Where can I find these two short stories?
April 26, 2006 4:25 AM Subscribe
Help me find these two short stories - one horror and one (possibly) sci-fi.
The first is a short horror story about an elaborate plan for a husband to kill his wife by coming across a pattern that drives people mad, having it made into wallpaper and papering a room to lock her in. It finishes with the door shutting him inside the room.
The second is a a funky little piece about some artists who make a splot-splatter painting of such rhythm that it gets put on everything to their great success. They then attempt a second splot-pattern but this one fails. Contacting a deceased friend, the spirit tells them that a higher power squashed the design because it was catching on up (or down) there as well.
These stories have been driving me crazy and no-one seems to know what I'm talking about. Help me, MeFi! You're my only hope!
The first is a short horror story about an elaborate plan for a husband to kill his wife by coming across a pattern that drives people mad, having it made into wallpaper and papering a room to lock her in. It finishes with the door shutting him inside the room.
The second is a a funky little piece about some artists who make a splot-splatter painting of such rhythm that it gets put on everything to their great success. They then attempt a second splot-pattern but this one fails. Contacting a deceased friend, the spirit tells them that a higher power squashed the design because it was catching on up (or down) there as well.
These stories have been driving me crazy and no-one seems to know what I'm talking about. Help me, MeFi! You're my only hope!
I think the first one is The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, you've got the plot a little confused, but that's similar to the basic idea.
posted by featherboa at 5:10 AM on April 26, 2006
posted by featherboa at 5:10 AM on April 26, 2006
Best answer: "Rum-titty-titty-tum-TAH-tee" by Fritz Lieber is the second one.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:38 AM on April 26, 2006
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:38 AM on April 26, 2006
Not what you're looking for, but on a similar theme: David Langford's short about patterns that drive people mad. BLIT
posted by Leon at 5:44 AM on April 26, 2006
posted by Leon at 5:44 AM on April 26, 2006
Wait, in the first one, does he find the sample of the fabric in a book? Possibly a book at auction? It's not The Yellow Wall Paper. I want to say it's either Saki or it's in the '100 Haunting Horror Stories' collection from Barnes and Noble.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:07 AM on April 26, 2006
posted by cobaltnine at 7:07 AM on April 26, 2006
Haha, the first thing that came to mind for the first one was "a mix between BLIT and The Yellow Wallpaper."
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:27 AM on April 26, 2006
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:27 AM on April 26, 2006
Okay, I was thinking of 'The Diary of Mr Poynter,' by M R James, but that's about curtains that drive people mad.
posted by cobaltnine at 1:53 PM on April 26, 2006
posted by cobaltnine at 1:53 PM on April 26, 2006
The first one sounds like a fanfic prequel to The Yellow Wallpaper.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:03 PM on April 26, 2006
posted by Rock Steady at 2:03 PM on April 26, 2006
Response by poster: Steven C Den Beste - you rock! That's the one exactly!
Cobaltnine - that sounds very close indeed! He does find the sample and then comes up with the murder plan.
It's NOT "The Yellow Wallpaper", featherboa. I got all excited, but - alas - not the right one.
posted by ninazer0 at 2:34 PM on April 26, 2006
Cobaltnine - that sounds very close indeed! He does find the sample and then comes up with the murder plan.
It's NOT "The Yellow Wallpaper", featherboa. I got all excited, but - alas - not the right one.
posted by ninazer0 at 2:34 PM on April 26, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by stoneegg21 at 4:43 AM on April 26, 2006