A Christmas Eve

Deeply depressed on Christmas Eve, he picks up a prostitute that bears a striking similarity to his dead sibling, but spending the night with her only sends him further into complete madness.

Giorgio is a disturbed young man from Turin, vacationing in Milan in hopes of finally coping with the death of his twin sister Emelia, with whom he has shared a close bond.

But by Christmas Eve, his condition only worsens and he starts suffering from horrific stomach pains, unable to eat or drink.

They arrive at his suite and Giorgio orders all the delicacies off the menu and, to the young prostitute's delight, a bottle of champagne.

Maria then finishes narrating the tale; Giorgio returns home from Milan and his condition quickly worsens.

And sharing a similarity with Boito's earlier work The Body, the tale delves heavily into necrophilia, made only more disturbing with the connotations of incest, since Giorgio's obsession with Emelia is sexual.

Since Giorgio is psychologically disturbed and suffering from a painful illness and delusional fantasies, A Christmas Eve can also be described an example of a short story with an unreliable narrator.