Short stories | Lecturia

Charles Dickens: A Madman’s Manuscript

“A Madman’s Manuscript” is a short story by Charles Dickens, published in 1836 as part of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Presented as a manuscript found in an asylum, it tells the story of a man who describes his gradual descent into madness. A descendant of a family plagued by insanity, he is obsessed with the idea of inheriting the same fate. This fear consumes him, isolating him from the world and trapping him in a spiral of paranoia and despair. As his obsession grows, his reality becomes distorted, and his worst fears begin to take shape.

Shirley Jackson: The Intoxicated

“The Intoxicated” is a short story by Shirley Jackson, published in 1949 in The Lottery, or, The Adventures of James Harris. During a party, a slightly drunk man slips into the kitchen to escape the noise and sober up a little. There he finds Eileen, the hosts’ teenage daughter, who offers him coffee. Somewhat uncomfortable, the man strikes up a conversation he intends to keep trivial. Gradually, however, the exchange takes a disturbing turn when the girl begins to reveal her dark vision of the world’s future.

Fritz Leiber: The Man Who Never Grew Young

“The Man Who Never Grew Young” is a short story by American writer Fritz Leiber, published in 1947 in the collection Night’s Black Agents. In a remote landscape along the Nile, an ageless man watches as the world around him slowly falls apart: the pyramids are returned to the hills, great thoughts are reabsorbed by the minds that conceived them, and humanity retreats toward its origins. An unchanging witness to vanishing civilizations, the protagonist reflects wistfully on his own existence in a time that seems to flow backward.

Theodore Sturgeon: Fluffy

“Fluffy” is a short story by Theodore Sturgeon, published in Weird Tales in March 1947. Ransome, a regular guest at social gatherings thanks to his talent for telling anecdotes, spends the weekend at the home of Mrs. Benedetto, an eccentric widow who is devoted to her enormous cat, Fluffy. Fascinated by his hostess’s devotion and amused by the animal’s indifference, Ransome amuses himself by reflecting on the nature of cats. However, during the night, a strange incident in the guest room will change the course of his stay.

Arthur C. Clarke: Reunion

“Reunion” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1971 in the anthology Infinity Two. The story is presented as an interstellar message sent by an advanced civilization announcing its imminent arrival on Earth. In a calm and cordial tone, the emissaries reveal an ancient connection to humanity: millions of years ago, they colonized the planet before being forced to abandon it. Now, after a long evolutionary separation, they return to reestablish contact. Their message conveys a proposal for reconciliation and assistance, offering technological solutions and revelations about a shared past that humanity has forgotten.

H. P. Lovecraft: The White Ship

“The White Ship” is a short story by Howard Phillips Lovecraft, published in 1919 in the magazine The United Amateur. It recounts the experience of Basil Elton, a solitary lighthouse keeper at North Point, who, every full moon, witnesses the appearance of a mysterious vessel gliding across the silent waters. Drawn by its presence, one night he decides to board it and embarks on a fantastical journey to unknown lands, guided by an enigmatic bearded man. As the ship heads south, dreamlike landscapes and wonders unfold, evoking forgotten dreams and the promise of revelations beyond the limits of time and space.