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Kate Chopin: Regret

“Regret” is a short story by Kate Chopin, published in May 1895 in Century magazine and later collected in the book A Night in Acadie (1897). The story centers on Mamzelle Aurélie, a strong-willed country woman who has never married and has no desire to do so. One day, her quiet routine is disrupted when she must care for her neighbor’s four young children. With no experience with children and reluctance to show affection, Mamzelle Aurélie begins a forced coexistence that tests her customs, patience, and deepest convictions.

C. M. Eddy Jr. & H. P. Lovecraft: The Loved Dead

C. M. Eddy, Jr. & H. P. Lovecraft - Los amados muertos

“The Loved Dead” is a short story written by C. M. Eddy, Jr. and H. P. Lovecraft and published in Weird Tales in May 1924. The story follows the confession of a man marked since childhood by a grim fascination with death. His withdrawn and melancholic nature sets him apart from others from his earliest years. One day, during his grandfather’s funeral, he experiences a disturbing revelation that will transform his life. From then on, his existence is driven by an irresistible desire to get closer to the dead, unleashing a dark and tragic obsession.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Alchemist. Summary and analysis

Antoine, the last descendant of the Counts of C—, lives secluded in a ruined castle, marked by an ancient curse: all the males in his family die at the age of 32. Orphaned at birth and raised by a single servant, Pierre, Antoine discovers on his 21st birthday a family manuscript that reveals the origin of the curse: in the 13th century, his ancestor Henri unjustly killed the alchemist Michel Mauvais, believing him to be responsible for the disappearance of his son. Then, Charles Le Sorcier, son of the alchemist, cast a curse: no male in the family would live beyond the age of 32. As he approaches that age, Antoine explores abandoned areas of the castle and finds a secret passage that leads him to an underground chamber where he confronts a ghostly-looking man who turns out to be Charles Le Sorcier, who is still alive thanks to an elixir of immortality. Charles confesses that he has personally murdered each heir for centuries in revenge. Antoine manages to defend himself by throwing his torch, which he uses to set the alchemist on fire. With his death, the chain of murders is finally broken and Antoine survives the fate that condemned his lineage for six hundred years.

H. P. Lovecraft: Polaris

“Polaris” is a story by H. P. Lovecraft, written in 1918 and published in December 1920 in the magazine Philosopher. It narrates the disturbing visions of a man who, under the motionless light of the North Star, begins to have strange dreams in which he contemplates an ancient marble city set among unknown mountains. Fascinated by the beauty and mystery, the protagonist, as he is submerged in this dream world, finds himself increasingly trapped between two realities: sleep and wakefulness.

Stephen King: Popsy. Summary and analysis

Sheridan, a man cornered by gambling debts, kidnaps children to hand them over to an underground network in exchange for money. One day, in a shopping center, he comes across a lonely and frightened child looking for his “Popsy,” his grandfather. Pretending to help him, Sheridan tricks him and takes him in his van. However, during the journey, the child begins to behave strangely: he shows unusual strength, he has sharp teeth, and he claims that his grandfather can smell him, that he is very strong, and that he can fly. As they approach the drop-off point, Sheridan begins to suspect that the child is not what he seems. Finally, on a lonely road, a monstrous winged creature, Popsy, descends on the van, pounces on Sheridan, and brutally kills him. The child, safe and sound, drinks the blood of his captor under the watchful eye of his grandfather. The story ends by revealing that the child belongs to a family of vampire-like beings and that the real danger was the man who tried to hurt him, not the supernatural creature.

Richard Connell: The Most Dangerous Game. Summary and analysis

In “The Most Dangerous Game,” the hunter Sanger Rainsford accidentally falls overboard and swims to an enigmatic Caribbean island called “Ship-Trap Island.” There, he finds a luxurious mansion inhabited by General Zaroff, a Russian aristocrat who has taken his passion for hunting to a disturbing extreme: bored of hunting animals; he has started to hunt human beings, looking for a worthy adversary in them. When Rainsford refuses to participate as a hunter, he becomes the general’s new prey. For three days, he fights to survive in the jungle, using his cunning and skills to evade Zaroff and his hounds. In an unexpected twist, Rainsford fakes his death by throwing himself into the sea and reappears that same night in the general’s room. In the final confrontation, he kills Zaroff and ends the macabre “game.”