“The Fun They Had” is a short story by Isaac Asimov, published in December 1951 in Boys and Girls Page. Margie and Tommy, two children living in a future society, discover something they have never seen before: a real book printed on paper. The two friends—and Margie in particular—are fascinated by this unusual object, which describes a distant time when education was conducted in a way very different from the one they know.
“The Sound Machine” is a science fiction short story by Roald Dahl, published on September 17, 1949, in The New Yorker. It tells the story of Klausner, a solitary and obsessive man who builds a device capable of detecting sounds inaudible to the human ear. Convinced that the world is filled with hidden voices, he tests his invention in the garden and makes a disturbing discovery as he observes how the plants react. His fascination turns into mounting unease as he ventures deeper into an invisible sonic realm that could radically transform our understanding of plant sensitivity.
“The Stolen Body” is a short story by H. G. Wells published in 1898 in The Strand Magazine, combining science fiction with supernatural horror. Mr. Bessel and his colleague Vincey are deeply interested in the study of psychic and spiritual phenomena. Driven by his curiosity, Bessel decides to experiment with astral projection, attempting to separate his mind from his physical body. However, during one of these attempts, something goes wrong and Bessel finds himself outside his body, facing mysterious and puzzling situations as he searches for a way to return to his normal state.
“Quixote and the Windmill” is a short story by Poul Anderson, published in November 1950 in Astounding Science Fiction. In the future, Earth has achieved full automation: production is almost entirely automatic, machines perform all routine tasks, and human beings live surrounded by comfort, leisure, and abundance. The workday is minimal, basic needs are met, and people can devote their time to creativity and recreation. In this world of technological utopia, two men drink in a bar as they drown their frustration over a world that seems no longer to need them.
“The Man Who Came Early” is a short story by Poul Anderson, first published in June 1956 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. An elderly Icelandic farmer from the tenth century recounts to a Christian priest the mysterious arrival of a stranger who, after a great storm, appeared wandering along the shore. Dressed in unfamiliar clothing and carrying strange artifacts, the newcomer claimed to come from a thousand years in the future and from a great nation that did not yet exist. Though skeptical—and at times taking him for a madman—a family decides to take him in and offer him shelter. Grateful, the man tries to adapt to that primitive society while recounting astonishing tales of his own time.
“Shall the Dust Praise Thee?” is a short story by Damon Knight, published in 1967 in the anthology Dangerous Visions. The Day of Wrath has finally arrived: the heavens open, trumpets sound, and the throne of God appears, wreathed in fire, to preside over the Last Judgment. Seven angels descend upon the Earth to carry out their missions on the Final Day; however, something prevents them from doing so. The world is not what they expected to find.