In this dark story by Saki, a sickly ten-year-old boy masks his hatred for the “Woman”, a controlling guardian who thwarts his every pleasure in his life. To cope, he acts out fantasies in a disused tool-shed in a forgotten corner of her garden. There, in response to the Woman’s religious zeal, he worships a caged polecat-ferret named Sredni Vashtar. When she notices his absorption in the tool-shed and tries to clear it out, Sredni Vashtar answers his prayers. Themes include oppression vs. freedom, isolation and loneliness, imagination vs. reality, religion, rebellion, revenge. More…