A Sound of Thunder

By Ray Bradbury

     Hi, I decided I will now talk about one of my favorite short stories!

     

     I really love Ray Bradbury's stories and this one is the one that I read the most. It even has a movie although I like the short story better. Another book of him I read a long while ago was Martian Chronicles but I will do an entry when I read it once again. But to really comprehend how amazing he is you have to read it, if you only read the summary you practically only get 1/8 of his awesomeness.

     You can find this story in the book called, "The Golden Apples of the Sun".

     Now enjoy!

Summary

     Now then this short story begins when Eckels goes to a Time Safari because he wants to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex -you know, when you have lots of money why use it to help starving kids around the globe when you can hunt dinosaurs. Eckels chats with the man behind the desk about how if Keith hadn't won the election he may had come to escape the dictatorship instead. The man agrees and Eckels asks if they guarantee he comes back safely. The man doesn't ensure it and says he still has time to change his mind. Eckels angrily accuses him of trying to scare him and that he can't make him desist.

     Eckels is then introduced to his safari guide, Travis; his assistant, Lesperance; and fellow hunters, Billings and Kramer. Travis explains the rules -while they travel back in time- which include only shooting what they tell them to, only if they have red paint and to not get off of the floating path the safari made.

     Eckels then asks, "Why?" Travis explains that the government doesn't like them there and they pay a lot of money to have their franchise because they don't know the effect time travelling can have in the future and while they still don't know if its a drastic change or a minor one they are being extremely careful to not modify anything, not even to introduce their own bacteria in the ancient atmosphere. He explains how Lesperance comes back in time and tracks them to know when they're going to die, applies them red paint so they know it will not have anymore offspring.

     Eckels again ask why that's important to which a clearly irritated Travis states an example, "What if you step on a mouse?" He explains how he will therefore kill all future families that mouse and his offspring would have. Eckels its like, "Yeah, but they're only mice". He contiues explaining how because a lack in mice, kills a predator along with all his descendants and destroys the chain food in that area. This food chain then arrives to one of the first human beings who looking for food dies because of the lack of it which would have a meaning equal to killing a whole civilization. A scolded Eckels then shyly asks where's their dinosaur.

     Lesperance tells them it is about to arrive and they should get ready. As they wait the once wriggling jungle silences and then they hear a sound of thunder. The Tyrannosaurus emerges from the jungle and Bradbury details the ferocious creature so powerful, so almighty, so murderous that Eckels is overwhelmed and feels the gun in his hands is no more than a toy against the lizard monster. Eckels babbles horrified and is heard by the evil lizard who approaches the safari as Eckels flees to the time machine. While Travis, Lesperance, Billings and Kramer fight the Tyrannosaurus; Eckels in its shock steps off of the path and walks through the grass. 

     They manage to kill the Tyrannosaurus after blinding it, just as they kill it a giant branch falls over the corpse -the branch that was supposed to kill it. Billings and Kramer puke after the fright and Travis goes to the time machine to get something to clean themselves. There he glares at Eckels who managed to find his way. When they return to the time machine, Travis angrily shouts to Eckels for almost killing them and threatens to leave him here. Lesperance tries to reason with him but Travis points out that they don't know anymore if things are unchanged for he stepped off of the path. To punish him, Travis makes him remove the bullets from the corpse which is brimming with scavengers. A frightened Eckels returns bloodstained up to the elbows and a bunch of bullets in each hand. 

     They activate the time machine to return home. Travis threatens Eckels to kill him himself if the future is destroyed. When they return, the man behind the desk welcomes them. Travis gazes around and admits maybe nothing happened. Yet Eckels feels things aren't the same, he gazes and feels as if his senses shout that something in the particles of air, the city beyond the walls, the people are a completely different world. Then he gazes at the sign in the entrance where now the words are mispelled. Feebly he asks to the man in the desk who won the elections to which he replies as if obvious that Deutscher won, not that weakling Keith.

     Eckels turns pale, sits and searches in the mud in the sole of his boots. There he discovers a very beautiful and very dead butterfly. He asks desperately if maybe they can do something, return it, revive it somehow. Travis shouts furiously and loads his gun. Eckels closes his eyes and then a sound of thunder.

     Now that's all. I like another of his short stories about a girl from Earth who lives in Jupiter where only once a lot of years the rains stops and reveals the sun. If anyone knows how its called I would be glad if someone can tell me.

     Well, soon I will comment on Dracula. Almost finish the book.

     Have a nice day!