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Posted By : jenbacca - 1/21/2008 4:47 PM
Hi everyone. I am looking for the title of either a short story or book I read years and years ago (10+ years). Actually my junior high school teacher read to us during science class (Mrs Brown!!).
 
I do not know the author, or the title, so i realize this is a complete shot in the dark. I've been racking my brain for years, it's about time i tried someone elses.
 
The story took place on another planet, in the future. Humans had left Earth to inhabit another location, forcibly. However, at present time in the story, the human race was able to return to Earth, excluding for one man. He remained, alone, on this distant planet. Years and years skipped by in the story, and the man started receiving phone calls, alarms, announcements over the intercom. . . all from himself 10 years previously when he had gone insane.
 
Anyway, does anyone have any clue as to the title and/or author?

Posted By : Bill Ward - 1/21/2008 4:56 PM
Sounds a lot like a story in the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.


link to amazon


billwardwriter.com


Posted By : DAWaverly - 1/21/2008 9:49 PM
Bill is right. The only story I can think of that sounds anything like what you are looking for is "The Silent Towns" by Ray Bradbury. It is part of the book "The Martian Chronicles". The main difference is that the phone calls are actually from another person and the main character is not necessarily insane. Everything else you describe seems to match. Give it a read and see if you misremembered the story.


- Deven
Blogtide Rising


Posted By : Charles Gramlich - 2/9/2008 11:18 PM
Definitely sounds like the Bradbury story to me. The fact that it was actually read in school suggests this also since Bradbury is one of the few SF/Fantasy writers to be accepted for such readings.


Charles Gramlich
 


Posted By : jenbacca - 2/11/2008 2:48 PM
Thanks everyone - that definitely sounds familiar. Now that I've read more bits and pieces of the martian chronicles, it's starting to come clear.