Mysterious Kor Summary

On a moonlit night during World War II, Arthur, a soldier on leave, and Pepita, his headstrong girlfriend, roam the streets of London arm-in-arm in search of a quiet place. Arthur's sparkling eyes prompt Pepita to recite some lines from a poem about a mysterious, forsaken place called Kôr, where she imagines the two of them being alone. They briefly discuss the meaning of the poem and what they would do if they ever reached Kôr; however, their illusions are shattered by the thought of coming home to Pepita's place, which she shares with her roommate Callie--meaning they will not be able to spend their night alone. Even though Pepita has talked to Callie about going out, her roommate did not understand the hint that she should give the two lovers some privacy. On the contrary, Callie has spent her evening preparing dinner and tidying up the flat because she has been looking forward to meeting Arthur. However, late at night she finally decides to go to bed, as she does not want to wait for Arthur and Pepita any longer. In the moonlight, she falls asleep imagining being part of their passion. She wakes up when the two lovers enter the flat, and immediately greets Arthur by shaking his hand, which again evokes secret feelings of forbidden desire. She prepares cocoa and cares for Arthur, while Pepita is visibly upset that Callie has joined them. Eventually, the three go to sleep. While Arthur rests on a sofa in the living room, Pepita and Callie share a bed in the bedroom. Pepita accidentally strikes Callie's cheek, realizing that she has been crying. Callie, however, does not want to tell Pepita the reason for her sadness, and eventually, they fall asleep. At four in the morning, Arthur's footsteps wake Callie up again. Arthur, having got up to smoke a cigarette, questions his relationship with Pepita before they talk about her dreams of Kôr, which Arthur calls a hallucination. Callie briefly mentions human desire, but Arthur is too sleepy to keep the conversation going. Nevertheless, Callie is glad that Arthur has shown some interest in her feelings. Back in her bed, Callie looks at Pepita, who she imagines is dreaming of Kôr.