Showing results for "The Mass" in Short Stories

In The Mass of Shadows, Anatole France weaves a solemn and haunting tale of love, memory, and the fragile boundary between life and death. Through the voice of a sacristan recalling his father’s stories, we enter a world where the dead return not in terror, but in reverence—souls bound by affection, regret, and unfinished devotion. Once a year, they are granted a single hour to reunite with those they loved, gathering silently in their parish church to attend a Mass said not for the living, but for memory itself.

Mademoiselle Jeanne, drawn by curiosity and the allure of mystery, attends a midnight Mass at the village church, said to be haunted by spirits of the departed. As the night unfolds, the air grows thick with a palpable sense of dread, and the shadows of the past emerge to claim their presence among the living. In the dim candlelight, ghostly figures and ethereal whispers fill the sacred space, weaving an eerie tapestry of fear and fascination. As Jeanne witnesses the ethereal procession, she is confronted with the haunting reality of mortality and the power of faith.

Es difícil valorar hoy lo que significó Anatole France en su tiempo. Fue un escritor adorado por los liberales del mundo occidental.