Rídan the Devil, and Other Stories 1899

On a remote Samoan plantation, a hulking, silent laborer named Rídan lives on the fringe of a German estate, feared and reviled by his fellow workers who whisper that he is a devil capable of summoning death. When a brutal overseer’s cruelty turns deadly, Rídan becomes the scapegoat, and the violent clash that follows leaves him gravely wounded, his reputation as a malevolent spirit cemented.

Exiled to a cotton mill in Apia for recovery, Rídan attempts escape, only to be seized and shackled aboard a boat bound for the plantation. The crew’s fear gives way to reluctant compassion when one strong Samoan, Pulu, offers water and loosens his bonds, revealing a flicker of humanity beneath the feared exterior. As Rídan’s eyes open, tears break from a man thought to be a beast, hinting at deeper mysteries about fear, isolation, and the thin line between myth and reality.