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).
In the introduction, we used the term unsettling in describing the story. This refers to the nature of the relationship between the widower and the girl, who is clearly intended to represent some kind of dryad. His initial interest in her appears purely carnal ( If the pool had not been between them, he would have seized her, whatever the consequences.), and he wastes no time in exploiting her willingness to please. This raises the question as to whether the man’s motivation for developing a permanent relationship is love or something less noble. Of particular concern are two references to the girl’s age: After all, she was not a child, or not exactly and She was a half-frightened child, sweetly soft, responsive to his every thought, sometimes before he had fully given birth to it. She was a waif, a foundling. Depending on how you interpret the story, there may be a case for replacing the ‘romance’ theme above with sexual exploitation.
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