A Reaping

A Reaping by E.F. Benson (2023)

A Reaping by E.F. Benson is a short story about a man who is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife. The story begins with the narrator describing how he has been plagued by nightmares and visions of his late wife since her death. He goes on to describe how he has tried everything from consulting mediums to visiting psychiatrists, but nothing seems to help him. One day, while walking through a cemetery, the narrator comes across an old woman who tells him that she can help him see his wife again. The narrator is skeptical at first, but eventually agrees to meet with her. The next day, the narrator meets with the old woman in a secluded room. She begins by telling him that he must be prepared for what is about to happen. He must be willing to face his fears and accept whatever comes his way. The old woman then proceeds to perform a ritual that involves burning incense, chanting, and the use of a knife. As she performs these actions, the narrator begins to feel a sense of dread and unease. He is unable to move or speak as he watches her perform the ritual. Suddenly, the old woman stops what she is doing and looks at the narrator with a strange expression on her face. She tells him that his wife has come back to him, but that she cannot stay for long. The narrator is overwhelmed by emotion as he realizes that he has finally seen his wife again after all these years. The old woman then tells the narrator that he must be prepared to let her go once more. She instructs him to take a knife and cut himself, so that he can feel the pain of losing her once more. The narrator does as she says, and feels a sharp stab of pain in his chest. As the old woman finishes her ritual, the narrator begins to see his wife again. She is standing before him, looking at him with a sad smile on her face. He reaches out to touch her, but she disappears before he can make contact. The narrator is left alone in the room, feeling both happy and sad that he has finally seen his wife again, but also knowing that she cannot stay for long. He realizes that he must accept the fact that she is gone forever, and that he will never see her again. A Reaping by E.F. Benson is a powerful story about love, loss, and the human experience of grief. It is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always hope for something better to come.

By E.F. Benson · First published 2023 · Genre: Horror, Gothic fiction, Suspense · 12 chapters · 84,695 words

First lines

Of all subjects under or over the sun, there is none perhaps, even including bimetallism, or the lengthy description of golf-links which one has never seen, so utterly below possible zones of interest as that of health. Health, of course, matters quite enormously to the individual, but nobody with good health ever gives two thoughts (far less one word) to the subject. Nobody, in fact, begins to think about health until his own begins to be inferior. But, then, as if that was not bad enough, he at once clubs and belabours his unhappy friends with its inferiority. It becomes to him the one affair of absorbing importance. Emperors may be assassinated, Governments may crumble, it may even be 92 degrees in the shade, but he recks nothing of those colossal things. He ate strawberries yesterday, and has had a bilious headache almost ever since. And the world ceases to revolve round the sun, and the moon is turned to blood, or ashes -- I forget which.

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A Reaping is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 2023 CE.

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fiction · literature · drama · mystery · suspense · psychological · character study · social commentary · relationships · conflict · morality · human nature

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