What would you give for the power to truly understand another person?
When the brilliant chemist and philosopher, Mr. Merlyn, discovers three miraculous drugs, he believes he holds the key to human understanding. Each drug promises a unique form of profound empathy, allowing the user to inhabit another person's mind and soul.
The three drugs offer:
The power to know yourself as others see you.
The power to know others as they know themselves.
The power to know others as you see yourself.
The first trial is conducted upon Mr. Allyn, a man who fears his own conventionality. But as Allyn takes the drugs, his journey into radical self-knowledge, and the minds of his contemporaries, becomes a descent into a dizzying hall of mirrors. He finds that what he sees, and what others see, are terrifyingly different.
E. Nesbit, renowned for her blend of fantasy and sharp observation, crafts a sophisticated and psychologically haunting fable.
"The Three Drugs"
is a compelling short story that explores the complex, dangerous nature of identity, perception, and the ultimate, unsettling truth of how little we truly know about the people around us.