He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. The knocking ceased suddenly, although the ...

The dark moral of “The Monkey’s Paw,” a 1902 short story by the English ... panicked, makes his last wish. When he opens the door, no one’s there. If you’ve ever fondly wished for ...