Short stories | Lecturia

O. Henry: After Twenty Years

“After Twenty Years” is a short story by O. Henry (the pen name of William Sydney Porter), published in 1906 in the collection The Four Million. Set on a cold New York night, the story begins with a police officer patrolling the nearly deserted streets until he encounters a man waiting for an old friend. Two decades earlier, the two had made a promise: to meet again at that very spot and at the same hour, no matter how much their lives might have changed. The dialogue between the police officer and the stranger reveals details of that old friendship, establishing the story’s nostalgic and expectant tone.

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Feathertop: A Moralized Legend

“Feathertop: A Moralized Legend” is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in February 1852 in The International Magazine. Mother Rigby, a powerful New England witch, makes a scarecrow for her cornfield using sticks, straw, old clothes, and a pumpkin for a head. Fascinated by the result of her handiwork, the witch decides to use magic to breathe life into it. Transformed into a handsome and refined gentleman, the figure—christened Feathertop—is sent by its creator into the vain world of human beings to try its luck.

Juan Rulfo: Anacleto Morones

“Anacleto Morones” is a short story by the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo, published in 1953 in the book El llano en llamas. Lucas Lucatero is at his ranch when, in the midst of heat and dust, he sees a group of devout women arriving from Amula. The unwelcome visitors come with the purpose of convincing him to return with them to the town to give testimony about the life and deeds of Anacleto Morones, whom they regard as a saint capable of performing miracles. However, they run up against Lucatero’s reluctance, for he holds a very different opinion of the man who was once his father-in-law.

Philip K. Dick: Colony

“Colony” is an unsettling science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, published in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1953. A group of explorers arrives on a planet that appears perfectly suited for colonization, with conditions ideal for human life. However, what initially seems like a paradise soon turns into a deadly trap when they discover an unsuspected threat that endangers not only their lives, but the survival of all humanity. To prevent the danger from spreading beyond the planet, they must make extreme decisions and fight for their lives against an invisible and terrifying enemy.

Gabriel García Márquez: The Other Side of Death

“The Other Side of Death” (La otra costilla de la muerte) is a short story by Gabriel García Márquez, published in 1948 in the newspaper El Espectador and later collected in the book Ojos de perro azul (1974). The story plunges us into the troubled mind of a man who has just lost his twin brother. Awake in the early hours of the morning, surrounded by strange smells and sensations, he is confronted by a disturbing dream that becomes entwined with reality. His brother’s death leads him to reflect on life, death, and the strange connection between the two. Laden with symbolism and a dreamlike atmosphere, the narrative reveals the protagonist’s deep unease, as he feels that his own existence is inexorably bound to that of his dead brother.

Julio Cortázar: The Night Face Up

“The Night Face Up” (La noche boca arriba) is a short story by the Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, published in 1956 in the collection Final del juego. A man is injured in a motorcycle accident and taken to a hospital. At the same time, in an ancient world, a warrior flees through jungles and marshes during a ritual hunt. Alternating between these two realities, Cortázar creates a subtle tension between the contemporary and the ancestral in a story that disorients the reader and draws them into an uncertain realm where nothing feels entirely safe or familiar.