The Monkey's Paw (Fantasy & Horror Classics)

<p><strong>A severed hand. Three wishes. And an unstoppable curse.</strong></p><p>Arguably the most famous and influential short horror story of the 20th century. Penned by W. W. Jacobs (1863-1943) this chilling masterpiece is a devastating subversion of the classic fairy tale trading fantasy for inescapable cosmic irony.</p><p>The story centers on the White family: a happy simple couple and their son who acquire a grotesque dried monkey's paw a relic brought from India. The paw is cursed: it grants three wishes to its owner but always with a terrible ironic and often deadly cost as an implacable Fate seeks to maintain balance.</p><p>After a careless first wish for money brings unimaginable grief the desperate second wish plunges the family into a terrifying struggle against the laws of life and death. The narrative culminates in one of the most famous and chilling finales in horror history.</p><p><strong>Do not wish. Do not tempt the forces that govern the universe.</strong></p>