
In a tightly regulated future where the state controls every moment of entertainment, Andy Brooks feels trapped in a loveless marriage and a world of scripted “Sensory Shows.” The streets of the Communal Worker’s Center buzz with efficiency, yet Andy’s mind drifts to Glora Delar, a luminous actress who lives only on the silver screen. His wife’s accusations and the looming threat of “directive therapy” – a treatment meant to erase personal fantasies – push him toward a desperate resolve. Andy sees the moon over the sea as a reminder that real dreams might still exist beyond the manufactured haze.
As he prepares to abandon his assigned life, Andy confronts the paradox of wanting genuine feeling in a society that equates imagination with danger. The story follows his uneasy balance between surrendering to the collective and daring to chase a private vision of freedom. Every step he takes raises the question: can one truly escape the confines of a world that designs every pleasure?
Language
en
Duration
~33 minutes (32K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Columbia Publications, Inc., 1951.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2023-04-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1918–1988
A hard-working pulp writer with a gift for suspense, adventure, and strange ideas, he moved easily between science fiction, television, and mystery. His stories helped shape mid-century popular fiction, from magazine racks to early TV screens.
View all books
by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton

by Bryce Walton