The Stains
The major themes of this unsettling horror story from Robert Aickman are grief, ‘romance’ and death. With many twists and turns along the way, a grieving widower becomes infatuated with an enigmatic, nymph-like girl he meets in the woods. As their steamy romance plays out, he and everything around him begin to be covered in strange, lichen-like stains. In typical Aickman style, rather than a denouement that ties things nicely together, the abrupt conclusion leaves the reader with more questions than it answers. Other themes: innocence, lust, modern vs. rustic lifestyle, denial (of the stains).
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Although this folktale has been called the “Slavic Cinderella”, for me it doesn’t quite get there. We have a young girl persecuted by family and a magical element (the gods of the twelve months of the year) that helps her, but here the comparison ends. There is no ball or special event, no beautiful clothes, and no handsome prince. She falls in love with a kind man and the two spend a blissful life of drudgery taking care of her family farm. As nice as it seems, this is not what most people would call a ‘fairytale’ ending! 
Heavy snow can cause many problems, closing roads and stopping people from going to work or school. Today’s story from 
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This story by Nhat Tien is a satirical criticism of the heavily regulated early days of the Vietnamese socialist government. The lack of social equality and opportunity is reflected in the life of a girl who supports her younger siblings by hawking items she digs up in graveyards. She is arrested when a widow recognizes the fashionable khaki coat her husband was buried in. However, she is soon free again after arguing in court that her actions were consistent with Communist ideology. Themes include social equality and opportunity, family, poverty, survival, superstition.
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