Richard Matheson | Lecturia

Richard Matheson: Third from the Sun

“Third from the Sun” is a short story by American writer Richard Matheson, published in October 1950 in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. In the early morning, a man and his wife silently prepare for a journey of no return. Together with their two young children and the neighboring family, they will board the spaceship that he, a test pilot, knows inside out. The threat of an imminent war and the conviction that their world is doomed drive them to flee toward another solar system, all while trying to say goodbye to everything without arousing suspicion.

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.

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.

Richard Matheson: Dress of White Silk

In “Dress of White Silk” by Richard Matheson, a young girl under the care of her grandmother is obsessed with her deceased mother’s white silk dress. The grandmother forbids her to enter her mother’s room, but the girl constantly disobeys to feel a connection to her mother through the dress. One day, her friend Mary Jane challenges her to prove the existence of the dress. When the girl finally shows it, a confrontation erupts, triggering a disturbing event.

Richard Matheson: Blood Son

Blood Son is a disturbing short story by Richard Matheson published in Imagination in April 1951. The story follows Jules, a strange and lonely boy who, from birth, proves to be different: his appearance, behavior, and obsession with darkness baffle his surroundings. His fascination with vampires arises after watching a Dracula movie, which leads him to immerse himself in a dangerous fixation with the idea of becoming one. As Jules seeks to make sense of his obsession, his life turns dark and disturbing, reflecting his struggle to belong in a world he doesn’t understand.