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The Damned Thing

First published: 1893
Pages: 24

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About this book

Ambrose Bierce turns a routine coroner's inquest into a study of dread in this 1893 tale. Hugh Morgan lies dead in his California cabin, his body torn as though by a savage animal, yet the only witness swears he watched Morgan grapple with something that left no mark on the eye. As the jury weighs the impossible, Morgan's own diary offers a chilling theory: there may be colors beyond the range of human sight, and a creature of such a color would move among the living unseen. Bierce builds his horror from that quiet, almost scientific unease rather than from gore, and the story went on to shape later weird fiction, including the work of H. P. Lovecraft. A free PDF and EPUB edition is available here.

About the author

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) was an American journalist and author known for his sardonic wit, Civil War tales, and horror stories. He mysteriously vanished in Mexico around 1914.