Short stories | Lecturia

Arthur C. Clarke: A Walk in the Dark

“A Walk in the Dark” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in August 1950 in Thrilling Wonder Stories and later included in the anthology Reach for Tomorrow (1956). The story follows Robert Armstrong, a space technician who, after his vehicle breaks down, must walk several kilometers across a remote and inhospitable planet. The path, shrouded in absolute darkness, turns into a harrowing experience when the memory of a local legend about a creature lurking in the night begins to creep into his thoughts, causing logic to give way to suggestion.

Ray Bradbury: The City

“The City” is a short story by Ray Bradbury, published in July 1950 in Startling Stories and later included in The Illustrated Man (1951). On a distant planet, amid dark towers and empty streets, an ancient city seems immersed in an endless wait. Everything changes when a rocket from Earth lands nearby and a group of explorers ventures into its silent walls, unaware of the mystery surrounding them and the enigma hidden within its structures.

John Cheever: The Swimmer

“The Swimmer” is a short story by John Cheever, published on July 18, 1964, in The New Yorker and included later that year in the collection The Brigadier and the Golf Widow. On a hot summer Sunday, Neddy Merrill spends the afternoon at a friend’s house when he comes up with a peculiar idea: since many houses in the county have swimming pools that are relatively connected, it should be possible to return home by swimming through them. However, what begins as a playful and unusual experience soon turns into something far more unsettling.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Festival

“The Festival” is a haunting tale by H.P. Lovecraft, published in January 1925 in Weird Tales magazine. On Christmas Eve, a man travels to the ancient coastal town of Kingsport to take part in an enigmatic winter solstice ritual. His purpose is to connect with the arcane roots of his lineage, which trace back to times predating the colonization of America. Immersed in an oppressive atmosphere of mystery, the protagonist finds himself in a transformed Kingsport, where the shadows of the past come alive and family secrets intertwine with ancient horrors.

Isaac Asimov: Liar!

“Liar!” is a short story by Isaac Asimov, published in May 1941 in Astounding Science-Fiction and later included in the book I, Robot (1950). The story introduces the robot RB-34, nicknamed Herbie, who unexpectedly develops the ability to read human minds. This phenomenon unsettles the engineers at U.S. Robots, especially robopsychologist Susan Calvin, who set out to investigate the scope and possible consequences of this faculty. As the team examines the case, Herbie becomes an unprecedented challenge for robotic science and raises questions about privacy and the effects such a power could have on people.

Ambrose Bierce: The Boarded Window

In “The Boarded Window”, a short story published in 1891, Ambrose Bierce transports us to the vast and lonely forests near Cincinnati in 1830, where the untamed wilderness serves as the backdrop for an unsettling tale. The story follows Murlock, a reclusive widower who lives in an isolated cabin, cut off from all company. Once a lively pioneer, Murlock has aged prematurely after the death of his wife, a tragic event shrouded in mysterious and terrifying circumstances that changed his life forever.