The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

<p><strong>What if you could erase every painful memory from your past? And what if your deepest scars are the source of your compassion?</strong></p><p>Redlaw a lonely grief-stricken professor is haunted not by a traditional ghost but by the relentless crushing memories of loss injury and regret. One bleak Christmas Eve a spectral double of himself appears offering him a terrible bargain: the gift of Oblivion.</p><p>The phantom ghost promises to wipe away every memory of sorrow and injustice that has ever tormented Redlaw. However this magical gift comes with a fearful contagion: Redlaw must pass the curse of forgetfulness to everyone he meets.</p><p>As Redlaw sheds his grief he discovers that the people around him--from his simple-minded servant to the troubled souls he attempts to help--also lose their capacity for empathy kindness and moral reflection. Without the painful memories of the past humanity descends into cruel indifference and base self-interest.</p><p>Charles Dickens delivers a profound and atmospheric Christmas tale that goes far beyond the surface of a ghost story. <em>The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain</em> is a masterful allegory about the vital necessity of suffering proving that the memories we wish most to forget are often what make us human.</p>