The Willowdale Handcar (or The Return of the Black Doll) by Edward Gorey

In which three Pilgrims find mystery, abort peril, and partake of religious community.
And the discerning Reader discovers Meaning in their Progress.

In this enigmatic, surreal, wonderfully entertaining tale, three mysterious figures set out from Willowdale, traveling by handcar. On the way to nowhere in particular they pass a number of odd characters and observe a series of baffling phenomena, from a house burning down in a field to a palatial mansion perched precariously on a bluff.

At once deeply vexing and utterly hilarious, darkly mysterious and amusingly absurd, The Willowdale Handcar is vintage Edward Gorey.