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Philip K. Dick: Stability. Summary and Analysis

In a future where humanity has ceased to progress and lives under a rigid system called Stability, Robert Benton receives news that his invention has been rejected, even though he does not remember inventing anything. Intrigued, he retrieves a device registered in his name and, upon activating it at home, discovers it is a time machine. He is transported to a strange world, where he finds a crystal sphere containing a miniature city inside. An invisible voice warns him not to touch it, but Benton disobeys and takes it back with him to his own time. Back at home, the sphere begins to communicate with him telepathically and persuades him to release it. When the authorities try to intervene, Benton, under the influence of the globe, breaks the glass and releases the forces that had been confined within. In the final scene, he awakens with no memory, now turned into just another laborer under the new order imposed by the liberated city.

Ray Bradbury: Skeleton

“Skeleton” is a short story by Ray Bradbury, first published in Weird Tales magazine in September 1945. It tells the story of Mr. Harris, a somewhat hypochondriac man who, convinced that he suffers from mysterious health problems, seeks the help of an alternative medicine specialist named M. Munigant. The doctor offers a psychological explanation for his ailments, suggesting that they stem from an apparent disconnection with his own skeleton. As the story unfolds, Harris becomes increasingly obsessed with his bones, leading him into a series of surreal and disturbing events that plunge him into a spiral of fear and paranoia.

Fritz Leiber: The Dreams of Albert Moreland

“The Dreams of Albert Moreland” is a short story by Fritz Leiber, published in 1945 in The Acolyte magazine. Albert Moreland is a solitary and talented chess player who makes a living by playing games for a few cents in a Manhattan recreation hall. One night, he confides to his boardinghouse companion that he dreams every night of the same endless match, played on a gigantic and unfamiliar board, with strange pieces and incomprehensible rules. This dreamlike game, seemingly unfolding beyond time and space, soon turns into a disturbing obsession that consumes him entirely.

Henry Kuttner: The Graveyard Rats

Synopsis: “The Graveyard Rats” is a horror short story by Henry Kuttner, first published in Weird Tales magazine in March 1936. The story follows Masson, the caretaker of an old and neglected cemetery in Salem, where huge, ravenous rats dig tunnels among the graves to steal freshly buried corpses. Their activity threatens Masson’s grim side business—grave robbing. One night, while trying to exhume a body, he discovers that the rats have gotten there first. What follows is a frantic and terrifying chase through the underground tunnels, leading Masson to confront horrors beyond imagination.

Fredric Brown: Don’t Look Behind You

“Don’t Look Behind You” is a short story by Fredric Brown, published in May 1947 in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. It tells the story of Justin Dean, a modest engraver working at a printing shop in Ohio, whose life changes when he meets Harley Prentice, a handsome, refined, and enigmatic man. Fascinated by his elegance and confidence, Justin agrees to join him in a risky business venture that promises fortune. But beneath the appearance of success lie unsettling secrets that will drag them toward an increasingly ominous and uncertain fate.

Ray Bradbury: The Wind

“The Wind” is a psychological horror story by Ray Bradbury, published in Weird Tales in March 1943. It tells the story of Allin, a man convinced that the winds are living entities and that one of them is trying to possess him. Seeking comfort, Allin turns to his friend Herb Thompson, but Herb is unable to visit him because he is expecting guests at his own home—and his wife believes Allin has gone mad. Throughout the night, Herb receives several phone calls from Allin, each one more disturbing than the last.