Project Gutenberg
2020-01-07
Public domain in the USA.
118
Lafferty, R. A.
1914
2002
Lafferty, Raphael Aloysius
Seven-Day Terror
Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, March 1962
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
"Seven-Day Terror" by R. A. Lafferty is a whimsical collection of short stories written in the early 1960s. The narrative explores a peculiar sequence of events that unfolds in a neighborhood where everyday objects mysteriously vanish. The story blends elements of fantasy and humor, investigating the dynamics of creation, disappearance, and the oddities of childhood imagination through the eyes of young characters. The plot centers around Clarence Willoughby, a creative and precocious young boy who invents a "disappearer" using simple materials. As he tests his device on various objects, a cascade of disappearances ensues, leading to chaos in the neighborhood, where even fire hydrants and a cat vanish. Over the course of seven days, the community grapples with the growing terror of these unexplained events—not only are household items lost, but some residents also begin to vanish. The climax occurs when Clarence's sister, Clarissa, uses her wits to restore the items and beings to their rightful places, demonstrating a blend of childlike innocence and cleverness. The story ultimately examines the implications of creation, responsibility, and the humorous downside of unchecked power in an imaginative way. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 86.3 (6th grade). Easy to read.
en
Science fiction
Short stories
Siblings -- Fiction
Children -- Fiction
Inventions -- Fiction
PS
Text
Category: Short Stories
Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
Category: Humour
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