Now, a long time ago, I was reading a copy of Fahrenheit 451 from the library, and it had two short stories in the back.

One I believe was called, "The Playground," where a father unwittingly takes the place of his, "delicate," son in the rough and tumble world of growing up.

The other one is far more valuable to me, and it's the one whose name I can't remember. It was a story that could have taken place directly after Fahrenheit 451, where a plush, European couple are on the run in Central (or South) America from a world that has destroyed their homelands and now seeks to eradicate their race entirely in a great nationalistic/revolutionary fervor.

During their doomed flight, they are given assistance from an old man driving a truck. As they move along, the subject of his month-old newspapers arises, and he tells them a bit of wisdom that I carry to this day.

He says that when he was young and lived in the city, he read the newspaper the day it was printed. For all the terrible things it reported, he would grow fiery and angry for all the great injustices of the world. However, once he moved to the countryside, the newspapers would be delayed by days or even weeks. Upon reading the stories, he found that they had no more substance, that he could spit on them for all they were worth, and that he was a much happier person for it.

It's a passage I've carried with me for a long time, always cautioning me against growing too involved in an emotional situation, and to step back and see what I could add to it before diving in blindly.

It's rather dear to me, and I would be most appreciative if I could learn the name of the story so I can carry a copy of my own.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brainwright,

Hi Brainwright, and welcome.

Those additional stories only appear in some editions of Fahrenheit 451, so this may have made it difficult for you to find them again.

The story you are looking for is "And The Rock Cried Out", which you can find in these Bradbury books:

Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales
The Vintage Bradbury
The Day it Rained Forever (a British book)

Braling II: A story lost and found again, maybe!? The dusty trail goes on forever; it seems!


If new evidence is at all reliable, RB's "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone," comes to mind!
http://www.deseretnews.com/art...ript-found.html?pg=1

The original referred to is here: http://content.lib.utah.edu/cd...OOT=/pbb&CISOPTR=203 (Be sure to review the Table of Contents.)

I may search our library's vast resources for a borrow of a copy of the actual book!

Eh?