The Gifts of My Cousin Maria 1969

Moma arrives in a quiet town to visit the house of his late cousin Marija. Through his narration, it becomes clear that Marija died young, leaving behind an elderly woman who adopted her after her mother’s death and kept her dowry. Although he stands to inherit the estate, he delays the trip for years, haunted by a growing sadness about her fate. Finally, driven by a lingering ache, he returns to the town.

Upon arrival, the house feels empty at first, until he meets Maria’s adoptive mother, Dada, a wary figure who resents the visit yet grants him access. [Moma] explains that he wants only to learn about Marija and to see her dowry. In a room he discovers a mirror covered with a cloth; when he removes it, the mirror is cracked, and he faints briefly. The old woman then begins to tell the story of Marija, who was beautiful and courted by many young men. She grew vain, spending more and more time before the mirror, and several suitors proposed to her, but she refused and ridiculed them. One of them hanged himself, a tragedy that left Marija with deep remorse. She spent the next years preparing her dowry, but no suitors came to the house. Her adoptive mother started to notice changes in Marija’s behavior, unsure whether they signaled madness or purification. One night the adoptive mother heard strange noises from Marija’s room; entering, she found the mirror cracked and glimpsed Marija with grey hair and a blank, shadowed expression. It is revealed that Marija actually died that night.

After the tale, Moma asks to spend the night in the house. The old woman retires to bed, and he searches for a key to unlock the chest with Marija’s dowry. While doing so, he hears noises and escapes the house, knocking over a burning candle as he leaves. He exits at dawn with only Marija’s slippers. He then hears church bells and sees townsfolk running toward the inflamed house. He overhears several men discussing the fire: one believes it must have been started by an ember from the fireplace, while another claims that is impossible, since the house has been empty for seven years.