An Uncomfortable Bed

Aug 7 2022 | Sunday

Hello, beloved reader.

In the short story 'An Uncomfortable Bed' by Guy de Maupassant, the protagonist's friends are fond of practical jokes, and their princely reception of him awakens suspicion in his mind.

He didn't want to get caught in their practical joke so instead of sleeping on the bed, because he finds it 'particularly suspicious-looking,' and is afraid that he will receive a cold shower, or perhaps, the moment he stretches himself out, he'll find himself sinking to the floor with his mattress, he drags the mattress, sheet and the rest of the bedclothes to the middle of the room, facing the entrance door, makes his bed at some distance from the 'suspected bedstead' and after lying awake for at least an hour, starting at the slightest sound, eventually falls asleep.

However, even after going through all that trouble, he still ends up making his friends laugh at his expense. How? Well, I can't tell you that and ruin a classic Maupassant ending, so you'll have to find out on your own.

On a serious note, it made me think that fear is often a construct of our imagination, and yet we let it dictate our thoughts and actions. Sometimes we create problems in our heads that don’t even exist, and make ourselves miserable. Why do we do that, and what can we do to avoid it?
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Thank you for reading.​
Sahar Afreen

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