
Part 1
In a sleek, high‑tech future where information is tightly controlled, eight‑year‑old Ronnie lives in a tidy suburban home that hums with automated appliances and gyro‑cars. When he secretly discovers the joy of reading—a forbidden pastime labeled a “Reader”—the simple pleasure quickly spirals into a family crisis. His parents, especially his stern father in a Pentagon uniform, confront him with fear and anger, fearing the danger that a single book could pose in a world of secrecy.
The story captures the tense clash between curiosity and authoritarian control, portraying a child's yearning for knowledge against a backdrop of surveillance and suspicion. As Ronnie’s trembling confession unfolds, the listener is drawn into a quiet, suspenseful moment that questions how far a society will go to protect its secrets—and what it costs those who dare to look beyond them.
Language
en
Duration
~17 minutes (16K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Apr 26, 2019
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1920–1990
A mid-century science-fiction writer and editor, Edward W. Ludwig imagined strange futures, alien encounters, and societies shaped by fear and control. His stories combine classic adventure with inventive speculative ideas.
View all books
by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig

by Edward W. Ludwig