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Isaac Asimov: I’m in Marsport Without Hilda

“I’m in Marsport Without Hilda” is a short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in November 1957 in Venture Science Fiction Magazine. Max, an agent of the Galactic Service, arrives in Marsport for a three-day stopover before returning to Earth. The occasion seems perfect: his wife, Hilda, will not be able to join him, leaving him free to call Flora, a former lover. But just when everything seems to be leading toward the long-awaited encounter, Rog Crinton, an official of the Service on Mars, assigns him an urgent mission: to discover which one of three important passengers is carrying a dangerous contraband substance capable of threatening space travel.

Richard Matheson: Third from the Sun

“Third from the Sun” is a short story by American writer Richard Matheson, published in October 1950 in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. In the early morning, a man and his wife silently prepare for a journey of no return. Together with their two young children and the neighboring family, they will board the spaceship that he, a test pilot, knows inside out. The threat of an imminent war and the conviction that their world is doomed drive them to flee toward another solar system, all while trying to say goodbye to everything without arousing suspicion.

Shirley Jackson: The Intoxicated

“The Intoxicated” is a short story by Shirley Jackson, published in 1949 in The Lottery, or, The Adventures of James Harris. During a party, a slightly drunk man slips into the kitchen to escape the noise and sober up a little. There he finds Eileen, the hosts’ teenage daughter, who offers him coffee. Somewhat uncomfortable, the man strikes up a conversation he intends to keep trivial. Gradually, however, the exchange takes a disturbing turn when the girl begins to reveal her dark vision of the world’s future.

Fritz Leiber: The Man Who Never Grew Young

“The Man Who Never Grew Young” is a short story by American writer Fritz Leiber, published in 1947 in the collection Night’s Black Agents. In a remote landscape along the Nile, an ageless man watches as the world around him slowly falls apart: the pyramids are returned to the hills, great thoughts are reabsorbed by the minds that conceived them, and humanity retreats toward its origins. An unchanging witness to vanishing civilizations, the protagonist reflects wistfully on his own existence in a time that seems to flow backward.

Theodore Sturgeon: Fluffy

“Fluffy” is a short story by Theodore Sturgeon, published in Weird Tales in March 1947. Ransome, a regular guest at social gatherings thanks to his talent for telling anecdotes, spends the weekend at the home of Mrs. Benedetto, an eccentric widow who is devoted to her enormous cat, Fluffy. Fascinated by his hostess’s devotion and amused by the animal’s indifference, Ransome amuses himself by reflecting on the nature of cats. However, during the night, a strange incident in the guest room will change the course of his stay.

H. P. Lovecraft: The White Ship

“The White Ship” is a short story by Howard Phillips Lovecraft, published in 1919 in the magazine The United Amateur. It recounts the experience of Basil Elton, a solitary lighthouse keeper at North Point, who, every full moon, witnesses the appearance of a mysterious vessel gliding across the silent waters. Drawn by its presence, one night he decides to board it and embarks on a fantastical journey to unknown lands, guided by an enigmatic bearded man. As the ship heads south, dreamlike landscapes and wonders unfold, evoking forgotten dreams and the promise of revelations beyond the limits of time and space.