"Night" is Tatyana Tolstaya's short story about a middle-aged retarded man named Alexei who lives in a communal apartment building in Moscow with his elderly mother called Mamochka. The story is one of alienation and fear symbolized by the unknown entities that are made more mysterious and dangerous at night.

The story begins in the morning, and Alexei Petrovich lies in his bed. He hears his mother Mamochka yawn, listens to the actions of her morning routine and waits for her to tell him to get up. Alexei thinks about his mother, her knowledge of everything and her facility in life. Mamochka is a big woman, and Alexei feels very small in contrast both in size and in intellect.

Now, Alexei hears the noises from the other tenants in the apartment building and imagines that they are on the deck of a ship and that...