The Madonna is a short story by Clive Barker written in 1985 in the fifth volume of the Books of Blood.
Jerry is trying to unload an abandoned pool complex onto a not very pleasant buyer. However it turns out the complex isn't so abandoned after all, with a naked woman and something lurking in the pool.
Tropes included:
- Ancient Conspiracy: May or may not be that ancient but the story implies protecting the Madonna is one of these type deals.
- Bittersweet Ending: Jerry decides to throw himself into the pool at the end, implying he might happily join with the Madonna now that he is a she.
- Driven to Suicide: Ezra Garvey is due to him finding himself transformed into a woman.
- Gender Bender: Looking at "The Madonna" is shown to transform two men into women when they wake up the next morning.
- Humanoid Abomination: The titular Madonna is some kind of monster that is hidden inside the pool complex.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: When Jerry goes back to the pool he finds it empty with no ladies or Madonna. But he does see a glow emanating from the drain.
- Magical Land: The Madonna turns the abandoned pool complex into one of these and destroys it when they leave.
- Naked First Impression: Since the ladies surrounding The Madonna are naked all the time, this is what happens when Jerry and Garvey first see them.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: The Madonna is typically surrounded by several of these at all times.
