Project Gutenberg 2024-07-19 Public domain in the USA. 139 Long, Frank Belknap 1903 1994 The cottage $aNew York, NY :$bKing-Size Publications, Inc., $c1954. Produced from Fantastic Universe September 1954. Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Cottage" by Frank Belknap Long is a science fiction short story published in the mid-20th century, specifically in 1954. The narrative explores themes of cruelty, familial relationships, and the consequences of obsessive hatred. It delves into the psychological and supernatural ramifications of a man's harsh treatment of his stepchildren, examining the darker aspects of human emotions and actions, particularly in the context of a violent universe. The story centers around Will Durkin, a cruel stepfather who harbors deep animosity toward his stepchildren, Robert and Emily, and their mother, Helen. The tale begins with Durkin gleefully presenting a dollhouse to the children, intending it as a tool for emotional punishment by reflecting their disdain for him. However, as he confronts the children's vivid and imaginative transformation of the dolls, which portrays him as a demonic figure, the story escalates into a supernatural twist. As atomic explosions occur outside, the cottage is uprooted into another dimension, and Durkin, embittered and vengeful, realizes too late the implications of his cruelty, culminating in a fateful encounter with a childlike force of revenge. The story encapsulates the interplay of childhood innocence and adult malice, ultimately highlighting the perils of a vindictive nature. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20240310131330long 1954 US Reading ease score: 81.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Stepfathers -- Fiction Children -- Fiction Cruelty -- Fiction Dollhouses -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 57583 2025-07-29T09:37:52.402220 text/html 33096 2024-07-19T17:27:08 text/html 251982 2025-07-29T09:37:56.403193 application/epub+zip 250786 2025-07-29T09:37:54.224233 application/epub+zip 250786 2025-07-29T09:37:53.103245 application/epub+zip 1062257 2025-07-29T09:37:57.807273 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1055105 2025-07-29T09:37:55.719281 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 50176 2025-07-29T09:37:52.255226 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 30405 2024-07-19T17:27:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16906 2025-07-29T09:37:58.278186 application/rdf+xml 26830 2025-07-29T09:37:53.652214 image/jpeg 4504 2025-07-29T09:37:53.388207 image/jpeg 3379362 2025-07-29T09:37:52.431241 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