
A battered soldier awakens in an uncanny chamber, his mind still reeling from a storm of shattered memories. The room feels both familiar and alien—glowing ceilings, glass‑like walls that mimic wood, and a carpet that cushions his steps like a soft bed. As he struggles to piece together who he is and why he’s confined, the lingering terror of the unknown hangs over every strange object on the table.
The narrative explores how fear is shaped not by the thing itself but by the mind’s own perspective, turning ordinary sensations into nightmarish threats. With each fragment of recollection that returns, the protagonist confronts the unsettling possibility that reality may be a construct of his own thoughts. The story invites listeners to question what is truly dangerous and whether the greatest monsters lie within our own viewpoints.
Language
en
Duration
~22 minutes (21K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2007-11-20
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1927–1987
A prolific mid-20th-century science fiction and fantasy writer, he became especially known for witty, idea-rich stories and for creating the popular Lord Darcy mysteries. His work ranged from pulp-magazine adventures to clever alternate-history fantasy, often published under a variety of pen names.
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