
In a future where humanity lives under protective domes, an ancient wanderer called Old Arch drifts from city to city. His hunched back, wild hair, and ragged cloth bed set him apart, and he carries a blackened can that once held fire. Though the residents view him with suspicion, the children are drawn to his promise of something beyond their sealed world.
Old Arch knocks on random doors, offering stories of a blue sky, fresh breezes, and open plains that most have never seen. He refuses modern medicines, prefers hearty, bulky food, and shares vivid memories of wind‑blown grass, roaming herds, and distant seas. As the youngsters gather around his lap, his tales ignite a longing for the natural world that the domed cities have forgotten.
The story follows this gentle rogue as he bridges the gap between a sterile, regulated society and the wild Earth his generation once knew. Listeners feel the tug of curiosity as his legends awaken a new imagination. It’s a quiet exploration of memory, hope, and the yearning to breathe free.
Language
en
Duration
~18 minutes (17K 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
2019-03-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1915–2003
Best known for brisk, imaginative science fiction stories from the 1950s, this American writer published in magazines like Galaxy and If before later readers rediscovered his work through Project Gutenberg and audio editions.
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