Vallisneria madness by Ralph Milne Farley
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"Vallisneria madness by Ralph Milne Farley" is a weird-fiction short story written in the early 20th century. It centers on the moonlit mating of the aquatic vallisneria plant and the spell it casts over a human observer, blending botanical lore with seductive illusion and perilous desire. Tom Spencer visits Professor Gordon to witness the vallisneria’s annual blooming, despite a warning not to approach the narcotic mists of the garden pool. As the
moon rises, Spencer sees towering, ethereal women and green-clad men enact a fatal courtship: the men strain for a kiss, their bodies wither, and the women, sated, sink back into the slime—save one unmated beauty. Compelled, Spencer reaches her, expecting doom; instead she yields, and a breeze reveals she is Natalie Gordon standing on a bench, not a deadly apparition. The vision dissolves, and the tale resolves in a human embrace rather than a sacrificial kiss. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Farley, Ralph Milne, 1887-1963 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Brundage, Margaret, 1900-1976 |
| Title | Vallisneria madness |
| Original Publication | Indianapolis, IN: Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 1937. |
| Series Title | Produced from Weird Tales May 1937. |
| Credits | Alex White, Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at www.pgdpcanada.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 71.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Fantasy fiction |
| Subject | Love stories |
| Subject | Aquatic plants -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76112 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-76112-1 |
| Release Date | May 18, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 157 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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