David Swan by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Short summary

5 seconds

David falls asleep, during which time three amazing stories happen to him that could have changed his fate. When he wakes up, he has no idea what has happened to him.

1 minute

This is the story of a young man who goes to Boston and, while waiting for a carriage, falls asleep. While he is sleeping, three important things happen that could change his whole life.

First, a young couple passes by him. The lady wants to take him with her and give him money, but the gentleman hesitates because they don’t know him. They decide to leave and leave him to continue sleeping. The couple is rich and may give him some fortune, but he misses it because he is asleep.

After the couple, a beautiful young girl comes to see him and admires his beauty. The girl’s father is looking for a young man like David. He misses out on another good fortune.

After the girl leaves, a group of bandits approach him and threaten to kill him if he wakes up before they take his possessions. The men manage to get the stuff, and luckily David doesn’t wake up and die in the story.

When the men leave, a carriage arrives, and David wakes up. He never finds out what happened while he was asleep.