Murder mask

About the book

Antonio Colletti conceals bitter resentment beneath a courteous reunion with Nita and her husband Tomaso Romani. Their marriage has frustrated both his desire and his expectations concerning a family fortune. Returning from Europe, he offers them an old mask whose accompanying warning associates it with violence against the person its wearer loves most. He keeps that warning to himself as preparations for a masquerade continue. Edgar Daniel Kramer makes the plotter's intention clear early, shifting suspense toward the consequences of introducing an apparently supernatural object into an already dangerous relationship. The brief tale uses costume, concealment, and a festive deadline to bring greed and jealousy into contact with a threat its characters may not fully understand.

• Jealousy and inheritance
• Masks and concealment
• Supernatural revenge

Why read it

Read a compact weird tale in which a gift carries a concealed intention and a disturbing promise.

English story from Weird Tales, June 1937