The Count D’Athol’s beloved bride, Vera, dies unexpectedly in his embrace. After throwing the silver key to the mausoleum back through the locked gate, the count seals himself away in their bedroom with only one faithful servant, Raymond, to watch over him from afar. He pretends that she has not died and the force of his denial is so strong that he begins to believe that she is really with him, forcing Raymond to play along as well. Impossibly, his wish becomes true, and after a year of total enclosure Vera’s presence is strong enough for her to physically manifest in the apartment. Anyone who has known grief will understand the terrible allure of the Count’s decision and be well primed for the strong, conflicted emotions it arouses.
First published in Contes Cruels, Éditions Calmann Lévy, 1893, translated as Cruel Tales, Oxford University Press, 1985
A Personal Anthology 