The Mummy's Foot

"The Mummy's Foot" by Théophile Gautier is a fantastical story set in the Romantic period that examines the allure of the ancient world, explores love, and questions the boundary between life and death through the strange experience of a man who buys a mummy's foot. The story pokes fun at when people are overly interested in old objects, and dives into dream-like events where the main character meets the spirit of Princess Hermonthis, whose foot he purchased. After learning the princess needs her foot back, the narrator joins her on a magical trip to see her father, the Pharaoh, and asks to marry her, but is denied because of their age difference. In the end the narrator wakes up to discover the foot is gone, but a gift from the princess remains.