Short stories | Lecturia

Oscar Wilde: The Nightingale and The Rose

“The Nightingale and the Rose” is a short story by Oscar Wilde, published in 1888 as part of the collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales. A young student is heartbroken because he cannot find a red rose to win the girl he loves, who has promised to dance with him only if he brings her one. A nightingale, listening to his sorrow from a tree, decides to help and sets out in search of that single flower. Moved by the ideal of true love, the bird sees in the young man the embodiment of a genuine lover.

Frank Belknap Long: The Hounds of Tindalos

Synopsis: “The Hounds of Tindalos” is a short story by Frank Belknap Long, first published in Weird Tales in March 1929, within the Cthulhu Mythos universe. The story follows Halpin Chalmers, a scholar obsessed with the mysteries of time and space, who decides to carry out a daring experiment to prove his theories. Using a strange Asiatic substance that alters perception, Chalmers intends to travel mentally through time, witnessing the lives of his ancestors back to the very origins of humanity. However, what begins as a fascinating journey soon turns into a horrifying nightmare.

D. H. Lawrence: Mercury

“Mercury” is a short story by D. H. Lawrence, first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1927. On a sweltering summer Sunday, crowds ascend the hill of Mercury, seeking to escape the heat that weighs upon the valleys. At the summit, amid the pine forest, time seems to stand still—no one is in a hurry, and no one has a purpose. Yet as the day wears on, the heat thickens and a silent tension takes hold of the air, as if nature itself were waiting for something imminent to happen.

A. E. van Vogt: Black Destroyer

“Black Destroyer” is an influential science fiction short story by A. E. van Vogt, first published in Astounding Science-Fiction in July 1939. The story follows Coeurl, a fierce and intelligent alien creature roaming a desolate planet in search of sustenance. When a ship of human explorers lands, Coeurl detects a vital substance that awakens his insatiable hunger and triggers his predatory instincts. As he cunningly observes the humans, he prepares to seize any opportunity. Widely regarded as the beginning of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, the story is also recognized as one of the inspirations behind Ridley Scott’s film Alien.

Richard Matheson: Button, Button

“Button, Button” is a disturbing short story by Richard Matheson, first published in Playboy magazine in June 1970. The story follows Norma and Arthur Lewis, who receive a strange package at their New York apartment. Inside, they find a device with a button protected by a glass dome, along with a note announcing a visit from Mr. Steward. When he arrives, he makes them a chilling offer: if they press the button, someone they don’t know will die — and they will receive fifty thousand dollars. This moral dilemma puts to the test the couple’s ethics and their deepest ambitions.

Isaac Asimov: The Bicentennial Man

Synopsis: “The Bicentennial Man” is a philosophical science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that won him the prestigious Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards in 1977. The story follows Andrew Martin, a robot designed to perform domestic tasks for a human family. However, Andrew soon reveals creative abilities and exceptional reasoning, which earns him special … Read more