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Damon Knight: Shall the Dust Praise Thee?

“Shall the Dust Praise Thee?” is a short story by Damon Knight, published in 1967 in the anthology Dangerous Visions. The Day of Wrath has finally arrived: the heavens open, trumpets sound, and the throne of God appears, wreathed in fire, to preside over the Last Judgment. Seven angels descend upon the Earth to carry out their missions on the Final Day; however, something prevents them from doing so. The world is not what they expected to find.

Isaac Asimov: The Dead Past. Summary

In a future where scientific research is controlled by the government, Professor of History Arnold Potterley seeks access to the chronoscope, a device that allows images of the past to be viewed, in order to study ancient Carthage, but his request is denied. Frustrated, he persuades the young physicist Jonas Foster to investigate Neutrinics, the scientific basis of chronoscopy. Foster discovers a more efficient method for building chronoscopes and constructs one, but reveals that it can observe only up to one hundred and twenty-five years into the past. When Potterley’s wife wishes to use the device to see her deceased daughter, Potterley destroys it. He then informs on Foster to the authorities in order to prevent the dissemination of the discovery; however, Foster’s uncle has already sent the plans to multiple publishers. The head of Chronoscopy then reveals the devastating truth: the chronoscope can observe not only the dead past but also the immediate present, so its widespread use would mean the absolute end of human privacy.

Edgar Allan Poe: The Man of the Crowd

“The Man of the Crowd” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, published in December 1840 in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and Atkinson’s Casket. A man observes from the window of a London café the ceaseless flow of people along a bustling avenue. For hours he watches and classifies the passersby according to their appearance and behavior: merchants, clerks, gamblers, beggars, prostitutes. As night falls, his attention is captured by an old man with an extraordinarily enigmatic expression. Driven by an irresistible curiosity, he leaves the café to follow the mysterious figure through the nocturnal streets of London.

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Roger Malvin’s Burial

“Roger Malvin’s Burial” is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1832 in The Token. Reuben Bourne and Roger Malvin are two men who, after escaping from a bloody battle between settlers and Native Americans, are left seriously wounded. Lost in the vastness of the forest and with no help in sight, Malvin—aware that his condition is terminal—begs Reuben to abandon him in order to save himself. Though he resists, Reuben realizes that setting out in search of aid is the only hope of saving Malvin.

F. Marion Crawford: The Dead Smile

“The Dead Smile” is a short story by F. Marion Crawford, first published in August 1899 in Ainslee’s Magazine and later included in the collection Uncanny Tales (1911). Set in an old Irish mansion, it unfolds the unsettling tale of the Ockrams, a family burdened by a cursed inheritance. Before his death, Sir Hugh—an old man both cruel and merciless—utters cryptic warnings to his son Gabriel and to his niece Evelyn, who intend to marry. Yet he takes his secret to the grave. From that moment on, the young couple’s happiness is overshadowed by a growing threat and an insistent summons that seems to rise from the family crypt itself.

Patricia Highsmith: A Clock Ticks at Christmas

“A Clock Ticks at Christmas,” a short story by Patricia Highsmith published in Mermaids on the Golf Course (1985), introduces us to Michèle and Charles, a wealthy Parisian couple whose life is turned upside down after Michèle’s chance encounter with a poor boy on Christmas Eve. Moved by the spirit of generosity of the Christmas season, Michèle invites the boy into her home and offers him help. However, the visit exposes fundamental tensions and differences in the couple, revealing their different perspectives on charity, trust, and the value of human relationships.