Panos Karnezis Stella The Spinster's Afternoon Dreams
Stella the Spinster’s Afternoon Dreams is a short story written by Panos Karnezis and is contained in his book, Little Infamies. All the short stories compiled in this first book of his were apparently set in the same nameless Greek village, perhaps an ode to his origins. In the beginning of the story, a dark suited man with a shapeless hat is introduced. His origins are unknown and so are his intensions for visiting the village. The lack of information about this mysterious man may be likened to the unpredictability of things in the world. As cliché as it might sound, it is quite true. There are many things in this universe that we cannot explain and this character may very simply personify this concept. The unknown man first
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The spinster tells the man that, since her garden grew abundant, she has been visited by neither sweet dreams nor a good afternoon’s sleep. She blames the moths that have come because of her garden, and she says that no matter what she did, they would find a way back into her house. The man offers to help her by playing her a tune and at first she declines, saying that she did not believe in the power of music. He plays anyway and, just like that, the spinster’s dreams were restored. She dreamt again and her dreams were far more refined than before. This may exemplify how help can come from anywhere, even sources one would very much rather reject. Sometimes even, the resolution one dislikes the most is the one that may help the best. So perhaps it may be said that it is good to be open to anything. When the spinster wakes up, she notices hundreds of moths who, upon her awakening, take flight and started circling her bedroom. The presence of the moths shows that she has been cured because despite their presence, and the belief that they are thieves of dreams, she has dreamt and dreamt well. Only after she wallows in the wonder of her dream does she notice that the stranger who had helped her has gone in such a mysterious manner as he had come, taking her dowry with
The spinster tells the man that, since her garden grew abundant, she has been visited by neither sweet dreams nor a good afternoon’s sleep. She blames the moths that have come because of her garden, and she says that no matter what she did, they would find a way back into her house. The man offers to help her by playing her a tune and at first she declines, saying that she did not believe in the power of music. He plays anyway and, just like that, the spinster’s dreams were restored. She dreamt again and her dreams were far more refined than before. This may exemplify how help can come from anywhere, even sources one would very much rather reject. Sometimes even, the resolution one dislikes the most is the one that may help the best. So perhaps it may be said that it is good to be open to anything. When the spinster wakes up, she notices hundreds of moths who, upon her awakening, take flight and started circling her bedroom. The presence of the moths shows that she has been cured because despite their presence, and the belief that they are thieves of dreams, she has dreamt and dreamt well. Only after she wallows in the wonder of her dream does she notice that the stranger who had helped her has gone in such a mysterious manner as he had come, taking her dowry with