"Diary of a Madman" (Un Fou) by Guy de Maupassant

Published 1885.

The initial recording of this one didn't bother me overly much, but when I went to do the editing, I found it extremely repulsive and distressing. Ick.

The picture used is a promotional poster for the 1963 movie adaptation of this story, staring Vincent Price and Nancy Kovack. The film starts out with the diary being read at the judge's funeral, but then it becomes some a weird merger of this story (with a different murderer, obviously) and the Horla after that.

To follow along: https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-story/the-diary-of-a-madman