Aura: A Tale of Obsession and Reality
Characters
Aura: Character. Niece of the widow Llorente. Seductive, young, with stunning green eyes. Silent and subservient to her aunt.
Felipe Montero: Main character. Young history teacher seeking better fortune. Intelligent and lonely.
Consuelo Llorente: Character. Elderly woman, sometimes insightful, sometimes detached from reality. Obsessed with her late husband and death.
Plot Summary
A young historian, Felipe Montero, is hired to organize a deceased colonel’s memoirs. He moves into the colonel’s widow’s old house, where he meets the beautiful Aura. Strange events blur reality and fantasy as Felipe falls in love with Aura. The lines between the women blur, challenging Felipe’s perception of reality.
Chapter Summaries
First
Felipe sees a job ad for a young historian. He arrives at Donceles 815, a dark, musty house. An old woman, Consuelo, hires him to write her late husband’s memoirs. He meets Aura, Consuelo’s niece, and is captivated by her beauty.
Second
Consuelo assigns Felipe a room. Aura leads him there. At dinner, Aura informs Felipe that Consuelo is ill. Consuelo gives Felipe the manuscripts.
Third
Felipe finds the memoirs underwhelming. He witnesses a bizarre event: cats burning alive. Consuelo asks to see him later. Felipe plans to write his own book. He observes Aura’s submissiveness. He dreams of a bell and a kiss. Consuelo complains about Felipe wanting to leave. He discovers Consuelo is 109 years old and her obsession with youth and green eyes.
Fourth
Felipe sees Aura slaughtering a goat. He finds Consuelo mimicking Aura’s movements. Aura, dressed in green, kisses Felipe, who swears eternal love. He wakes to find Consuelo and Aura acting identically.
Fifth
Confused, Felipe cuts himself shaving. He investigates Consuelo’s trunk, finding photos of Aura from 1884. He realizes he and Aura are in the old photos. He confronts Aura, who transforms into the aged Consuelo. Consuelo promises Aura will return.