#07: 7 Skulls a’ Screaming From, “The Masque of the Red Death” – Edgar Allen Poe There are many examples in the horror genre to remind us that some of the most dangerous monsters exist in the real world. They are very much alive and yet they are invisible, and so small they live on our doorknobs. To appreciate the contemporary relevance of today’s image, think about words like influenza, SARS, or AIDS. But to appreciate the scope of the threat, spend half an hour at any public restroom in America and count the number of patrons who fail to practice sensible hygiene. Prince Prospero and a thousand of his closest well born friends had decided that the best response to the Red Death was simply live in a heavily fortified abbey. In their nightly revels they smugly celebrated not only their own sense of insular security, but also taunted the wretchedness of the poor souls who were dying outside their medieval bunker. The futility of trying to hide from Death is an ancient theme, but Poe examines it with an irony that is perhaps matched only by W. Somerset Maughn’s “The Appointment in Samarra.” Perhaps Poe also meant to send a warning about the inevitable doom facing a world in which only a self-selected few have the means to affect their safety and comfort. Are we still listening? Human society is now so interconnected that it is at the very least unfeasible to implement and enforce extended quarantines on a global scale. So generally we continue to combat disease by directing huge amounts of public and private resources toward helping us recover when we become ill. Resources to keep us from becoming ill—particularly by supporting incentives for healthy lifestyles—are very small in comparison. Literary and video fiction are replete with stories about individuals who are blessed (cursed?) to survive in the aftermath of a war or plague that has virtually decimated the human race. Let us hope that such a scenario never actually comes to pass. “Props” to Baument (banner, monk’s robe, torchiere), gl (mask), monkeYB07 (center skull), richibari (flanking skulls). PhilC (robes), and anyone I may have missed. Selections from the same shelf: “The Andromeda Strain,” Michael Crichton “Emergence,” David R. Palmer “I am Legend,” Richard Matheson