H G Wells

Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland illustrated H G Wells

Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland is a short story by H. G. Wells. There is no irony or metaphor in the title: It concerns a shopkeeper, named Mr. Skelmersdale, who claims to have spent several days in a literal fairyland. I imagine most modern readers baulking at the very mention of fairies, anticipating either a tale for children or a trite allegory. But Wells' story is neither of these things. The adventure in fairyland is unexpectedly believable while you are reading it but almost beside the point. The emotional and thematic heart of this story is the plight of the shopkeeper when he returns to our world.