5) “The Door in the Wall” by H. G. Wells
Plot:
Redmond tells the reader he’s relating the story as Lionel Wallace told it to him. He and Wallace were in school together for a while, during which Wallace outperformed him in everything. Even now, Wallace, at 39, is a successful politician who has attained a Cabinet position.
When Wallace was five or six, he happened across a green door in a white wall that led him into a garden of wonders. He found two panthers that played with him. He did not fear them. He met a girl and two boys. Try as he might, he could never remember the games they played. A grave but kind woman showed him a book with moving pictures that depicted the story of his life.
He found himself outside the garden, back in the city he knew, crying inconsolably. When he tried to explain where he’d been, his father thrashed him for lying.
In adulthood, he’s seen the green door three times, but never walked through it. Each time, he was busy with some important matter and couldn’t take the time to investigate.
“Three times in one year the door has been offered me—the door that goes into peace, into delight, into a beauty beyond dreaming, a kindness no man on earth can know. And I have rejected it, Redmond, and it has gone—”
Thoughts:
This story strikes me more as fantasy than horror, though it has horror elements. It is primarily a sad story rather than a frightening one.
The reader understands from the beginning that Wallace is mourning something, and Redmond states that he is convinced his companion believes the story. Redmond says, “whether [Wallace] himself saw, or only thought he saw, whether he himself was the possessor of an inestimable privilege, or the victim of a fantastic dream, I cannot pretend to guess.”
The dreaminess of the garden contrasts with the stark realities of everyday life. Wallace must rush to appointments for academic exams or other obligations. He can’t stop for another trip to paradise. At one point, he tells Redmond, “You say, I have success—this vulgar, tawdry, irksome, envied thing. I have it.”
The reader can’t help but feel for Wallace. Redmond feels a bit of jealousy, too, for he recalls how Wallace outshone him almost effortlessly in school. The grass is always greener. The reason Wallace confides in Redmond isn’t clear.
While the ending of the story wasn’t a surprise, I still felt sorry for poor Wallace. Redmond leaves the end of the story open to some speculation as to whether the garden was “real” or all in Wallace’s mind. I can recommend this story, but because of the sadness involved, it may not be the best one for the kiddies.
This story can be read here:
This story can be listened to here: (53:25)
Bio: H(erbert) G(eorge) Wells (1866-1946) was a UK journalist, social critic, and author. He is now best known for his science fiction, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1895), and The Invisible Man (1897). He also addressed such issues as history and the future, and wrote non-fantastic novels such as Kipps (1905), Tono-Bungay (1909), and Ann Veronica (1909), for which he was famous in his day.
Title: “The Door in the Wall”
Author: H. G. Wells (1866-1946)
First published: The Daily Chronicle, July 14, 1906
Length: short story
