
Ted Truesdale is a steady, middle‑aged husband who has settled into a comfortable, if slightly complacent, life with his wife Ann. Yet the sight of the striking blonde next door—sun‑bathing on her patio, a flash of golden skin—starts to intrude on his thoughts, turning ordinary evenings into vivid, unsettling reveries. As the line between waking and dreaming blurs, Ted finds himself caught between the safety of his marriage and the magnetic pull of an imagined alternative.
The story unfolds with a gentle, almost tongue‑in‑cheek humor, letting listeners feel the tension of a mind that refuses to stay grounded. While the narrative hints at something larger lurking beneath the surface, the focus remains on Ted’s internal struggle and the subtle ways desire can reshape perception. It’s a thoughtful, slightly uncanny look at love, fidelity, and the power of the subconscious to rewrite everyday reality.
Language
en
Duration
~48 minutes (46K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
May 15, 2021
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1910–1995
A prolific American storyteller, William Campbell Gault moved easily between hard-boiled mysteries, pulp fiction, science fiction, and fast-moving sports novels for young readers. His award-winning crime fiction introduced memorable detectives Brock “the Rock” Callahan and Joe Puma.
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