In Ray Bradbury’s “Usher II,” Mr. William Stendahl has built an exact replica of Edgar Allan Poe’s The House of Usher on Mars as a protest against the censorship that has destroyed fantasy literature on Earth. In a society where all things imaginative are forbidden, Stendahl invites members of the Society for the Prevention of Fantasy to a macabre event at his newly built house, where they will experience a shocking experience.
In “Time Intervening,” a short story by Ray Bradbury published in 1952 in Ray Bradbury Review, an old man leaves his house in the early morning and finds some children playing in his garden. Although he tries to talk to them, he gets no response. Back at home, he sits in the dark, restless. Suddenly, a young man and a girl enter, surprised to see him, and throw him out, claiming that it is their house. The old man, perplexed and ignored, ends up on the street. During the night, he watches in bewilderment as several people enter and leave his home, with no one seemingly paying any attention to him.
The Veldt is a short story by Ray Bradbury, first published in September 1950 in The Saturday Evening Post and later included in the collection The Illustrated Man (1951). Set in a future where technical progress dominates everyday life, it tells the story of the Hadleys, a wealthy family living in a fully automated house designed to meet their every need. Its greatest innovation is a virtual reality nursery capable of materializing any imagined environment. As the children’s obsession with this technological marvel grows, the Hadleys begin to question the impact of excessive technology on their family.
Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Emissary” tells the story of Martin Christie, a boy confined to his bed due to illness. Torry, his dog, becomes his connection to the outside world. Martin experiences the changing seasons and the experiences of the outside world through Torry, who also brings him visitors, thanks to a note Martin puts on his collar. One day, Torry disappears without a trace. When Martin has already lost all hope of recovering his friend, something unexpected happens.
“The Handler,” a short story by Ray Bradbury published in 1947, tells the story of Mr. Benedict, a man who runs a funeral business, a church, and a cemetery, all in the exact location. Benedict feels a deep inferiority complex and spends his days enduring the scorn and insults of the town’s neighbors. In his … Read more
“The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury is a short story set in a futuristic city in the year 2053. The plot revolves around Leonard Mead, a man who enjoys walking alone through the city streets at night. In a world where television has replaced social interactions and people remain locked inside their homes, Mead’s walks stand … Read more