11.28 - The Monkey's Paw

The story begins with a family, an old couple and their son, sitting by the fire and playing chess in the evening. They are visited shortly after the game ends by a sergeant-major, who begins to tell them stories of far off places, peoples, war and plagues. The old man replies to his tales by wishing aloud that he could go to India, to which the sergeant major warns against, which raises the subject of some story about a monkey's paw, one he shows to the family. The sergeant-major explains that it had a spell put on it by a fakir in India, to grant three men three wishes, to show that fate should be left as it was. When asked whether he had three wishes, the sergeant-major confirmed, but not happily. He aslo explained that he had come by the paw because the first man's third wish had been for death. After being asked whether he would have had his wishes, the sergeant-major threw the paw onto the fire in an attempt to destroy it, but the old man took it up and asked that he might have it if the sergeant-major didn't want it. After such events, the sergeant-major takes his leave, and the story proceeds to show that the family thinks the monkey's paw is just a tale, and they think nothing of it, but still, the old man wishes on it for £200 with which to pay off their house. The son left and the couple went on to bed. The next morning, the family continues in their disbelief of the talisman, and the son, Herbert, goes off to work. Later in the day over dinner, the wife notices a well-dressed man fussing over whether to approach the house or not, and she realizes it may be related to the £200. Hoping to make a good impression, she removes and hides her apron and answers the door, where she is greeted with an unpleasant surprise. Her son Herbert was caught in the machinery at work, and died. As compensation, the company gave the family £200. Days later, as the wife cries one night, the idea comes to her to wish on the monkey's paw for her son back alive. The old man knows to be wary, but his wife is hysterical for grief of her son, so she commands him to wish, and he does in fear of her. During the night, as the couple lies awake unable to sleep, there comes a knock at the door. Knowing it is her son, the woman tries to rush downstairs, only to be stopped by her husband. However, she breaks free and hurries to open the door. Unable to reach the bolt, she calls for her husband to help her, but instead he goes to find the paw, wishing his son gone before the woman could open the door, which she opens anyway, only to find empty street.