The Black Cat
by Edgar Allan Poe
*sigh* Sorry readers - I'm trying to get over my Oscars-depression. I really wanted Leo to win.
Anyway, today's story comes from a collection of Poe's stories and poems that I've had for oh-so-many-years and only today opened it up. The story is The Black Cat and it was fantastic!
The story is about a man who, at first, has his stuff together. He has a wife and a love of animals that results in their acquiring of many pets. Among them, a black cat named Pluto who becomes a favorite of the man. Slowly, however, the man delves into a downward spiral with his alcoholism. Then, one day, in a fit of alcohol-induced rage and frustration, the man kills the black cat. Believing he has cleaned up his tracks regarding the cat, he is astounded to find a cat who bears a striking resemblance to Pluto around. The cat follows him everywhere - haunting him.
That isn't the end of the story because you, dear reader, should really go and read this for yourself. Chilling and haunting - now I understand the lure of Poe's writing.
Verdict
Read it because you deserve to read something good.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
by W. Somerset Maugham
This story is a play off of the famous fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper." If you haven't heard of this fable, let me break it down for you (it's famous, so no such thing as spoilers here!). The fable tells of the ant who spends his summer storing food for the winter whereas the grasshopper basically chills out on a nearby leaf and watches the ant work. Once winter comes, the ant is all nice and cozy with his hard-earned food and shelter while the grasshopper is desperate to find these essentials. Moral of the story: WORK, damn it.
Anyway, Maugham's short story takes this famous fable and turns it on its head. He places two brothers with contradicting personalities in the middle of a life-long sibling war. One brother is respectable, responsible and takes care of his younger brother who is simply a mess. After traveling around the world, the younger brother returns to his brother only to take advantage of him again.
Verdict
This was a very short story which I enjoyed because I had to find something quick to read in order to be on time for my One Short Story a Day deal.
But I digress.
This story was a good re-working of the original story. It gets you thinking - though I did find it rather pessimistic. So, beware! You may become a cynic after reading this story! :)
