As a boy I read a story that I believe was one of Ray Bradbury's--I read a lot of his books at the time. I can't remember what it was called. I also seem to remember that an adaptation of it was featured on an old time radio program. This is the jist of the story as I remember it:

A young boy is packing up, getting ready to leave his mother. The mother is sad, and asking "do you really have to go?" As they converse, one is given the impression that the boy is some kind of angelic being, that has shown up to bless this woman. Now he is off to bless another family. If I'm not mistaken, he never grows any older.

Ring any bells?

Welcome KW.

It is "Hail and Farewell" by Ray Bradbury.

You can find it his collection THE GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN. A radio adaptation was produced by CBS Radio Workshop as a dual program presenting also Bradbury's "Season of Disbelief" and is available at the Internet Archive (forth program down):

https://archive.org/details/CBSRadioWorkshop

Wonderful! Thank You!

I checked my copy of Golden Apples. I think "Hail and Farewell" might actually be native to "S for Space."

Thanks so much. This was driving me crazy.

While Linnl posted a link to these fine radio shows back in 2014, I thought I would bump this topic up for any newcomers to the Board. From February 17, 1956, here are "Season of Disbelief" and "Hail and Farewell" as broadcast on the CBS Radio Workshop, introduced by Ray Bradbury himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg_hmi_KiHI