Short stories | Lecturia

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.

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in Knickerbocker Magazine in January 1837 and later included in Twice-Told Tales (1837). It tells of the eccentric Dr. Heidegger, who invites four elderly friends—once distinguished by wealth, beauty, power, and pleasure but now broken by time and misfortune—into his mysterious study. Amid dusty tomes, strange relics, and the portrait of his lost fiancée, the doctor proposes a peculiar experiment involving a liquid said to flow from the legendary Fountain of Youth.

Samanta Schweblin: Preserves

“Preserves” is a short story by Samanta Schweblin, published in 2008 in the anthology La furia de las pestes. The story follows a young woman facing an unplanned pregnancy that disrupts her plans, her routine, her relationship, and the family’s sense of calm. As her body changes, she experiences growing anxiety, insomnia, and a feeling of losing control. Together with her partner, they explore various alternatives: obstetricians, healers, a midwife, and a shaman. Eventually, they meet Dr. Weisman, whose proposal seems to offer a definitive solution to their problems.

Joanna Russ: When It Changed

Joanna Russ - Cuando las cosas cambiaron

“When It Changed” is a science fiction short story by Joanna Russ, published in 1972 in the anthology Again, Dangerous Visions and awarded the Nebula Prize in 1973. Set on the planet Whileaway, where women have lived without men for centuries, the story follows Janet and her wife, Katy, as they confront the unexpected arrival of a group of men from Earth. Through Janet’s perspective, the narrative explores everyday life in an all-female society and the unease caused by the newcomers, whose attitudes reflect a profoundly different worldview.