
Part 1
In the silence of a world scorched by an all‑consuming war, a lone survivor roams the ruined landscape. Once a captain in a global defense force, he fled to the Moon’s dark side and now returns to a planet choked by toxic clouds and molten rock. He carves a stark epitaph into granite, a final testament to humanity’s last act.
Strangely, he discovers he can materialize anything he once knew simply by willing it into being. From a simple dinner of hamburger and ice cream to a sturdy chair, his newfound power turns memory into matter, letting him eat, shelter, and experiment amid the desolation. As he sits on the chair, he wrestles with purpose and guilt, questioning what it means to create in a world that no longer listens.
Language
en
Duration
~16 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
2016-01-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1928–2005
Best known for sharp, funny science fiction that could turn absurd in a heartbeat, this American writer made a specialty of stories that feel playful on the surface and unsettling underneath. His work helped define the satirical side of mid-20th-century SF.
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