
By G. A. MORRIS
A lone survivor awakens in a dim hospital room to find a strange delegation of extraterrestrials gathered around his bed. Their sleek suits and glass‑like helmets give them the appearance of a cosmic masquerade, each creature a blend of feathers, fur, and alien anatomy. The visitors speak in soft, filtered tones, their polite gestures hinting at a civilization far beyond humanity’s own. As the last human left on a world blanketed in radioactive dust, he becomes the reluctant representative of a species that has already vanished.
Caught between grief for his lost companion and a desperate need for answers, he presses the visitors about why they arrived too late. Their uneasy glances and hesitant replies reveal a fragile mix of fear, bureaucracy, and perhaps a hidden secret. The narrative unfolds as a tense, introspective dialogue, exploring what it means to confront an indifferent universe while clinging to the hope that understanding might still be possible.
Language
en
Duration
~12 minutes (11K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2009-09-20
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1925–2019
A sharp, thoughtful voice in mid-century science fiction, this American writer became known for stories that explored how new technology reshapes everyday life. Her work combined big ideas with a human touch, and later earned major honors in the field.
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