Project Gutenberg 2006-08-22 Public domain in the USA. 145 Piper, H. Beam 1904 1964 Piper, Henry Beam Piper, Horace Beam Napoli, Vincent 1907 1981 Napoli, James Vincent Dearest Produced from Weird Tales March 1951. Produced by Greg Weeks, Geetu Melwani, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Dearest" by H. Beam Piper is a short science fiction story that was published in the early 1950s. The narrative takes place primarily in the contemporary setting of the author's time, revolving around themes of isolation, companionship, and the supernatural. The story follows Colonel Ashley Hampton, who communicates with an invisible entity he affectionately refers to as "Dearest," exploring the realms of mental health, family tensions, and unexpected twists of fate. The plot centers on Colonel Hampton, who is facing pressures from his nephew and others who wish to have him committed to a mental institution. As he struggles against their intentions, he unexpectedly develops a relationship with an otherworldly presence named Dearest. Initially skeptical, the Colonel finds comfort in her companionship, ultimately discovering her extraordinary abilities when she intervenes during a violent twist of events instigated by his malicious relatives. As chaos erupts, it becomes apparent that Dearest's existence is not merely a figment of his imagination, leading to a climactic resolution that blends elements of the fantastical and the real. The story showcases themes of loyalty, the complexity of human relationships, and the thin line between sanity and madness. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 75.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 64426 2025-08-08T07:40:52.730921 text/html 60872 2006-08-22T06:14:38 text/html 152636 2025-08-08T07:40:56.343927 application/epub+zip 151393 2025-08-08T07:40:54.166926 application/epub+zip 81302 2025-08-08T07:40:53.209920 application/epub+zip 204393 2025-08-08T07:40:58.084896 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 196967 2025-08-08T07:40:55.811931 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 109543 2022-09-09T07:39:49.818521 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 58390 2025-08-08T07:40:52.441938 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 58300 2006-08-22T06:14:38 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19381 2025-08-08T07:40:58.248899 application/rdf+xml 8449 2025-08-08T07:40:53.687927 image/jpeg 2282 2025-08-08T07:40:53.446920 image/jpeg 90885 2006-08-22T06:14:38 application/octet-stream application/zip 23250 2006-08-22T06:14:38 application/octet-stream application/zip 147495 2025-08-08T07:40:52.739930 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia