The Outsider by H. P. Lovecraft. Short summary

5 seconds

The hero lives all alone in an ancient tower, but his dream has always been to see daylight. The outcast tries to escape his confinement, but he doesn’t know how people will react to his appearance.

1 minute

The mysterious hero lives alone in an ancient castle with no light or fresh air. He remembers nothing of his past and has seen no other living creatures but rats and spiders. The hero dreams of freeing himself from his prison. He climbs up the steps of a black tower, then up a steep wall and into a room beneath the very roof. Through a trapdoor he makes his way to the top, but he is not on the roof, but in a room of marble. For the first time in his life he sees the moon and the sky.

The hero wanders through terrain that seems familiar to him. He finds his way to a castle where people are walking and partying at a party. The hero makes his way through the window to the ballroom. The people scream at his appearance and scatter in terror. He wanders alone through the castle, until in one of the arches he stumbles upon a nightmarish, half-decomposed monster. Terrified, he flees to his home. Now the hero understands why he became an outcast, why he lives alone and in darkness—he saw his own reflection in the mirror.