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The Gipsy Prophecy
'I really think, ' said the Doctor, 'that, at any rate, one of us should go and try whether or not the thing is an imposture.' 'Good!' said Considine. 'After dinner we will take our cigars and stroll over to the camp.' Accordingly, when the dinner was over, and the La Tour finished, Joshua Considine and his friend, Dr Burleigh, went over to the east side of the moor, where the gipsy encampment lay. As they were leaving, Mary Considine, who had walked as far as the end of the garden where it opened into the laneway, called after her husband
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2012
2 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Bram Stoker
2,676 books5,894 followersIrish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel
Dracula
(1897).
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 6, 2019
This stayed true to Stokers usual writing style. Odd, weird and deliciously old school.
As a woman from a modern age I find the descriptions of a woman from that period of time really strange.
They always seem to be weak minded and faints a lot, and this was the case here as well.
However, I understand that this was the most common thought and although I strongly disagree, I find it a bit refreshing to read something so different and odd. I think it paints a very clear picture of the culture at the time and I find that very fascinating.
Read: 06/06/2019
1st rating: 3 stars
Genre/sub-genres: Horror
Cover: *blank* cannot see a cover sooo....😂
POV: 3rd person
Will I recommend: Yes, if you like me fancy’s trying something different, then yes.
As a woman from a modern age I find the descriptions of a woman from that period of time really strange.
They always seem to be weak minded and faints a lot, and this was the case here as well.
However, I understand that this was the most common thought and although I strongly disagree, I find it a bit refreshing to read something so different and odd. I think it paints a very clear picture of the culture at the time and I find that very fascinating.
Read: 06/06/2019
1st rating: 3 stars
Genre/sub-genres: Horror
Cover: *blank* cannot see a cover sooo....😂
POV: 3rd person
Will I recommend: Yes, if you like me fancy’s trying something different, then yes.
November 19, 2020
I was expecting more of a dramatic ending.
September 3, 2023
Entertainig fantasy listening 🎧
I istented to this as part of a nine short story of Bram Stoker stories. Each of the stories was different with interesting well developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion. The nine short stories was a surprise but enjoyable listening which I would highly recommend to readers of fantasy, horror, and mystery stories. 2023 😎👻☠❤✨
I istented to this as part of a nine short story of Bram Stoker stories. Each of the stories was different with interesting well developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion. The nine short stories was a surprise but enjoyable listening which I would highly recommend to readers of fantasy, horror, and mystery stories. 2023 😎👻☠❤✨
May 20, 2018
A weird, weird short story. Not my favourite, but better than The Squaw, in my opinion. The ending was kinda dull, that’s why I gave it Three Stars; while I was reading it I thought I might give it Four or even Five Stars, but the ending ruined it for me. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable quick short read.
April 11, 2019
Ok that was kind of hilarious!
April 29, 2023
How is THIS included in "Bram Stoker, HORROR stories"? THAT'S NOT FUCKING HORROR
June 19, 2025
In my efforts to explore the history of horror literature and that of the short story, I’ve turned to a master… Bram Stoker.
I’ve never read “Dracula” (yet) but Stoker always comes up in discussions of the genre. The anthology collection I bought of his work opens with a pretty interesting insight as to the fact that, while “Dracula” is so famous and made the author a household name, it also overshadowed much of his other work, including his highly praised short stories.
“The Gypsy Prophecy” is a very well written piece. I’ve already noticed Stoker’s unique style, and I quite like it. He uses commas a lot and because of that describes things pretty well.
This is a brief story but impactful. In some ways, such as the character interactions, it reminds me of W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw.”
The story is about a man who encounters a Gypsy who tells him that he’ll murder his wife. Is this prediction true? That’s the tale.
I felt like the ending was a bit quick. I’m not wholly dissatisfied, but I do wish it was fleshed out a bit more.
Still, for being from 1885, this story is still captivating nearly 150 years later. Incredible.
I’ve never read “Dracula” (yet) but Stoker always comes up in discussions of the genre. The anthology collection I bought of his work opens with a pretty interesting insight as to the fact that, while “Dracula” is so famous and made the author a household name, it also overshadowed much of his other work, including his highly praised short stories.
“The Gypsy Prophecy” is a very well written piece. I’ve already noticed Stoker’s unique style, and I quite like it. He uses commas a lot and because of that describes things pretty well.
This is a brief story but impactful. In some ways, such as the character interactions, it reminds me of W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw.”
The story is about a man who encounters a Gypsy who tells him that he’ll murder his wife. Is this prediction true? That’s the tale.
I felt like the ending was a bit quick. I’m not wholly dissatisfied, but I do wish it was fleshed out a bit more.
Still, for being from 1885, this story is still captivating nearly 150 years later. Incredible.
July 23, 2021
This is possibly my favorite Bram Stoker story, aside from The Judge's House.
There is some casual sexism, but we see Stoker once again seem oddly to validate the fears of the overly-passionate woman (who have a different "nervous system," as one character notes, to that of a man's). She believes in the prophecy of the gipsy, and, even when we find ourselves at the comic ending, the gipsy is still correct--she just made a mistaken reading. Unluckily, one might say that, because the fortune tellers are all women, they, too, suffer from the malady of Stoker's women, and thus could be said to have founded their interpretation on the same thing that scared the victim of it; nevertheless, I found the comedic ending to be well worth it, especially for a tale as seemingly common as this one.
As a side note, I like looking into the odd music that is often a part of old stories. Thus, in "Man Overboard!" did I find myself searching for "Nancy Lee." Here, I went on a search for "The Gipsy Countess," and found what might be the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XJNO....
There is some casual sexism, but we see Stoker once again seem oddly to validate the fears of the overly-passionate woman (who have a different "nervous system," as one character notes, to that of a man's). She believes in the prophecy of the gipsy, and, even when we find ourselves at the comic ending, the gipsy is still correct--she just made a mistaken reading. Unluckily, one might say that, because the fortune tellers are all women, they, too, suffer from the malady of Stoker's women, and thus could be said to have founded their interpretation on the same thing that scared the victim of it; nevertheless, I found the comedic ending to be well worth it, especially for a tale as seemingly common as this one.
As a side note, I like looking into the odd music that is often a part of old stories. Thus, in "Man Overboard!" did I find myself searching for "Nancy Lee." Here, I went on a search for "The Gipsy Countess," and found what might be the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XJNO....
October 17, 2024
Overview: Joshua Considine and Caleb Burliegh are out to visit a gipsy camp. While there, Joshua gets his fortune read. Will he truly murder his own beloved wife? Let's find out.
Likes: This was a bit comical with how the Lady Considine tried to avert the prophecy.
Conclusion: This was a fun story. I'm afraid that if you are a strong feminist, then you might not like this one. Either way, enjoy the read.
Likes: This was a bit comical with how the Lady Considine tried to avert the prophecy.
Conclusion: This was a fun story. I'm afraid that if you are a strong feminist, then you might not like this one. Either way, enjoy the read.
November 26, 2024
Hm. Unsure of what to make of it. There's ofcourse the jibber-jabber about fate and such which I'll leave for others to think about. But knowing that you can hurt the ones you love most- knowingly or not, with or without intention is what scares me. This is the first time Bram's made me scared. The squaw made me uncomfortable, Dracula did nothing but this one did? Too focused on love or relationships perhaps?
January 11, 2023
4 stars. A nomadic psychic who drives a local couple to the brink of insanity after she prophesies that a death will occur. I've read another short story with a similar premise and I've found that I rather enjoy mysticism and the unexplained within the horror genre. This subgenre of horror allows the audience to come up with their own theories and ideas which is especially exciting.
October 24, 2020
I first thought this was going to be among some of Stoker's not so good works, but once I got to the end, I found that it is really rather a clever one. It isn't his usual horror type either but it tries to make you think that, then it just turns into a clever little story.
September 7, 2025
A fun, quick read. Not too scary, but enjoyable! When Joshua visits a fortune teller and hears some bad news, should he tell his wife, Mary or will this cause upset? An interesting ending, but was expecting a little more to happen.
January 9, 2026
Lmao absolutely ridiculous. Was this a cautionary tale against getting your fortune told? The audiobook I listened to had such a serious tone but I swear Bram must have written this tongue in cheek, or I certainly hope he did
May 24, 2020
This was a nice story, there is not much I can say about this story without spoiling it. But it shows the talents of Bram Stoker as a writer.
August 25, 2021
Not one of Stoker's best short stories. A little melodramatic with all the fainting and swooning, and the end of the story was a bit dull.
October 7, 2023
Short suspense story with an unexpected ending, as spooky stories go.
August 13, 2024
Lowkey funny
November 16, 2024
G word aside it had me on edge and the ending was kinda hilarious. Bro almost got me
October 2, 2025
I think this is the only Stoker I have read other than Dracula.
If memory serves, I gave Dracula 5 stars but The Gipsy Prophecy is very good as well!
If memory serves, I gave Dracula 5 stars but The Gipsy Prophecy is very good as well!
December 31, 2012
Being Truth or Becoming truth ?
August 26, 2016
A fun, silly short story.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews