Obsession is something we think about often. Fine, obsession is something we obsess about often. As we typically have a lot of time in between funeral services we often wonder about the impact of relationships on people’s lives. Much of what we do each and every day is dictated by a relationship we have with another person, whether living or dead. Therefore, much of what we do with our life is driven by a relationship we hold with another person.

In P Maxwell’s story, “Mrs. Schroeder’s Baby,” Mrs. Schroeder’s only desire is to have a child. Her few social interactions take place in her small town’s market, or at church. And regardless that she has no significant other, her free time is devoted to planning an event that otherwise seems unlikely to ever occur.

We all want things in life. It is certainly a part of our existence – desiring objects, or relationships with people. However, what does it say when someone rearranges their life in preparation for something that has not yet occurred, or may never occur? Do we dismiss these actions as simply silly, or should we look deeper to see if there is something darker brewing there?

In reading, and then rereading “Mrs. Schroeder’s Baby” I kept thinking back, and yes, obsessing over H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror.” Lovecraft is a master and there is much to discuss about Lovecraft later on, but for now we just want to note that there are hints in Maxwell’s story that just brought us back to that weird Lovecraft tale, “The Dunwich Horror.” There’s the small town, the suspicious event, and well…the weird and strange that occurs.

While there are vast differences in both tales Maxwell’s story is certainly tragic, and very weird per what we have seen occur in Lovecraft’s strange worlds.

We will continue thinking about obsession, and about Mrs. Schroeder. We wonder where she is tonight and we wonder whether or not she is happy.

-Gravedigger