The Monkey's Paw

Published on: Oct 04, 2024

Reading time: 4 min

The White family's cozy living room, with warm firelight contrasting against the cold and rainy night outside. A mysterious knock at the door introduces the unsettling events about to unfold.

The Monkey's Paw is a Folktale from United Kingdom set in the 19th Century This Dramatic tale explores themes of Loss and is suitable for Adults. It offers Moral insights. Be careful what you wish for—fate always exacts its price.

It was a cold and wet night, with rain pattering against the windows and a fierce wind howling through the trees. Inside, the White family sat around a roaring fire, feeling warm and secure in their small, cozy living room. Mr. White, a heavyset man with a kind face, sat by the window playing chess with his son, Herbert. His wife, Mrs. White, sat knitting quietly in her chair, occasionally glancing up at the game.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mr. White stood up, surprised, and went to answer it. Outside stood Sergeant-Major Morris, an old friend of the family who had spent many years serving in the British army in India.

"Good evening!" Morris said, stepping inside and shaking off the rain from his coat. "I hope I’m not intruding."

"Not at all!" Mr. White replied, ushering him inside. "We’re always happy to see an old friend."

After some small talk and catching up, Sergeant-Major Morris's mood became more serious. He pulled something out of his pocket, holding it up for the Whites to see. It was a small, shriveled, and dried monkey's paw.

"This," he said, "is no ordinary relic. It's said to have magical powers—powers to grant three wishes to whoever possesses it."

Sergeant-Major Morris holds a shriveled monkey’s paw in a tense living room, presenting it to the White family. — Sergeant-Major Morris reveals the mysterious monkey’s paw, bringing an eerie tension to the White household.

The First Wish

The Whites were intrigued, though skeptical, about Morris's story. The sergeant explained how the paw had been cursed by an old fakir, a holy man in India, who wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives and that those who interfered with it did so at their own peril.

Despite Morris’s warnings, Mr. White couldn't resist the temptation of the monkey's paw. After the sergeant left, Mr. White, half-jokingly, decided to make a wish.

"I wish for two hundred pounds," he said, imagining how such a sum would help pay off their mortgage and ease their financial burdens.

The paw seemed to move in his hand, twisting as if alive. But nothing else happened, and the family laughed it off as a silly superstition.

The next morning, as they went about their day, there was a knock at the door. It was a representative from Herbert’s workplace, Maw and Meggins. He brought terrible news: Herbert had been killed in a tragic accident at the factory. As compensation for their loss, the company was offering them two hundred pounds.

The Whites were devastated. The full weight of what had happened—and the power of the monkey’s paw—began to sink in. Mrs. White was inconsolable, and Mr. White, filled with guilt, regretted ever making the wish.

Mr. White holds the monkey — Mr. White makes the first wish, unaware of the dark consequences that are about to unfold.

The Second Wish

As days passed, the house became a place of mourning. Mrs. White, consumed by grief, became obsessed with the idea that the paw could bring their son back. Despite her husband's protests, she convinced Mr. White to use the second wish.

"I wish my son alive again!" she cried, clutching the paw tightly.

That night, the wind howled outside, and the atmosphere in the house grew oppressive. Mr. White couldn’t shake the feeling that they had made a terrible mistake. Time passed, and nothing seemed to happen. But as the hours wore on, there was a loud knock at the door.

Mrs. White jumped up, her heart pounding with hope and dread.

"It’s Herbert! He’s come back!" she screamed, rushing to the door.

But Mr. White held her back, knowing deep down that what waited on the other side of the door was not their son as they had known him. His heart filled with terror at the thought of what they had brought back from the dead.

Mrs. White sits in grief on the bed while Mr. White hesitates to make the second wish with the cursed monkey — Grief-stricken Mrs. White demands her son’s return, as Mr. White prepares to make the second wish.

The Final Wish

Mrs. White struggled to open the door, but Mr. White, panicking, grabbed the paw once more.

"I wish him dead again!" he shouted desperately, just as the door burst open.

The knocking stopped. Silence filled the room, and the terrible sense of dread lifted. Mrs. White collapsed in tears, realizing that whatever had been outside the door was now gone.

The house remained quiet, filled only with the echo of their grief. They had tampered with fate, and fate had exacted its terrible price.