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The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen

            In the short story "The Demon Lover," written by Elizabeth Bowen, she describes a story of a middle aged woman who had made a promise with her fiancé twenty-five years before. It begins by Mrs. Kathleen Drover coming back to her old bombed house in London to pick up a few things left behind. While she was there, Mrs. Drover finds a letter which makes her recall of her soldier fiancé twenty-five years ago and the promise that he made her make. After she had read the letter she goes to get a taxi and screams when she sees the driver's face. Bowen implies two possible hypotheses in this short story: one being that Mrs. Drover is mentally unstable and she is hallucinating things and events, or that there is something supernatural after Mrs. Drover. .
             Moreover one way of understanding Kathleen's reaction towards the taxi leads to her possible hallucinations. Bowen writes that when Mrs. Dover goes to get a taxi there was "only one taxi [It] appeared already to be alertly waiting for her. Indeed, without looking round the driver started his engine as she panted up from behind and put her hand on the door" (28). To this "Mrs. Drover's mouth hung open [when she saw the driver and realized she was home] for some seconds before she could issue her first scream" After she continued to scream freely and beat with her gloved hands on the glass all round as the taxi, acceleration without mercy" (29). Routinely when someone wants to go somewhere specific they order a special trip so the same taxi that takes them to their destination can take them back home. .
             It is possible that Kathleen could have ordered a special taxi meant for this day but due to her serious illness, she could have forgotten about the pre-ordered taxi. This can be a possible explanation on why it was the only taxi there and seemed to be waiting for her. The fact that the driver knew where to take her seems to indicate he had taken there before.


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