Marion Zimmer Bradley 8 min read

A wary small-town family, sick of reporters and debunkers, finally lets a University professor in to hear about the Edwards child, young Jackie, who saw a star, and more.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's 1954 story is a tender first-contact tale for younger readers, framed as a guarded interview. Warm, wondering golden-age SF. Read it for a charming story about a child's cosmic encounter and the protective family who don't want it turned into a circus.

In its time

Published in 1954, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

8 min read (a short story, a single idea, delivered and gone).

Illustrated by

Alex Schomburg