The Last Night of the World is a 1951 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. You can read it online here. It begins,
"What would you do if you knew this was the last night of the world?"
"What would I do; you mean, seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
"I don't know — I hadn't thought. She turned the handle of the silver coffeepot toward him and placed the two cups in their saucers.
He poured some coffee. In the background, the two small girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma of brewed coffee in the evening air.
"Well, better start thinking about it," he said.
I remember discovering Bradbury when I was young. I've always found his work thought-provoking.
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My favorite is Fahrenheit 451. I also liked the film with Oskar Werner
ReplyDeleteThat's a good one :)
DeleteThat's an amazing question to ask ... then the second part would be then why aren't you doing it now when it's probably not your last night ...
ReplyDeleteIt's a discussion we should have more often, I think
DeleteA crazy question! I would definitely want to be with my family, and splash some paint around.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be clear about what we value most :)
DeleteVery thought-provoking! Sounds like a good read 😁. Happy Friday and Weekend! J 😊 x
ReplyDeleteI've never read a Bradbury story I regretted spending time with. In fact, I think they're always worth revisiting :)
DeleteHe's a great author. Valerie
ReplyDeleteYes, I am glad I discovered him :)
DeleteI would be much less stressed or worried about it if I knew it was just the end for everyone while we slept. I'd want to tell those I loved how grateful I was for them and "see you on the other side...if there is one"--LOL! I'd spend the night thinking about all the things I am grateful for and how wonderful this gift of life is...and then Annie and I would crawl into bed. It would be a peaceful way to go. :)
ReplyDeleteTo know _everything_ was ending, though, and not just my own predictably finite life. It sounds more tragic to me somehow :(
DeleteHis work is very thought provoking. I recently learned Fahrenheit 451 was named because that is temperature paper burns at. I thought that was a cool fact. Happy weekend. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteYes, I guess that book was one that made sense to adapt for film, but I wish more of the short stories and story collections had been used, maybe during that period when anthology films and series were popular.
DeleteI LOVE Ray Bradbury. This was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHe's an old favorite! And he had such a long career that there's a lot of his work to enjoy :)
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