The Playground

A silhouette of a man’s head and shoulders among planets and stars is suggested by a grayish blue background with black and white shading and blocking.

by Ray Bradbury

Short Story
Adults
No Time Phenomena
English
“The Playground” by Ray Bradbury, in The Illustrated Man (Har-Davis, 1952).

Unlike the the TV adaptation of this fantasy, there’s no doubt in this original version that time travel plays no role in the lives of Charles Underwood and his son.

—Michael Main

He heard the voice and turned to see who had called him. There on top of a metal slide, a boy of some nine years was waving. “Hello, Charlie . . . !”

Variants

(1)

“The Playground” by Ray Bradbury, in The Illustrated Man (Har-Davis, 1952).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Ray Bradbury

Derived Works

(1)

“The Playground” by Ray Bradbury, directed by William Fruet (4 June 1985).

Indexer Notes

(1)

Release—Prior to 1977, the story had many publications, but it appeared in only one edition of The Illustrated Man, which was the first UK edition (1952).