Short Stories Of The Tragedy And Comedy Of Life, Volume Ii Book

A few weeks ago, Apatt suggested I might like some Halloween shorts.

It turned out, it he wasn't referring to seasonally patterned undergarments, but to short stories with a dash of the macabre. This is one of his recommendations.

My first encounter with Robert Louis Stevenson was as a pre-schooler, via his charming A Child's Garden of Verses, vividly and distinctively illustrated by Brian Wildsmith. Later, I came to know him for darker fare like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island (though The Muppets (in)famously lightened that!).

This Victorian (1891) story is somewhere between, being a sometimes lighthearted look at a Faustian pact, with Hawaiian exoticsm, a love story, and potential paradoxes thrown in.

It opens enticingly:
"There was a man of the Island of Hawaii, whom I shall call Keawe; for the truth is, he still lives, and his name must be kept secret."
Whatever dark things the reader is about to learn, there is still something to be afraid of…

The eponymous bottle has bewitching beauty; the imp, less so:

Image: "Demon Seated", by Mikhail Vrubal, 1890 (Source.)
"A round-bellied bottle with a long neck; the glass of it was white like milk, with changing rainbow colours in the grain. Withinsides something obscurely moved, like a shadow and a fire."

The imp will grant its owner any wish except immortality. Of course, there are a few other caveats and rules, but mortals think they can outwit the imp. So far, so traditional. But Stevenson's story is more complex, warm, and original than I expected.

Keawe is a good man, and a wise one.
He knows that if something sounds too got to be true, it probably is.
He knows to be careful what you wish for.
Although he assumes money buys peace of mind and happiness, he does not want to be corrupted by the possibility of untold wealth - or for others to be.
Kokua is a good woman, and a wise one.

There are several enticing but difficult dilemmas.
"Is it not a terrible thing to save oneself by the eternal ruin of another?"
Conversely, what would you sacrifice for love?

The ending was clever, but I'd have preferred more ambiguity.

You can read the dozen pages free, on Gutenberg, HERE.