A science fiction story in which three men anxiously watch their fellow-scientist as he is encased in a mysterious green chrysalis. They eventually come to believe he is undergoing metamorphosis inside the chrysalis.
"Pillar of Fire"
A science fiction/horror short novel. Set in the year 2349, it depicts a Utopian society in which all corpses are incinerated for hygienic reasons. All horror literature has also been burned to produce a healthier mindset. When his grave is disturbed, a man who died four centuries earlier rises from his tomb to infiltrate the utopia and launch a vendetta to restore fear.
"Zero Hour"
A science fiction story, involving a world-wide befriending of children by sinister aliens.
"The Man"
A rocket ship lands on an isolated planet, expecting an astounded welcome. However, they find they have been preceded by a much more important visitor.
"Time in Thy Flight"
A science fiction story. A high-school teacher takes three children on a field-trip in a time machine.
A science fiction story in which a family travels to an unsullied Mars to escape a ravaged Earth. Previously adapted as the final chapter of The Martian Chronicles (1950).
"The Screaming Woman"
A mystery/suspense story, describing a young girl who tries to procure help in digging up a woman buried in an empty lot.
"The Smile"
A science fiction story describing a world devastated by nuclear war, whose inhabitants systematically destroy artifacts of the past. The story touches on one boy who is enchanted by Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
