16) The Golden Bough by David H. Keller

Plot:

Newlyweds Paul and Constance (Martin) Gallien are on a road trip through Europe to find the house in a forest that Constance dreamed of the first night they were married. Paul is “of royal blood,” something not important as it once was, but he apparently still has money. Constance’s background is not discussed.

Once they find the house and move in, Constance decides she really wants to stay. She makes Paul push his car off a cliff. They’re stranded at their dream house. But that’s okay.

Constance hears pipe-playing in the middle of the night and gets up out of bed while Paul sleeps to go dance with the piper. He convinces her to grow mistletoe over Paul’s side of the bed, watering it every day from a particular sacred pond.

Yeah, nothing weird about that.

Thoughts:

Granted, they’re in love, and Paul is willing to give Constance anything she wants—but just the practical problems that arise from stranding themselves in their dream house should make him think twice. What if one of them were hurt or got sick? What if Constance ran out of flour while baking? What if the stork dropped by? But “he’s in love” just doesn’t cut it. And hey— cars don’t grow on trees, ya know!

Because the author tells the reader the pipe-played interloper is Pan—not that it was a surprise—I don’t feel that I’m giving much away by mentioning it.

This is a downer of a little fairy tale. If a man is held in sway by love for a woman tragedy strikes because women are by nature without a lick of common sense or judgment, let alone concern for the well-being of others. The gods are capricious beings without feeling for human suffering or frailties.

The title refers to James Frazier’s work of the same title, first published in the late nineteenth century, treating comparative religions and mythologies.

While this at times strained credulity, it worked well enough, but brother, how depressing.

The story can be listened to here:

Bio: David H. Keller (1880-1966) was an American author, physician, and psychiatrist. According to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE), his psychiatric practice focused on what was then called shell shock—better known as PTSD now—among those coming out of WWI and thereafter. Among his best-known stories is “The Revolt of the Pedestrians,” a 1928 story which posits people evolving to become one with their cars.





Title: “The Golden Bough”
Author: David H. Keller (1880-1966)
First published: Marvel Tales, Winter 1934