I can't remember the title or author of this short story

September 24, 2015 9:22 AM

It's pretty terrible, full of colonialist tropes. There's a man posted to oversee a village in the jungle. The men of the village aren't very smart. I can't remember what they're working on, but the overseer is supposed to make sure they keep up production. There's a native woman who slowly drives the overseer mad, as she is telepathic. It is revealed that this happens to every overseer and they are replaced on a schedule for this reason. What is this story?
posted by domo to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Not a short story (nor jungle), but that sounds like a bit of the set-up of the beginning of Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey where Lessa is the last surviving member of the original bloodline for Ruatha and she is very telepathic such that she makes it hard for any of the stewards to stay very long, purposefully ruining food, leaving windows open, convincing the spit animals to run at different speed, etc.
posted by jillithd at 9:36 AM on September 24, 2015

Response by poster: It's more of a horror story. The native woman is viewed as grotesque by the narrator, and everyone in the village is portrayed as subhuman. They might in fact be aliens, but I can't remember.
posted by domo at 9:40 AM on September 24, 2015

I think I've read this story. As I recall, it was a science fiction setting, and the natives are indeed aliens. The overseer at first perceives the woman as grotesque and revolting, but he gradually grows more accustomed to her, to the point of falling in love. He doesn't know that this is due to her telepathy, and I don't recall whether he ever finds out.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:25 PM on September 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

While I don't think it's exactly the story you're looking for, the description reminds me a little bit of 'The Potters of Firsk' which is summarized on this page but I think it's missing the supervisor/production part? It's been a while since I've heard it but there's definitely a falling-in-love part too.
posted by AaronRaphael at 5:27 PM on September 24, 2015

Response by poster: Faint of Butt, yes that is the same story!
posted by domo at 8:40 AM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: "Lover, When You're Near Me" by Richard Matheson.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 6:08 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

That's the one!
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:24 AM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]