Fantasy | Lecturia

Richard Matheson: Old Haunts

Old Haunts is a short story by Richard Matheson, published in October 1957 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story follows Bill Johnson, a middle-aged man who returns to the city where he spent his university years, driven by nostalgia and the desire to reconnect with his past. He visits old places, relives memories, and stays in his old room, seeking solace in the familiar. But as the journey progresses, the atmosphere becomes disturbing, and the past, far from offering refuge, begins to reveal itself as a more worrisome territory than he imagined.

Ursula K. Le Guin: The White Donkey

The White Donkey is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1980 in the magazine TriQuarterly. The story follows Sita, a young woman who takes her goats to graze in the forest, where she discovers a mysterious white donkey with a horn on its forehead. Fascinated by its elegance and uniqueness, Sita visits it daily, offering flowers and sharing moments of silent companionship. As her bond with the animal grows stronger, at Sita’s home, her parents decide her fate.

Ray Bradbury: The Dragon

“The Dragon” is a short story by Ray Bradbury published in Esquire in August 1955. It tells the story of two men waiting by a fire in a desolate nocturnal wasteland, fearful of the presence of a legendary dragon that devours solitary travelers. The darkness and the cold increase their anxiety as they talk about the terrifying beast, described as having eyes of fire and deadly breath. As the night progresses, the men prepare for an inevitable confrontation. When the dragon appears, they don their armor and mount their horses, marching towards an inevitable clash with their destiny.

H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall

“The Door in the Wall,” a story by H.G. Wells published in The Daily Chronicle in 1906, tells the story of Lionel Wallace, a man who, as a child, discovers a mysterious door in a wall that promises to lead him to a place of extraordinary beauty and serenity. Throughout his life, the door reappears before his eyes on several occasions. However, the obligations of everyday life always prevent Wallace from escaping to that world of magic where he knows he will be happy. The narrative, full of mystery and symbolism, delves into the permanent human conflict between the satisfaction of daily duties and ambitions and the desire to escape where life can be lived in peace and tranquillity.

Edgar Allan Poe: The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. Summary and analysis

“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” by Edgar Allan Poe narrates a disturbing scientific experiment. A hypnotist, fascinated by the boundaries between life and death, decides to try to hypnotize a person at the moment of their death. To do this, he recruits Ernest Valdemar, a terminally ill man. With the help of doctors and assistants, the narrator undertakes this audacious experiment, exploring unknown territories of the human consciousness. As the process advances, the participants face inexplicable phenomena that challenge their understanding of reality and death. The story combines elements of psychological horror with a pseudo-scientific approach, creating an atmosphere of growing tension and mystery that keeps the reader in suspense until its surprising conclusion.

Jorge Luis Borges: The House of Asterion

The House of Asterion, a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, published in 1947 in Los Anales de Buenos Aires and later included in the collection El Aleph (1949), explores the life of Asterion, a mythical and enigmatic character who lives in a unique, vast and labyrinthine house. Through a first-person narrative, Asterion describes his solitary existence in this mysterious house, where he entertains himself with various games and reflections while awaiting the arrival of the promised Redeemer.