Majmunova šapa / Mitnica

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943), an English writer known for his humorous maritime stories, is immortalized thanks to two masterful horror stories: The Monkey’s Paw (1902) and The Toll-House (1909).

The Monkey’s Paw is the best known and most influential. The story takes place in a small English cottage where an elderly couple, the Whites, and their son Herbert live. One evening, an old friend, Sergeant Morris, comes to visit them, bringing them a dried monkey’s paw – a talisman from India that supposedly grants three wishes, but always in a terrible, perverse way. Despite warnings, Mr. White desires money. The next day, news arrives that their son Herbert has died in a factory, and the company pays them exactly the amount they wanted as compensation. In desperation, the mother wishes for her son to return, and soon there is a knock on the door...

Jacobs masterfully builds tension through everyday realism and gradual revelation of horror. The story is a perfect parable about the dangers of playing with unknown forces, greed and powerlessness in the face of fate. It has become a classic of world literature, dramatized and screened many times and inspired numerous authors.

The Toll-House (The Toll-House) is the second masterpiece by the same author. Four young skeptical friends – Barnes, Meagle, Lester and White – decide to spend the night in an abandoned house of ill repute during a hiking trip. Local legend says that the Toll-House takes a toll – one life every time someone spends the night in it. Despite stories of previous victims (including a tramp who was found hanged), the young men bet and enter. The night passes with increasing discomfort: footsteps are heard, the door opens by itself, the two fall into an inexplicable sleep... In the morning they discover the terrible truth. Jacobs does not use a visible supernatural being here, but atmosphere, suggestion and psychological tension. The story brilliantly depicts the conflict between skepticism and the unknown, as well as the consequences of human arrogance.

Both stories share Jacobs's signature style: economical, realistic prose language, dark humor and gradual increase in horror without excessive description. Instead of graphic violence, the fear comes from everyday life that is slowly twisted. The Monkey's Paw emphasizes fatalism and the price of desire, while The Toll House explores the fear of the unknown and the power of suggestion. Together they represent the pinnacle of English short horror fiction at the beginning of the 20th century and influenced authors such as Lovecraft and the later horror tradition. These Jacobs stories are must read for fans of classic horror – short, precise and deeply disturbing.