A Funny Story

"A Funny Story" is a book that can be read in the 2nd Floor Library on the upper left shelf. After obtaining the True Ending, it is replaced by a book titled "Ellen." In the Extra Difficulty mode in The Witch's House MV, interacting with "A Funny Story" will cause Viola to be shot to death, triggering a game over screen. Like the spikes in the Correct Mouth Hallway, after dying to "A Funny Story", Viola's blood will remain on the floor after reloading the last save.

The Passage

"Once upon a time, there was a rich man pulling along a cart full of treasure.

His cart had broken down in the woods, but there came a passing hunter and his dog.

The rich man pleaded to the hunter to keep a close eye on his cart, to which the hunter agreed.

The rich man went to get a new cart. Meanwhile, the hunter kept watch.

Night soon fell, and the hunter grew worried for his elderly mother still at home.

So the hunter told the dog to watch the cart and went home to check on his mother.

When the man returned, he saw the dog on guard. So he gave the dog a reward for his master, a silver coin, to carry in his mouth.

The dog ran all the way home and brought his master the coin. But the hunter flew into a rage.

'I told you to watch the cart, and what did you do? You stole from it!' So the master killed the dog."

Foreshadowing

This story foreshadows the True Ending of the game.

In "A Funny Story," the hunter ends up killing the dog, mistaking it for a thief. Later on, in the True Ending, it was revealed that Ellen and Viola switched bodies and that the player was controlling Ellen all along. Viola was desperate to get her body back but ended up being killed by her own father, who saw her as a bloody, legless monster. Like the story, Viola's father is also a hunter and Viola is metaphorically the dog that tried to retrieve the reward.

It is important to note that after reading the story, a burst of laughter can be heard (seemingly coming from a nearby chair). That laugh can be assumed to have come from the house, a residing spirit, or Ellen herself. In fact, in the True Ending, Ellen (in Viola's body) snickers after Viola is shot down by her father. 

Ellen

After getting the True Ending, "A Funny Story" in the library changes to a book about Ellen. Since this is done at the very end of the game, it sets a flag on the last file you saved in. Thus, you need to save prior to the Witch's Room and not save over it before the chase. Another option would be to create two saving files, one which will be used to save your data in the Witch's Room and a spare save file which allows you to freely explore the house after obtaining the required ending.

"She was charmed by a demon.

She perceived her sickness as the reason she was not loved.

Her only wish was that someone would love her.

So she wished for a spell to cure her sickness.

What she obtained was a spell to trade bodies.

What she found was a girl who was loved."