SEVEN STORIES OF

M Y S T E RY A N D H O R R O R
Edgar Allan Poe

T H E P I T A N D T H E P E N D U LU M
CHAPTER I

THE GOLD BUG

CHAPTER II

Mr. William Legrand.

He lived on Sullivans Island, near
Charleston. The island is in the Atlantic
Ocean, opposite the coast of south carolina.
There was only one large buildin---Fort
Moultrie.
William Legrand had been very rich, but
he los all his money.
Legrand had no family. He was not
married. He lived with a servant named

Jupiter.

He drew pictures of the creatures that

he saw on the island.
One day in the month of Octuber, I went
to visit Legrand. But when I got to his
home, no one was there. It was a cold day,
so I went into Legrands little wooden
house. Then I lit a fire and waited for him.
Legrand and Jupiter returned late in the
afternoon.
They had found an unusual bug.

You cant see it tonight. I showed it to Lieutenant

Gray this afternoon.
He drew a picture of the bug very carefully.
On its back there were three strange marks.
Thousands of years ago, the people of Egypt
believed that scarabs had magical powers.
Its made of metalgold.

It has these very unusual marks on its back---three black spots.

The spots are like two eyes and a mouth. Its pattern of a skull

the head of a dead man.

I took the paper and looked at the drawing. The paper was

very old an thick. It was made of an animals skin.

About a month later, Jupiter came to Chharleston. Jupiter did

not leave Sullivans Island often, and he never came to

Charleston alone. He came to see me.

Mr. Legrand is sick, said Jupiter.

Hes sick in his mind, Jupiter replied.
He wont eat and he doesnt sleep. His face is
pale----like a ghost.
He only talks about the gold bug and deaths head.
He has written this note to you.

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I went to Sullivans Island with Jupiter

inmmediately.
He did not look sick. He was not lying in his bed.
Are you well? I asked.
Im very well, Legrand said quickly.
He showed me a golden beetle that was lying on
the table.
That is the gold bug! Said Jupiter.

I dont understand
I belive that the gold bug has magic powers
Its showing us the way to something very
important. The gold bug, the skull pattern on its
back, and the red letters on the paper.
The clues will show us where to find something
that is very valuable.

I followed the two mens to their little rowboat that

was outside the house. There vere some tools in the
botton of the boattwoo shovels and a pickax.
Legrand, Jupiter an I got into the boat.
Many time, legrand looked at a compass.
A few times Legrand said the words, Good! Good!

Legrand took us toward the tall tree and stopped.

Can you clim thaht tree? Legrand asked Jupiter.
I can clim any tree, Jupiter answered.
Very well, Jupiter. Take the gold bug and climb the

tree.climb the tree and tell me what you can see.

im on the sixth branch, Jupiter replied.
Can you see anything on the branch?
There is something white!Jupiter shoted. Oh sir! Its

a skull! A dead mans head is sitting on this branch.

Dig here, Legrand said.

Jupiter took the pickax an started to dig.
More bones of a dead man.
Then I saw three or four old coins. They
looked like pieces of gold.
Soon there was a sharp sound. Legrands
shovel had hit wood and metal.
My shovel has touched something. Its a box.
I saw a wooden box with handles made of
metal.
Inside the box there was a wonderful
treasure. There were gold and silver coins, and
beautiful jewels!. We went backt to Sullivans
Island.

Legrand, how did you know about this treasure?

The old paper gave me the clues.
Theres secret writting on the paper. When the paper became hot, the
writing became red.
Ther are also two small pictures with the message.
At the beginning of the message theres a picture of a skull. Pirates used
skulls deathsj to frighten people.
At the end of the message theres a picture of a small goat. The word for
a young goat is a KID. One of the most famous pirates was Captain Kidd.

USE A GOOD GLASS IN THE BISHOPS HOTEL ON

THE DEVILS SEAT FORTYONE DEGREES AND
THIRTEEN MINUTES NORTHEAST BY NORTH TO
SEE BIG TREE SEVENTH BRANCH EAST SIDE
DROP A LINE FROM THE LEFT EYE OF THE
DEATHS HEAD THEN MEASURE A LINE ON THE
GROUND FIFTY FEET OUT FROM THE TREE.

I think that those bodies must be two pirates from

kidds ship. Kidd killed them when he buried his
treasure near the tree. Now we must decide how to
spend his money! We are all rich!.

T H E FA C T S I N T H E C A S E O F M R
VA L D E M A R
C H A P T E R

I I I

I am a scientist and I am a hypnotitst. I am interested in hypnotism.

Hypnotis heps sick people as they sleep.
This is the way that i make my matients sleep. First, I move my
hands in front of the patients face. Then I speak slowly and clarly.
My voice is deep and soft.
Your eyes are heavy. You will sleep.
The person follows my orders.
Mr. Ernest Valdemar was also intersted in hypnotism.
Mr. Valdemar was very ill. He had a disease in his lungs.

He was frightened of death.

I will hypnotize you just before you die.
Mr Valdemar was pleased. Then one Saturday night, He sent me a note.
Pleease come to my room immediately. My death is clese. I cannot live
another day.
The doctor could not nothing more for Mr. Valdemar.
His face was very pale and very, very thin. I could see the bones of his
skull under his skin. And Mr. Valdemars skin was not white---it was gray.
I hypnotized Mr. Valdemar easily.

Soon he was asleep.

He was breathing very slowly.
Mr Valdemar, are you asleep?
Yes Dont wake me. Im dying.
His eyes opened a little. I saw only the white part of his eyes. His lips moved and i
saw his teeth. Then his mouth opened and I saw his tongue. It was black. Suddenly all
the breath came out of Mr Valdemars body an he was quiet.
He was dead.
His arms and legs were cold.
His heart was not breathing.
ive been sleeping, but now Im dead, said Mr. Valdemar.

Mr. Valdemar lay on the bed for seven months! His body never became black
and bad. It never changed.
I made a decision. I was going to end the hypnotism.
You will wake up, I said.
He trying to open his eyes..a yellow liquid came out of his ears.
Mr Valdemar, I said How do you fell? Can you speak?
I heard a voice that came from deep inside his body.
Quickly! Make me sleep, or wake me up Quickly! I tell you that I am dead.
Then was a terrible smell. Then Mr Valdemars body started to siappear.
There was only a pool of yellow liquid an some bones.

T H E FA L L O F T H E H O U S E O F U S H E R
CHAPTER IV

The weather was wet and the wind had blown all
the leaves from the trees. I was riding my horse
across the wet. I was traveling alone. I was going
toward a dark and strange housethe House of
Usher.
Roderick Usherthe owner of the house. We were
old firends, but we had not met for many years. A
few weeks ago, I had received a letter from
Roderick.

We climbed many stairs to his masters room.

The servant opened a big, wooden door and I looked inside a large room.
At first, I did not recognise the man who was lying on a sofa. Then I saw
thaht it was Roderick User.
His hair was silver-gray, and as soft as the web of a spider.
Welcome, my oldest and dearest friend! He said.
I have no one to talk to. My sister lives with me, but she is sick.
Madeline, Madeline.this is my old firned..
Madeline did no reply.

My sister has a strange illness. She is neither awake nor asleep.

I thought about Roderick and his sister. They were both behaving
strangely. I did not feel comfortable in the house.
One evening, he suddenly came into my room.
Madeline is dead, He said.
I was shocked. I did not know what to say. I did not know what to do.
I need your help, said Roderick Usher. Madeline had been very ill.
She was going to die. I knew this. But she mustnt be buried near a
church. Shell lie in this house.

We carried Madelines body down many steps to a room under

the house. There were soft, gray spiders webs hanging from the
ceiling.
A wooden coffin was in the center of the room. I helped
Roderick to put his siters body in the coffin. She wore a white
dress.
I lay on my bed and thought about the strange House of Usher.
Suddenly, my bedroom door opened and Roderick came into the
room.

He pulled back the curtains and opened the window. It was a dark
outside and there was a storm.
Madeline! Roderick replied. I can hear her! Shes coming here! She has
opened her coffin. Shes coming up the stairs. Shes coming for me1.
slowly, Roderick went towar her. and she closed her bood-red armas
around his body. roderick gave a terrible scream and fell to the floor.
madeline fell with him.
i ran from the terrible House of Usher.
then a bright flash of lightning hit the house and the walls broke. the
water of the lake covered the House.

DOWN INTO THE MAELSTRM

CHAPTER V

i read about the Maelstrm in a book and I always wanted to see

it. The Maelstrm appears in the sea near the coast of Norway.
between Moskoe and Vurgh, there is a narrow place where the
sea turns and races in a great circle. This is the Maelstrm--a
whirlpool.
i went to Norway.
we are on the side of a mountain called Helseggen the Coudy.
watch the sea between the islands.

Then there was another change in the sea. The water became
smoother, but it did not become calmer. The dark water started
to move in a huge circle. It moved very quickly. It spun around
and around. The edge of the circle was white whith foam. It was
amazing.
No one belived my story . My brothers never returned. Our boat
never returned. And my family did not know me. I now looked
twenty years older. My black hair had become white. Fear had
made lines on my face.

T H E M A S Q U E O F T H E R E D D E AT H
CHAPTER VI

A terrible diease came to this country. The illness was called the Red Death.
Prince Prospero---wanted to escape from the terrible disease.
He had plenty of food inside the castle.
And there was plenty of wine to drink. He did not think about the rest of the people in his land.
Forget about the Red Death, he said.
Everyone was going to wears masks.
There were seven special rooms in the castle. Each room was a differnt color.
First---blue
Secondpurple
Thirdgreen
Fourthorange
Fifthwhite
Sixthviolet

The seventh and last room was blackas black ass night. Black
curtains hung on the walls. The carpets on the floor were black.
But the window in this room was redthe color of blood. The light
taht came throuh the window was the color of blood.
There was also a clock int he seventh room.
A belle in the clock rang every hour.
Every hour, the stopped and lintened to the clock.
The faces of the mend and women became pale.
When they head the clock, they became afraid.

Finally the bell rang twelve times. The courtiers

stopped and waited. They all listened as the bell
rang twelve times. Midnight.
Suddenly they saw a strange. No one had seen this
strangers mask before.
He wore the clothes of a dead mand in a tomb. His
mask was a terrible and frightening. He had the face
of a dead man. There was blood on the mask and
there was blood on the strangers clothes.

Take him! Shouted the prince. Kill him.

Then every one of the courtier fell onto the floor.
Their bodies shook. Blood came from their ears,
their eyes and their nosses. The floor became red
with blood. They cried in fear as they died.
Prince Prospero no longer ruled in the castle. The
castle had a new master. Red Death was the ruler
now.

THE OBLONG B OX
CHAPTER VII

THE END