"Miriam" scared the bejesus out of me---the kind of scared where you feel something behind you and you want to look to prove yourself wrong but you can't-- what if Miriam's there?
I know Capote best for In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's, but "Miriam" won him the O. Henry award in 1946. For anyone looking to enjoy a short story that will grab you by the neck and freak you the beep out until you beg for mercy, this is the story for you.
Mrs. H.T. Miller, widow extraordinaire, decides to take in a film at the local theater, and why not? She's a single lady living alone with no one to answer to but herself. No one, that is, until she meets Miriam, a little girl with long white hair, a plum coat, and a demanding temperament.
The writing here is impeccable. It is a master course in suspense---building slowly, perhaps even innocently, luring you in and then, and then....shivers. It's the best kind of writing: invisible. You are in the story with Mrs. Miller: as she answers the door, as she runs downstairs, and as she opens her eyes to the sight of Miriam.
Since last night, I've read various interpretations of what Miriam is or what she represents, and I'm still undecided. I know two things for sure: Miriam is scary as hell and I will be tracking down more Capote short stories.
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