A lonely witch rescues a scarecrow from being burned in the field and uses her sorcery to animate it and give it a human appearance, but it is ungrateful and longs to be among humans in the village. It drugs her wine and turns her over to the villagers to burn and she curses it that with her death it will remember who and what it is. After the witch is killed it finds itself back in the burning field, this time with no kind-hearted witch to save it from destruction.
Appearing in "The Burning!"
Narrator:
Featured Characters:
- Adam Strat (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Meg Cooper, the witch woman (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Villagers
Locations:
- A village
Synopsis for "A Real Mother!"
Appearing in "A Real Mother!"
Narrator:
Featured Characters:
- Lester (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Jack, Lester's father (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Muriel, Lester's stepmother (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Jane, Lester's mother (Deceased) (In dream sequence only)
Locations:
- Lester's house
Items:
- Tommy, a stuffed animal
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery Vol. 2.
- Cain's introduction page is also reprinted in Roots of the Swamp Thing #2.
- "The Burning!" is also reprinted in Welcome Back to the House of Mystery #1.
- The "Cain's Game Room" feature in this issue was done by Lore Shoberg.
See Also