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A Message From Our Sponsor

by Henry Slesar

EN·~22 minutes

Chapters

Description

In a bustling off‑world factory, Earth’s Oxygen Corporation pushes its latest pressurized tanks while a weary Martian named Chafnu endures the daily grind. When a routine production meeting spirals into a heated showdown over a minor injury, the boss Huber’s relentless drive for efficiency collides with the fragile dignity of his alien workers. The scene crackles with the same satirical bite that makes corporate advertisements feel absurdly out of place among the humming machinery of a Martian plant.

Against this backdrop, a mysterious new record from the Canal label—titled “Melancholy”—begins to play, offering a fleeting escape from the tension. As the haunting music drifts through the office, listeners catch a glimpse of the uneasy balance between profit‑driven directives and the humanity (or Martian‑ness) of those who keep the wheels turning. The story teases the consequences of unchecked authority while keeping the tone witty and oddly compassionate.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~22 minutes (21K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Original publisher

United States: Royal Publications, Inc,1956.

Credits

Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Release date

2022-03-08

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Henry Slesar

Henry Slesar

1927–2002

Known for sharp irony and clever twist endings, this prolific American writer moved easily between mystery fiction, science fiction, and television. His stories reached millions through magazines, Alfred Hitchcock adaptations, and long-running TV dramas.

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