Short stories | Lecturia

Katherine Mansfield: Poison

Synopsis: “Poison” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, published in 1924 in the collection Something Childish and Other Stories. The story follows a couple living in a house in the south of France: she, who has had two husbands, moves confidently and fills every space; he, younger, is caught in the grip of an intense love. The morning is warm and bright. They talk about trivial matters, while she shows slight impatience at the postman’s delay. Everything seems calm, yet a shadow of unease begins to creep in.

Franz Kafka: A Report to an Academy

“A Report to an Academy” (Ein Bericht für eine Akademie) is a short story by Franz Kafka, first published in 1917 in the magazine Der Jude and later included in the book Ein Landarzt (1920). A peculiar ape who has adopted human behaviors is summoned before an academic assembly to give an account of his former life in the wild. Captured on the Gold Coast and locked in a cage aboard a ship, he recounts in detail the harsh conditions of his captivity and the reasons that led him to seek escape through imitation of the men around him. His narrative reconstructs the beginning of a forced adaptation that would forever shape the course of his existence.

Julio Cortázar: The Other Heaven

“The Other Heaven” (El otro cielo) is a short story by Julio Cortázar, published in 1966 in the collection All Fires the Fire (Todos los fuegos el fuego). It tells the story of a man divided between his routine life in 1940s Buenos Aires and an imaginary, twilight Paris made of covered passages and gaslight. While he fulfills the obligations of the present (work, family, stability), Josiane awaits him in that other world—an enigmatic woman with whom he shares a freer, more secret existence, whose intensity threatens to eclipse everything that binds him to his real life.

Jane Rice: The Idol of the Flies

“The Idol of the Flies” is a short story by Jane Rice, published in June 1942 in Unknown Worlds magazine. It tells the story of Pruitt, a cruel and manipulative orphaned boy who lives under the care of his aunt and takes perverse delight in tormenting those around him. While his governess and the servants struggle to endure his whims, Pruitt indulges in sadistic games and disturbing rituals in which flies play a central role.

H. G. Wells: The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham

“The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham” is a short story by H. G. Wells, first published in May 1896 in The Idler magazine. Edward Eden, a young medical student, is approached in the street by an elderly stranger who invites him to lunch and proposes making him his heir. Intrigued and tempted by the offer, Eden agrees to undergo a series of medical examinations the old man requires as a condition for sealing the deal. What seems like a providential opportunity soon turns into the threshold of a disturbing fate.

Ray Bradbury: Skeleton

“Skeleton” is a short story by Ray Bradbury, first published in Weird Tales magazine in September 1945. It tells the story of Mr. Harris, a somewhat hypochondriac man who, convinced that he suffers from mysterious health problems, seeks the help of an alternative medicine specialist named M. Munigant. The doctor offers a psychological explanation for his ailments, suggesting that they stem from an apparent disconnection with his own skeleton. As the story unfolds, Harris becomes increasingly obsessed with his bones, leading him into a series of surreal and disturbing events that plunge him into a spiral of fear and paranoia.