{"id":19287,"date":"2025-02-06T16:29:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/?p=19287"},"modified":"2025-02-06T16:29:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:29:54","slug":"philip-k-dick-the-impossible-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/short-stories\/philip-k-dick-the-impossible-planet\/19287\/","title":{"rendered":"Philip K. Dick: The Impossible Planet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Synopsis: The Impossible Planet<\/strong> is a science fiction story by Philip K. Dick, published in October 1953 in the magazine Imagination<\/em>. The story follows Captain Andrews and his crew, who receive an unusual request from a 350-year-old woman: to travel to Earth, the mythical planet believed to be the cradle of humanity. Although science has ruled out that the Earth ever existed, the older woman is willing to pay a large sum to fulfill her dream, which awakens Andrews’ greed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Philip<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Impossible Planet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Philip K. Dick
(Full story)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe just stands there,\u201d Norton said nervously. \u201cCaptain, you\u2019ll have to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does she want?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe wants a ticket. She\u2019s stone deaf. She just stands there staring and she won\u2019t go away. It gives me the creeps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain Andrews got slowly to his feet. \u201cOkay. I\u2019ll talk to her. Send her in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d To the corridor Norton said, \u201cThe Captain will talk to you. Come ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was motion outside the control room. A flash of metal. Captain Andrews pushed his desk scanner back and stood waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn here.\u201d Norton backed into the control room. \u201cThis way. Right in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind Norton came a withered little old woman. Beside her moved a gleaming robant, a towering robot servant, supporting her with its arm. The robant and the tiny old woman entered the control room slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere\u2019s her papers.\u201d Norton slid a folio on to the chart desk, his voice awed. \u201cShe\u2019s three hundred and fifty years old. One of the oldest sustained. From Riga II.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews leafed slowly through the folio. In front of the desk the little woman stood silently, staring straight ahead. Her faded eyes were pale blue. Like ancient china.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIrma Vincent Gordon,\u201d Andrews murmured. He glanced up. \u201cIs that right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old woman did not answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe is totally deaf, sir,\u201d the robant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews grunted and returned to the folio. Irma Gordon was one of the original settlers of the Riga system. Origin unknown. Probably born out in space in one of the old sub-C ships. A strange feeling drifted through him. The little old creature. The centuries she had seen! The changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe wants to travel?\u201d he asked the robant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes sir. She has come from her home to purchase a ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan she stand space travel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe came from Riga, here to Fomalhaut IX.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere does she want to go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo Earth, sir,\u201d the robant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarth!<\/em>\u201d Andrews\u201d jaw dropped. He swore nervously. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe wishes to travel to Earth, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou see?\u201d Norton muttered. \u201cCompletely crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gripping his desk tightly, Andrews addressed the old woman. \u201cMadam, we can\u2019t sell you a ticket to Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe can\u2019t hear you, sir,\u201d the robant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews found a piece of paper. He wrote in big letters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAN\u2019T SELL YOU A TICKET TO EARTH<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He held it up. The old woman\u2019s eyes moved as she studied the words. Her lips twitched. \u201cWhy not?\u201d she said at last. Her voice was faint and dry. Like rustling weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews scratched an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NO SUCH PLACE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added grimly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MYTH\u2014LEGEND\u2014NEVER EXISTED<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old woman\u2019s faded eyes left the words. She gazed directly at Andrews, her face expressionless. Andrews became uneasy. Beside him, Norton sweated nervously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJeez,\u201d Norton muttered. \u201cGet her out of here. She\u2019ll put the hex on us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews addressed the robant. \u201cCan\u2019t you make her understand. There is no such place as Earth. It\u2019s been proved a thousand times. No such primordial planet existed. All scientists agree human life arose simultaneously throughout the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is her wish to travel to Earth,\u201d the robant said patiently. \u201cShe is three hundred and fifty years old and they have ceased giving her sustentation treatments. She wishes to visit Earth before she dies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s a myth!\u201d Andrews exploded. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d the old woman said. \u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do it!\u201d Andrews shouted. \u201cThere isn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a kilo positives,\u201d the robant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews became suddenly quiet. \u201cA thousand positives.\u201d He blanched in amazement. His jaws clamped shut, the colour draining from his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d the old woman repeated. \u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill that be sufficient?\u201d the robant asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a moment Andrews swallowed silently. Abruptly he found his voice. \u201cSure,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain!\u201d Norton protested. \u201cHave you gone nuts. You know there\u2019s no such place as Earth! How the hell can we\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure, we\u2019ll take her.\u201d Andrews buttoned his tunic slowly, hands shaking. \u201cWe\u2019ll take her anywhere she wants to go. Tell her that. For a thousand positives we\u2019ll be glad to take her to Earth. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d the robant said. \u201cShe has saved many decades for this. She will give you the kilo positives at once. She has them with her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cLook,\u201d Norton said. \u201cYou can get twenty years for this. They\u2019ll take your articles and your card and they\u2019ll\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShut up.\u201d Andrews spun the dial of the intersystem vidsender. Under them the jets throbbed and roared. The lumbering transport had reached deep space. \u201cI want the main information library at Centaurus II,\u201d he said into the speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven for a thousand positives you can\u2019t do it. Nobody can do it. They tried to find Earth for generations. Directorate ships tracked down every moth-eaten planet in the whole\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vidsender clicked. \u201cCentaurus II.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInformation library.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norton caught Andrews\u201d arm. \u201cPlease, Captain. Even for two kilo positives\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want the following information,\u201d Andrews said into the vidspeaker. \u201cAll facts that are known concerning the planet Earth. Legendary birthplace of the human race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo facts are known,\u201d the detached voice of the library monitor came. \u201cThe subject is classified as metaparticular.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat unverified but widely circulated reports have survived?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost legends concerning Earth were lost during the Centauran-Rigan conflict of 4-B33a. What survived is fragmentary. Earth is variously described as a large ringed planet with three moons, as a small, dense planet with a single moon, as the first planet of a ten-planet system located around a dwarf white\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the most prevalent legend?\u201d .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Morrison Report of 5-C2 1r analyzed the total ethnic and subliminal accounts of the legendary Earth. The final summation noted that Earth is generally considered to be a small third planet of a nine-planet system, with a single moon. Other than that, no agreement of legends could be constructed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see. A third planet of a nine-planet system. With a single moon.\u201d Andrews broke the circuit and the screen faded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo?\u201d Norton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews got quickly to his feet. \u201cShe probably knows every legend about it.\u201d He pointed down\u2014at the passenger quarters below. \u201cI want to get the accounts straight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy? What are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews flipped open the master star chart. He ran his fingers down the index and released the scanner. In a moment it turned up a card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He grabbed the chart and fed it into the robant pilot. \u201cThe Emphor System,\u201d he murmured thoughtfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmphor? We\u2019re going there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccording to the chart, there are ninety systems that show a third planet of nine with a single moon. Of the ninety, Emphor is the closest. We\u2019re heading there now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d Norton protested. \u201cEmphor is a routine trading system. Emphor III isn\u2019t even a Class D check point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain Andrews grinned tightly. \u201cEmphor III has a single moon, and it\u2019s the third of nine planets. That\u2019s all we want. Does anybody know any more about Earth?\u201d He glanced downwards. \u201cDoes she<\/em> know any more about Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Norton said slowly. \u201cI\u2019m beginning to get the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Emphor III turned silently below them. A dun red globe, suspended among sickly clouds, its baked and corroded surface lapped by the congealed remains of ancient seas. Cracked, eroded cliffs jutted starkly up. The flat plains had been dug and stripped bare. Great gouged pits pocketed the surface, endless gaping sores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norton\u2019s face twisted in revulsion. \u201cLook at it. Is anything alive down there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain Andrews frowned. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize it was so gutted.\u201d He crossed abruptly to the robant pilot. \u201cThere\u2019s supposed to be an auto-grapple some place down there. I\u2019ll try to pick it up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA grapple? You mean that waste is inhabited?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA few Emphorites. Degenerate trading colony of some sort.\u201d Andrews consulted the card. \u201cCommercial ships come here occasionally. Contact with this region has been vague since the Centauran-Rigan War.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The passage rang with a sudden sound. The gleaming robant and Mrs. Gordon emerged through the doorway into the control room. The old woman\u2019s face was alive with excitement. \u201cCaptain! Is that\u2014is that Earth down there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews nodded. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robant led Mrs. Gordon over to the big viewscreen. The old woman\u2019s face twitched, ripples of emotion stirring her withered features. \u201cI can hardly believe that\u2019s really Earth. It seems impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norton glanced sharply at Captain Andrews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Earth,\u201d Andrews stated, not meeting Norton\u2019s glance. \u201cThe moon should be around, soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old woman did not speak. She had turned her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews contacted the auto-grapple and hooked the robant pilot on. The transport shuddered and then began to drop, as the beam from Emphor caught it and took over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re landing,\u201d Andrews said to the old woman, touching her On the shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe can\u2019t hear you, sir,\u201d the robant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews grunted. \u201cWell, she can see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below them the pitted, ruined surface of Emphor III was rising rapidly. The ship entered the cloud belt and emerged, coasting over a barren plain that stretched as far as the eye could see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat happened down there?\u201d Norton said to Andrews. \u201cThe war?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWar. Mining. And it\u2019s old. The pits are probably bomb craters. Some of the long trenches may be scoop gouges. Looks like they really exhausted this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A crooked row of broken mountain peaks shot past under them. They were nearing the remain of an ocean. Dark, unhealthy water lapped below, a vast sea, crusted with salt and waste, its edges disappearing into banks of piled debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy is it that way?\u201d Mrs. Gordon said suddenly. Doubt crossed her features. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Andrews said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d She stared uncertainly down at the surface below. \u201cIt isn\u2019t supposed to be this way. Earth is green. Green and alive. Blue water and\u2026\u201d Her voice trailed off uneasily. \u201cWhy?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews grabbed some paper and wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS EXHAUSTED SURFACE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Gordon studied his words, her lips twitching. A spasm moved through her, shaking the thin, dried-out body. \u201cExhausted\u2026\u201d Her voice rose in shrill dismay. \u201cIt\u2019s not supposed to be this way! I don\u2019t want<\/em> it this way!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robant took her arm. \u201cShe had better rest. I\u2019ll return her to her quarters. Please notify us when the landing has been made.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure.\u201d Andrews nodded awkwardly as the robant led the old woman from the viewscreen. She clung to the guide rail, face distorted with fear and bewilderment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething\u2019s wrong!\u201d she wailed. \u201cWhy is it this way? Why\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robant led her from the control room. The closing of the hydraulic safety doors cut off her thin cry abruptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews relaxed, his body sagging. \u201cGod.\u201d He lit a cigarette shakily. \u201cWhat a racket she makes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re almost down,\u201d Norton said frigidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cold wind lashed at them as they stepped out cautiously. The air smelled bad\u2014sour and acrid. Like rotten eggs. The wind brought salt and sand blowing up against their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few miles off the thick sea lay. They could hear it swishing faintly, gummily. A few birds passed silently overhead, great wings flapping soundlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDepressing damn place,\u201d Andrews muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. I wonder what the old lady\u2019s thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Down the descent ramp came the glittering robant, helping the little old woman. She moved hesitantly, unsteady, gripping the robant\u2019s metal arm. The cold wind whipped around her frail body. For a moment she tottered\u2014and then came on, leaving the ramp and gaining the uneven ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norton shook his head. \u201cShe looks bad. This air. And the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know.\u201d Andrews moved back towards Mrs. Gordon and the robant. \u201cHow is she?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe is not well, sir,\u201d the robant answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain.\u201d the old woman whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou must tell me the truth. Is this\u2014is this really Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She watched his lips closely. \u201cYou swear it is? You swear?<\/em>\u201d Her voice rose in shrill terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Earth!\u201d Andrews snapped irritably. \u201cI told you before. Of course it\u2019s Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like Earth.\u201d Mrs. Gordon clung to his answer, panic-stricken. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like Earth, Captain. Is it really Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her gaze wandered towards the ocean. A strange look flickered across her tired face, igniting her faded eyes with sudden hunger. \u201cIs that water? I want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews turned to Norton. \u201cGet the launch out. Drive her where she wants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norton pulled back angrily. \u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an order.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d Norton returned reluctantly to the ship. Andrews lit a cigarette moodily and waited. Presently the launch slid out of the ship, coasting across the ash towards them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can show her anything she wants,\u201d Andrews said to the robant. \u201cNorton will drive you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, sir,\u201d the robant said. \u201cShe will be grateful. She has wanted all her life to stand on Earth. She remembers her grandfather telling her about it. She believes that he came from Earth, a long time ago. She is very old. She is the last living member of her family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Earth is just a\u2014\u201d Andrews caught himself. \u201cI mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, sir. But she is very old. And she has waited many years.\u201d The robant turned to the old woman and led her gently towards the launch. Andrews stared after them sullenly, rubbing his jaw and frowning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Norton\u2019s voice came from the launch. He slid the hatch open and the robant led the old woman carefully inside. The hatch closed after them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A moment later the launch shot away across the salt flat, towards the ugly, lapping ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Norton and Captain Andrews paced restlessly along the shore. The sky was darkening. Sheets of salt blew against them. The mud flats stank in the gathering gloom of night. Dimly, off in the distance, a line of hills faded into the silence and vapours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo on,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all. She got out of the launch. She and the robant. I stayed inside. They stood looking across the ocean. After a while the old woman sent the robant back to the launch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. She wanted to be alone, I suppose. She stood for a time by herself. On the shore. Looking over the water. The wind rising. All at once she just sort of settled down. She sank down in a heap, into the salt ash.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I was pulling myself together, the robant leaped out and ran to her. It picked her up. It stood for a second and then it started for the water. I leaped out of the launch, yelling. It stepped into the water and disappeared. Sank down in the mud and filth. Vanished.\u201d Norton shuddered. \u201cWith her body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews tossed his cigarette savagely away. The cigarette rolled off, glowing behind them. \u201cAnything more?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing. It all happened in a second. She was standing there, looking over the water. Suddenly she quivered\u2014like a dead branch. Then she just sort of dwindled away. And the robant was out of the launch and into the water with her before I could figure out what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sky was almost dark. Huge clouds drifted across the faint stars. Clouds of unhealthy night vapours and particles of waste. A flock of immense birds crossed the horizon, flying silently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against the broken hills the moon was rising. A diseased, barren globe, tinted faintly yellow. Like old parchment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get back in the ship,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cI don\u2019t like this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t figure out why it happened. The old woman.\u201d Norton shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe wind. Radio-active toxins. I checked with Centaurus II. The War devastated the whole system. Left the planet a lethal wreck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen we won\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. We won\u2019t have to answer for it.\u201d They continued for a time in silence. \u201cWe won\u2019t have to explain. It\u2019s evident enough. Anybody coming here, especially an old person\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly nobody would come here,\u201d Norton said bitterly. \u201cEspecially an old person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews didn\u2019t answer. He paced along, head down, hands in pockets. Norton followed silently behind. Above them, the single moon grew brighter as it escaped the mists and entered a patch of clear sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the way,\u201d Norton said, his voice cold and distant behind Andrews. \u201cThis is the last trip I\u2019ll be making with you. While I was in the ship I filed a formal request for new papers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThought I\u2019d let you know. And my share of the kilo positives. You can keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews flushed and increased his pace, leaving Norton behind. The old woman\u2019s death had shaken him. He lit another cigarette and then threw it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damn it\u2014the fault wasn\u2019t his. She had been old. Three hundred and fifty years. Senile and deaf. A faded leaf, carried off by the wind. By the poisonous wind that lashed and twisted endlessly across the ruined face of the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ruined face. Salt ash and debris. The broken line of crumbling hills. And the silence. The eternal silence. Nothing but the wind and the lapping of the thick stagnant water. And the dark birds overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something glinted. Something at his feet, in the salt ash. Reflecting the sickly pallor of the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews bent down and groped in the darkness. His fingers closed over something hard. He picked the small disc up and examined it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStrange,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until they were out in deep space, roaring back towards Fomalhaut, that he remembered the disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He slid away from the control panel, searching his pockets for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disc was worn and thin. And terribly old. Andrews rubbed it and spat on it until it was clean enough to make out. A faint impression\u2014nothing more. He turned it over. A token? Washer? Coin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the back were a few meaningless letters. Some ancient, forgotten script. He held the disc to the light until he made the letters out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E PLURIBUS UNUM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shrugged, tossed the ancient bit of metal into a waste disposal unit beside him, and turned his attention to the star charts, and home\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE END<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Impossible Planet is a science fiction story by Philip K. Dick, published in October 1953 in the magazine Imagination. The story follows Captain Andrews and his crew, who receive an unusual request from a 350-year-old woman: to travel to Earth, the mythical planet believed to be the cradle of humanity. Although science has ruled out that the Earth ever existed, the older woman is willing to pay a large sum to fulfill her dream, which awakens Andrews’ greed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[577,552,570],"class_list":["post-19287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-stories","tag-philip-k-dick-en","tag-science-fiction","tag-united-states","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":559,"label":"Short stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":577,"label":"Philip K. Dick"},{"value":552,"label":"Science fiction"},{"value":570,"label":"United States"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/lecturia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philip-K.-Dick-El-planeta-imposible.webp",1024,1024,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Juan Pablo Guevara","author_link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/author\/spartakku\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":559,"name":"Short stories","slug":"short-stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":559,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":419,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":559,"category_count":419,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Short stories","category_nicename":"short-stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":577,"name":"Philip K. Dick","slug":"philip-k-dick-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":577,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":15,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":552,"name":"Science fiction","slug":"science-fiction","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":552,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":121,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":570,"name":"United States","slug":"united-states","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":570,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":294,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}