The April Witch by Ray Bradbury

**(out of four stars)

Love.

It takes years for some of us to find it.  For others it's as easy as breathing.  Some never find it.  But all of us eventually need it.

For Cecy, love isn't an easy thing to acquire.  She wants it so badly.  It's her only true wish.  But she's not one of us.  She's different.  She's a witch  A witch from an odd family, with parents that warn her never to marry normal folk because she will lose her ability to travel by magic.  Cecy's ambition and desire to find her one true love out weigh the possible consequences for disobeying her parents.

She takes flight into the Illinois spring.  She will find love vicariously through someone else. Her ability to transform into anything will help her in her quest.  She spots a young, beautiful woman standing at a water well.  As a leaf, she falls into the dark well.  From there she's a water droplet, being raised back into the light by her future female vehicle.  The girl drinks Cecy; her plan begins to blossom.

Ann Leary is the host.  And when Tom rolls up in his truck, she's not pleased to see him.  We're not exactly sure why, but Ann shows very little interest in Tom even though he seems to be over the moon for her.  Meanwhile, Cecy is controlling her thoughts.  The moment she sees Tom she knows he's the one for her.  Tom asks her to the dance but Ann refuses.  Inside, Cecy is going nuts, but her hold on Ann remains. Eventually, she caves in and agrees to go to the dance.

Tom realizes that his chances with Ann are very slim.  Cecy, however, decides that her chances are pretty good.  She uses Ann to get a future date by scribbling her address on a piece of paper.  Tom agrees that, one day, he'll visit the girl who really loves him.

So, will Cecy find love?  She's odd, and will lose her magical powers if she falls for ordinary folk.  To never experience love is her biggest fear.  She also realizes that the ones who have the ability to love freely take advantage of it.

Why is Tom and Ann's relationship strained?  They're young with a long life ahead of them.  Why is she so resistant to him?

Although I found myself asking this question while reading the full 8 pages of this story, I quickly came to the realization that it really doesn't matter.  This is Cecy's story and Cecy's alone.  She's nothing like the rest of the girls.  She's gifted, magical, and truly unique.  Yet, she's prohibited from normal love.  The only other question would remain:  What if Tom had the ability to see her for who she is?  Would he love her back?  His love with Ann isn't reciprocated.  Would he act that same way towards Cecy?

They say love is blind.

I feel as though Tom and Cecy would do just fine.  True love has no boundaries, rules or prejudices.

The Fog Horn by Ray Bradbury

 

***(out of four stars)

Men are monsters. Monsters are men.  How do we co-exist?

Some men are born monsters.  They cause great pain and detriment to our society.  Other monsters are myth and legend; born from one's imagination.  Most of the time monsters do harm.  Whether it's intentional or not. But they can be misunderstood too.  They can be a product of scientific experimentation.  Or they can come back from the dead and eat human flesh.  The possibilities are endless, really.  

Monsters come in all different shapes and sizes.  

But the scariest of all is the unknown.  

So, I ask again, how do we co-exist?  How do we communicate with fear? 

What lurks beneath the gentle waters of the sea?  What ageless beings from a forgotten time still inhabit the vast blue abyss?  You might think we're talking about a Lovecraftian tale, wouldn't you?  

We're not.  

Ray Bradbury's The Fog Horn is an epitome for loneliness.   Two men work at a remote lighthouse, hidden away from the world, connected only by a lonely stretch of road that is barely traveled during the winter months.  McDunn and Johnny are our two characters.  We quickly realize that McDunn has been working at the lighthouse longer.  He's Johnny's boss.  He's had certain experiences with the wide sea that surrounds the lighthouse.  One that involves a monster that lurks beneath the surface.  He really wants Johnny to experience seeing this monster too.  He philosophizes about life and loneliness and how we communicate with the unknown.  He understands that when the fog horn sounds, the monster will answer.  

Johnny is the narrator and conveys his experience to us, the reader.  They sound the fog horn and wait. Soon they begin to see something coming toward the lighthouse.  Something previously seen only by McDunn's eyes.  The creature is described as looking like a dinosaur, or something prehistoric.  

The monster reacts violently to the fog horn and destroys the lighthouse, leaving McDunn and Johnny buried in the rubble.  The monster is so close they can smell his pungent stench.  They can see his skin.  However, they are unharmed and the monster retreats back to the sea never to return again.

The reason?  Because he doesn't need to.  The monster is looking for something familiar.  The fog horn blows and he thinks that it's one of his own.  Just as we see the sea as a mystery, the monster shares the same opinions about land.  For him the sea hasn't changed or evolved.  It's been the same for years and years.  He's the last of his kind, and just the thought of that is depressing.  The fog horn isn't a long lost friend, it's a reminder that although there's nothing for him up here, there's still nothing down below either.

Published in 1951, the story had a different title, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.  Bradbury changed it  to The Fog Horn after a film using a similar title was released.  It was inspired by a walk Bradbury took on a beach where he saw a demolished roller coaster.  The coaster resembled the skeletal remains of a dinosaur.

I read this story from The Golden Apples of the Sun.  

The Whole Town's Sleeping by Ray Bradbury



2 (out of 4 stars)

A serial killer dubbed, The Lonely One is on the loose in a small, quiet town in Illinois.  He's claimed a few victims already and he's still out there lurking.  The entire town is in a state of panic.  Residents aren't out after dark.  Their doors are locked and windows bolted.  Nobody takes any risks.  And there is no room for errors. 

Lavinia, Francine and Helen have plans to go see a Charlie Chaplin movie.  They love life, themselves, and a good time.  There is so much apprehension from Francine and Helen, though, because the Lonely One is still out there.  Lavinia Nebbs, however, is not afraid.  She's free flowing, and throws caution to the wind.  She's not afraid of death; she's curious about it.

One their way to the movie, the girls stop at the drugstore where the clerk tells them that he saw a strange man, who asked about Lavinia and where she lives.  The clerk, who is probably the biggest idiot in the story, gives her address to this strange man.  Still, Lavinia is not intimidated.  The girls will not let this ruin a good night.  They go see the movie.  Once inside the theater a strange man fitting the exact description of the man seen in the drugstore, finds a convenient seat a few rows behind them.  Helen freaks out and calls for the lights.  It proves to be just paranoia.  The Lonely One was not among them.

After the movie they walk home on the lonely, isolated streets.  Francine is the first to be dropped off, Helen is the second.  They both worry about their friend, but Lavinia tells them not to worry.  The Lonely One is probably long gone by now.  He's moved on to another town, with other women who need to look behind their shoulders on their way home.  The Lonely One is a distant memory. 

The best scene in the story is when Lavinia has to go through a small patch of woods where she has to cross a ravine.  Bradbury's style is simple, yet evokes so much suspense.  It's as though the ravine is cut off from the rest of the town, and the rest of the world.  There are a few moments of true suspense as she makes her journey through the darkness.  It was in this area where a few of the victims were found.  Lavinia knows this because it was she who found one of them earlier in the evening.  Now, she's beginning to get spooked.  

Lavinia does make it home safely.  Or does she?

The very last line is a surprise ending.  A final twist of the knife.  But it leaves me wanting so much more. 

The story was first published in 1950 and was in Dandelion Wine, although I'm reading it from, Bradbury Stories: 100 of his Most Celebrated Tales.  Douglas Spaulding makes an appearance in the story as well.  In an early scene, the girls make their first journey through the woods that leads to the ravine.  Little Doug Spaulding hides behind some trees and scares them.  I found it so odd that a boy of his age would be out there playing pranks but I guess times where different.  Much of the story is borrowed from a real life cat burglar who was on the loose when Bradbury was a small boy.  The burglar was never apprehended, even though he taunted police and called himself, The Lonely One.

Aside from the final sentence, which could have been revised, I really enjoyed this story.  I love the suspense, ambiguity and Bradbury's perfect pace and timing.  It moves with ease, and each time you turn the page, you're kind of asking yourself what these ladies have in store for themselves.  The Lonely One is never seen, we don't even know if he really still is in this town.  We only know what Lavinia's mind is telling us.  She does start to get paranoid near the end of the story.  She hears footsteps following behind her; she hears noises in the dead of night; she feels alone.  The fear of the unknown is the scariest of all.  But a greater fear is knowing that the monsters don't lurk in the pages of horror books, or on the big screen.  No, sometimes the real monsters are everyday people who walk among us.

Does Lavinia's mind play tricks on her?

Or is The Lonely One right behind her as she closes the door and hits the light switch? 

We don't know, but somewhere, Mr. Bradbury is proud for making us think.






 

The Dwarf by Ray Bradbury

***(out of 4 stars)

How do you see the person sitting next to you?  Do you judge by race, creed or even by a deformity?  Humanity can be very cruel to things it does not understand.  In Ray Bradbury's "The Dwarf" these questions are blatant.  Ray Bradbury understood humanity; with his prose and dialog within the stories.

Ralph Banghart and Aimee work at the local carnival.  Ralph runs the ticket booth at the mirror maze.  He and Amiee are friends.  Every night a dwarf, Mr. Bigelow (Mr. Big) pays his dime to walk through the maze.  In private, he stands and admires himself in one of the mirrors, which makes him look much taller and slender than his natural self.  One night, Ralph and Aimee spy on him.  At first it's just out of fun, but Aimee soon realizes why the dwarf enjoys seeing himself in a different way.

Aimee has compassion for Mr. Bigelow and soon finds out that he's a writer.  She reads Ralph one of his short stories but Ralph laughs it off.  Aimee wants to get Mr. Big his own mirror, so he won't have to continue to pay night after night to vision himself as somebody different.  Aimee might also be attracted to Mr. Big, which is hinted at as well.  Ralph refuses to help her get Mr. Big his mirror.  When Mr. Big eventually realizes that Ralph is spying on him, he runs out of the mirror maze, screaming and shrieking.  He steals a gun from another vendor.  We don't really know what he eventually does with that gun.  Maybe suicide, maybe rampage.  Does it really matter?  In one scene Ralph sees himself in one of the mirrors.  His image is much smaller, hinting to the man's character.

Aimee is what is good about humanity.  She sees the dwarf for what he really is, and when she offers to buy the mirror for him, you can tell that she just wants him to feel good about himself.  He's paying money every night to view himself as somebody he's really not.  Mr. Big is a good writer, because he doesn't need to fool anyone while in his little world.  There, he can be whatever he wants, without the fear of being judged.

Ralph Banghart is a dispicable human being.  He's like the fifth grader who gets his rocks off by laughing and tormenting smaller classmates.  Yet, deep down, he's smaller (in heart and soul) than the dwarf could ever be.  There's also a hint of jealousy towards Mr. Big due in part to Aimees sympathetic natural towards him.  Unlike Mr. Big, Ralph isn't deformed in any way.  Yet, the deformity doesn't really matter.  Mr. Big is a human, who was dealt a crappy hand in life.  On the outside Ralph is normal to the eye, but isn't quite as humane within his flesh.

I feel that when we read any Ray Bradbury story we're being taught a lesson on life.  It's not just about getting a story across as much as a message.  When Ray passed away earlier this month, we truly lost someone special, someone who understood life.  One day I think we'll find that Ray Bradbury brought many mysteries of life and the universe to the forefront.  His style of writing was unmatched and can never, ever be duplicated.  With a simple title like, "The Dwarf" would you ever expect such messages and meaning?  This is why Ray will never truly die.  He's cemented his immortality and will live on forever.

Another great story from Ray Bradbury's immortal The October Country.   

The Small Assassin by Ray Bradbury

****(out of four stars)

David and Alice Leiber are a happily married couple. For they have a baby on the way. But after Alice almost dies giving birth to her child, she develops a certain paranoia towards the child. Well, paranoia probably isn't the right word - it could be described as down right hatred for her child.

Alice believes that her new bundle of joy is trying to kill her. David remains optimistic and tries to help Alice through her ordeal. Could it be Postpartum depression? Is she just a paranoid mother? Or is the baby actually trying to kill her?

As the story goes on these questions remain. We're never really quite sure if the baby is a sadistic little killer or not. The plot almost seems impossible to fathom, but the way Bradbury writes, it keeps you thinking about the horrid possibility.

Alice remains cautious about the new born and actually has good reasons for her fear. The child doesn't sleep like a normal child usually does. The little one (jokingly named Lucifer in the story) is always red-faced and out of breath. At night she hears sounds in the hallway and has visions of the baby just staring at her and David as they sleep.

Doctor Jeffers thinks that she still harbors animosity towards the baby for her near fatal experience giving birth. Then, David starts to see little things that makes him think differently. Toys are deliberately left on top of the stairway. The baby cries constantly, causing Alice's health to decline. As Alice's paranoia worsens, David starts to think that she may be on to something.

Later, Alice is killed when she trips over a toy and falls to her death. David seeks the help of Doctor Jeffers who still finds the entire notion unbelievable. He says Alice's accident was just that... an accident. He gives David some pills, rendering him completely useless. He goes home, crawls into bed and sleeps. When Jeffers checks on him the next day, the gas is on in the house and David is dead. By the end of the story Jeffers is convinced that the baby is the killer.

This story may seem far fetched but it really makes you think. In the story, David brings up some interesting points while consulting with Doctor Jeffers. Could it be that an unborn child is resentful for being brought into a miserable world? What if the child has instincts that make him aware of his surroundings? What if he's born with all of this knowledge? You can call it a great imagination on Bradbury's part but as time goes on maybe evolution will answer these questions. Mammals adapt quickly after birth. Insects are born self-sufficient. Is it hard to believe that a child - maybe at least one in a billion - could have the same intuition?

The reason why I love Bradbury's works so much is because he truly makes you think about all possibilities. How many writers can make a new born child a killer and make it believable? This is just another reason why you should read this short story. These stories are as old as World War 2 and they're still much more effective than most of the stuff being printed today. Like the other stories I've reviewed from Bradbury, this one is taken from The October Country.

The Lake by Ray Bradbury

***(out of 4 stars)

Published in 1944, Ray Bradbury's short story, The Lake, is a story that I read quite often. I've become very fond of this magical writer. Recently, oh the past year, I've really digested Ray Bradbury fiction. There's something about his prose that attracts me more than any other writer. It must be his metaphors, his style and the way he personally lives an enriching life, that really inspires me to keep turning the pages. After all, his life does bleed through the pages.

With each story, Bradbury takes you on different journeys. He can take you to a simple setting such as a lake. He can take you to an entirely different planet. Or, he can take you back through time. Where ever the journey, it's always more pleasant with Ray Bradbury. The story that I wish to talk about now is a very short one. I mentioned it above, The Lake.

Harold is a young boy visiting a lake with his mother. He walks off by himself and finds a place to sit. He begins to reminisce about a time not too long ago. A friend of his, Tally, walked into the lake about a year earlier and never returned. As Harold sits and reflects on the young woman we find out that he is leaving town; heading West. He begins to build "half" of a sand castle, hoping that Tally will come and build the other half. He leaves the lake - wishing, hoping - that his Tally will answer his call.

Years later - and newly married - Harold and his wife Margaret decide to head back East to visit Harold's old town. Once there memories flood Harold. Although he doesn't recognize most of the towns people, he surely feels at home.

Harold and his wife decided to visit the lake, where his young friend drowned so many years before. The day begins to fade away as most of the visitors of the lake retreat to their homes. A life-guard boat pulls into shore. The life guard is carrying something in a sack. Intrigued, Harold approaches the life guard, while Margaret stays behind.

A body of a young girl,(dead ten years)is recovered. The life-guard is astounded that they've even recovered the body. Of all the kids that drown in the lake - 12 to be exact - only one of them never turned up. Harold knows who the young woman is. He knows it with his heart.

Again, he walks off to be solitude with nothing but the sound of the waves crashing upon the shore. He notices footprints coming from the lake, and leading to a half built sand castle, then they disappear back out in the water. He comes to the realization that his friend had finally answered his calling. She built her half of the castle, as he wished her to do.

The Lake is a great little story. I loved every minute reading it and every word that was in those pages. For such a short narrative, Bradbury invites us into the mind of his character, Harold. Harold is grieve stricken with the loss of his dearest Tally. It actually haunts him his entire life. We know that his love for Tally is deep, much deeper than that of Margaret's. I think that this is why he choose to stay out West, rather than move back. The pain must have been too unbearable. A nice little twist at the end brings a paranormal aspect into this heart felt story.

This is another story I'm reading from The October Country collection. A must read for any Bradbury fan!

Side note: I'm not 100% certain, but I do believe that I heard an interview where Ray Bradbury stated that this story was inspired by his own experience with a young girl drowning in a lake.

The Crowd by Ray Bradbury

***(out of four stars)

What triggers our morbid fascinations? Why is it when we see an automobile accident we must take a quick glance, no matter how awful or fatal the crash may be? Is it something we really must see? Or is it just morbid curiosity? And really, where does the crowd of spectators come from? Have you ever noticed that people flock in groups when something horrible has happened to somebody else?

These observations are handled lightly in Ray Bradbury's short story called, The Crowd.

Here is the gist of this story. A man named Mr. Spallner is in a car accident. He can vividly see what is happening as the crash occurs. He screams. The car crashes into a wall and pain radiates throughout his body. Then a sudden silence. A crowd emerges from nowhere and begin talking. He sees the faces of some of the people. They wonder if they should move him. He hears sirens, police activity and he's loaded into an ambulance.

He spends some time in a hospital. When he's released he observes another accident; this time with a different victim. He notices the crowd again, gathering around the victim. The same familiar faces are seen in the crowd. They move the victim; proving to be a fatal mistake.

Soon, Spallner witnesses yet another car accident with the same crowd gathering around the victim. After gathering some newspaper clippings, Spallner finds out that the same crowd is gathering around different accidents over and over again.

In the end, Spallner is involved in yet another crash. Once again, he's the victim and once again the crowd gathers around his body. He hears the same voices, and sees the same faces. He can't speak or cry out as the crowd contemplates moving him. When they finally do move him he dies.

This is a classic ghost story. In the story, it's hinted that the crowd chooses who to move and who not to move. Once they decide the fate of the victim, that victim becomes one with the crowd. The story is written with Bradbury's typical brilliance. It's a quick read (only about 12 pages long) and the story is very entertaining. I love short stories because you don't have to dedicate much time to them, yet you're rewarded just the same. I read this story from a collection of Ray Bradbury's short stories called, The October Country. If you pass by this book and/or the story, give it a read.

Bradbury said that this story was inspired by a true event. He witnessed a car accident; the victims all stumbled out of the car and fell over dead. There was a crowd that came from literally nowhere. The weird thing is, Bradbury says that there was a cemetery nearby. Therefore, where did that crowd come from?

The Scythe by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury's, "The Scythe" is about a family who happens apon an old farmhouse. The family is poor and is in need of some food. When Drew enters the house, it is quiet and still. He ventures upstairs to a bedroom, where an old man is lying, dead. Inside the room, the old man leaves a note, saying that anyone who comes across him has full responsibilities to his home and duties as a farmer. A scythe is also in the room.

The family's luck seems to be changing. Never will they or their kids go hungry again. Never will they have to worry about the next meal. Everything is right there for them; food, shelter and the love of a strong family. All they have to do is keep the promise of the dead farmer's last wishes.

Drew works day and night working outside in the wheat field, but to no avail. As soon as he cuts the wheat, it grows back. Eventually he learns that with each swipe of the scythe, cutting wheat, he's taking someone's life.

One day he recognizes one of the stalks of wheat as his family. He refuses to cut it. The next day his house burns to the ground with his family inside. They're not dead, but sleeping. With his refusal to cut the grain, he's refusing their death, yet they can't live either.

Like many other works of Bradbury, there is a strong metaphor to his stories. In my opinion, "The Scythe" is about fate. It's also about God and Man. Drew holds the fate of many in his hands. The Scythe is his tool. And with the scythe constantly cutting and cutting and cutting, people meet their fate, dying, dying and dying.

To go a little deeper it could also resemble the plot of population control. In the story, if Drew stops working, the lives of others hang on longer than fate would originally allow.

This story is deep on so many levels and should be read by any Bradbury fan. Hell, it should be read, period! The story is short and is a quick, entertaining read. If you've got the chance check it out. I read it in his book of short stories, titled, "The October Country".