Abraham Stoker (1847-1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish theatre manager, writer, novelist and Freemason. He became famous as the author of Dracula (1897), an epistolary Gothic horror novel widely considered a landmark in vampire literature. The work deeply influenced future representations of fictional vampiric characters, and Stoker came to be regarded by many as "the father of vampire fiction".
A Dream of Red Hands, the short horror story by Bram Stoker which we offer to our readers today, was first published in the July 11, 1894 issue of The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality, London.
The story plunges readers into the tormented world of a man haunted by his own subconscious. This compelling narrative is not merely a tale of terror, but a profound exploration of guilt, fate, and the agonizing quest for absolution.
The protagonist's nights are a relentless torment. He is plagued by a recurring and vivid dream in which his own hands appear stained with blood-a terrifying symbol of the innocent lives he inadvertently shattered. These aren't the hands of a villain, but those of a man who, in a desperate effort to protect his loved ones, instead became their undoing. Stoker masterfully crafts this psychological prison, highlighting the deep-seated anguish that can consume a person even when their intentions are pure.