Come Into My Parlor
A newspaper reporter encounters his friend Johnny, who is inebriated and obsessed with a bizarre vision of luminous spider webs in the night sky. Despite Johnny's insistence that these webs are real and possibly linked to giant spiders, the reporter dismisses his claims as drunken delusions. Johnny reveals he has created special glasses that allow him to see these phenomena, but when the reporter accidentally breaks them, Johnny's despair deepens. The next day, Johnny presents a new pair of glasses, claiming they reveal the truth about the world, including the existence of disguised spiders among humans. As Johnny becomes increasingly agitated, he brandishes a gun, convinced of the threat these creatures pose. In a struggle, the reporter is shot twice, leading to a desperate confrontation where he ultimately strangles Johnny in a bid for survival. The narrative explores themes of perception, reality, and the thin line between sanity and madness, culminating in a violent climax that questions the nature of truth and the unseen dangers lurking in the world.
By Charles E. Fritch · First published 1872 · Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror