Reader's Diary #1885- W. F. Harvey: August Heat

The premise behind W. F. Harvey's "August Heat" is interesting enough on its own: two strangers have a premonition about the other's bleak future, but there are a few other aspects that also raise the story above a mere supernatural tale.

The setting, August under a heat wave, adds a level of realism to the tale and also makes a reader question if this is but a detail or if the heat is somehow connected. At the very least, it's likely to have altered the strangers' decision making.

It's also one of the few ambiguous endings that I enjoyed. We know from earlier information what the ultimate outcome will be, but we're still left (in the final moments, I suspect) not knowing precisely how we get there, nor why.

It's a lovely fatalistic tale.