KidLit Forum

The Crimson Candle
By Ambrose Bierce

A man is ill and asks his wife not to marry anyone after his death. He asks her to give him a proof of her affection and fidelity because he wants to receive admittance at the gate of heaven and he wants to know that he “ has never defiled himself with an unworthy woman”. He tell her that he has a crimson candle which has been blessed by the High priest and which has a mystical significance. She asks her to swear that she won’t marry anyone as long as the candle exists.
At his funeral, at the head of the dead, the wife is” holding a lighted crimson candle till it was wasted entirely away.”
The woman shows her love to him by swearing to keep her promise and she keeps it even if it’s for a short time. The man can leave this world with content because he has the proof he needed. For him the promise is very important because due to it he knows that he will arrive at the gate of heaven.