I recently read a short story by Shirley Jackson from collection of her short stories entitled Dark Tales. There is a movie out now, recently released, on Jackson’s life – but I don’t recommend it. It may not be that factual anyway. On the other hand, a movie version of her novel “We Have Always Lived in this Castle” is definitely worth watching – but not for kids.
Anyway, one very short story she wrote is called Jack the Ripper. It describes a man who appears to be a champion of mercy and empathy. He comes upon a young woman lying on the sidewalk in the rain and dark, drunk and passed out. He goes into the pub nearby and attempts to garner some support to help her but ends up only being mocked. Eventually he carries her home (finding her address in her purse) and goes to great lengths to carry her up 6 flights of stairs to her appartment. He settles her in, puts her to bed, and then you expect him to leave.
He doesn’t. This in fact is how the story ends:
