Panic Fears (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, late 19th century. A young man experienced three instances of terror in his life. The first occurred one July evening when he drove to a station for newspapers. After descending a hill, he noticed a mysterious light twinkling in the belfry window of a village church. Unable to explain this phenomenon, he was overcome with fear and fled.
His second terror happened while returning from a romantic meeting at night. He witnessed a truck speeding along railway tracks without an engine. The inexplicable sight filled him with dread.
I suddenly realized that I was utterly alone on the whole vast plain; that the night, which by now seemed inhospitable, was peeping into my face and dogging my footsteps; all the sounds... seemed sinister, and existing simply to alarm my imagination.
He ran until reaching a signalman who explained the truck had broken away from a goods train. The third terror came while walking home from hunting. A black spaniel approached him and followed persistently. The dog's steady gaze unnerved him, reminding him of Faust's supernatural dog. When he arrived home, he discovered the dog belonged to a visitor who had lost it in the forest.
Detailed summary
Division into sections is editorial.
Introduction: Three experiences of terror
Throughout his life, the narrator experienced genuine terror on only three occasions. Each incident was triggered by seemingly trivial events that nonetheless provoked profound fear. These experiences left lasting impressions on him, making his hair stand on end and sending shivers throughout his body.
During all the years I have been living in this world I have only three times been terrified. The first real terror, which made my hair stand on end and made shivers run all over me, was caused by a trivial but strange phenomenon.
First terror: The mysterious light in the belfry
The narrator's first terrifying experience occurred on a warm July evening when he drove to the station to collect newspapers. The air was still and heavy with the scents of grass and flowers. He traveled in a rough trolley along a narrow byroad that cut through tall, thick rye fields. A young boy accompanied him to look after the horse if needed.
After traveling about two miles, the narrator came upon a steep incline leading down to a village nestled in a wide plain, guarded by poplars and caressed by a gleaming river. He woke Pashka to prevent him from falling out and began cautiously descending the hill. As they approached the village, the narrator noticed something peculiar: a light twinkling in the tiny window at the very top of the church belfry, between the cupola and the bells.
This light puzzled him greatly. He knew there were no icons or lamps in that part of the belfry, only beams, dust, and spiders' webs. The passage to the turret was blocked, making it nearly impossible to climb up there. He considered whether it might be a reflection of some outside light, but could see no other light source in the vast expanse before him. There was no moon, and the fading sunset glow couldn't have been reflected since the window faced east, not west.
As he pondered these explanations, the narrator was gradually overcome by an unpleasant feeling that soon revealed itself as terror. He felt suddenly isolated and vulnerable in the great shadowy hollow where he stood, with the belfry staring at him with its red eye. When he asked Pashka about the light, the boy's initial casual response gave way to fear as he too admitted being frightened.
I was seized with a feeling of loneliness, misery, and horror, as though I had been flung down against my will into this great hole full of shadows, where I was standing all alone with the belfry looking at me with its red eye.
Overcome with fear, the narrator clutched the boy, huddled close to him, and gave the horse a violent lash. He tried to rationalize his fear, telling himself that the phenomenon was only terrifying because he didn't understand it. At the posting station, he deliberately stayed for an hour chatting with the overseer and reading newspapers, trying to calm himself. On the return journey, the light was no longer visible, but the silhouettes of the huts, poplars, and the hill seemed eerily animated. The mystery of the light remained unsolved.
Second terror: The phantom train car
The narrator's second terrifying experience took place as he was returning from a romantic meeting at one o'clock in the morning. It was not a still night; corncrakes, quails, nightingales, and woodcocks were calling, while crickets and grasshoppers chirruped. A light mist covered the grass, and clouds scudded across the sky near the moon. Nature seemed awake and vibrant.
He walked along a narrow path at the edge of a railway embankment, feeling peaceful and content. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling sound behind him that grew louder with each passing second. Looking back, he saw a huge black object appear at a curve in the track. It darted toward him and flew past along the rails with the swiftness of a bird, vanishing in less than half a minute.
It was an ordinary goods truck, but its appearance without an engine and in the dead of night bewildered him. Unable to explain this phenomenon, the narrator suddenly felt utterly alone on the vast plain. The night seemed hostile, and all the sounds of nature became sinister. Overcome with fear, he ran frantically until he reached a signal-box where he saw a man on the embankment.
Breathlessly, the narrator asked if the signalman had seen the truck. The man explained that it had broken away from a goods train at an incline around the ninetieth mile. The coupling on the last truck had given way, causing it to run backward down the track. With this rational explanation, the mysterious phenomenon lost its fantastic character, and the narrator's panic subsided.
The strange phenomenon was explained and its fantastic character vanished. My panic was over and I was able to go on my way.
Third terror: The ominous dog in the forest
The narrator's third frightening experience occurred in early spring as he was returning home from stand shooting. It was dusk, the forest road was covered with pools from recent rain, and he was exhausted. About four or five miles from home, he suddenly encountered a large black water spaniel. The dog looked intently at him, ran past, then stopped and stared at him from a distance.
The narrator was puzzled by the dog's presence in the depths of the forest. He knew all the country gentry for miles around and their dogs, but had never seen this spaniel before. When he sat down to rest, the dog also sat and fixed him with an unwavering gaze. Something about the animal's steady stare made the narrator uneasy. He thought of Faust and his bulldog, and considered that his exhaustion might be causing hallucinations.
The narrator hurriedly got up and continued walking. The dog followed him playfully, wagging its tail at his threatening shouts. Despite the animal's friendly behavior, the narrator's panic grew more acute as darkness fell. Just as with his previous experiences with the light in the belfry and the truck on the railway, he could not bear the situation and fled.
When he arrived home, he found a visitor waiting for him. This old friend complained that while driving to see the narrator, he had lost his way in the forest and his valuable dog had dropped behind. The mystery was solved: the frightening dog had simply been his friend's lost pet.
At home I found a visitor, an old friend, who, after greeting me, began to complain that as he was driving to me he had lost his way in the forest, and a splendid valuable dog of his had dropped behind.