I am 64 years old. In college I won a short story contest. Recently a friend said the story reminded him of a RB story. I wonder if I subconsciously plagarized him. Theme is a man wakes up to find he is all alone in world. Gradually he discovers he is alone. He eventually kills himself just as a phone rings (indicating maybe he is not alone). Anyone recall any such story by RB?

Yes, two right off the top of my head, and perhaps others. One is from "The Martian Chronicles." Sorry, I forget the title, but the characters are Walter Gripp and Genevieve. The more similar one is a Martian story, but not from "The Martian Chronicles." The title is "Night Call, Collect." By the way, the guy killing himself may be your own contribution, as suicide is actually quite a rare theme in Bradbury, while homicide and death by shock or stress are quite common.

That reminds me of what used to be the shortest stories written in Science Fiction.
One went like this:

'The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.'

Then someone decided to make it shorter ...by one letter. So it went...

'The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a lock on the door.'

I suppose you could shorten it even more.

'The last Earthman sat alone in a room. There was a lock on the door'.

"The Silent Towns" is the story with Walter Gripp and Genevieve. It's a great story for stimulating class discussions.

I found The Silent Towns in Martian Chronicles. I believe the idea of finding oneself alone in the world is a common one. I recall a movie with Harry Belafonte with the same theme. Walter Gripp finds Genevieve Selsor but finds her repulsive, demanding. My hero enjoys the freedom for awhile but succombs to the loneliness. He longs for his love, his wife. The phone device was lifted subconsciously from having read MC in grade school. My story took place here on earth not Mars. It has bothered me for along time but now I see it as a coincidence more than consciously plagarizing. I would like to read Night Call, Collect. It has been many years since RB was on my mind. He is inspiring and apparently has been for all these years. The web site and message board is terrific. Dandelion you do a great job

[This message has been edited by bwitzig (edited 10-17-2003).]

I also remember a great Twilight Zone episode where this man was alone on Earth, but looking forward to having all the time in the world to read. But then his glasses got smashed, and everything was a blur to him. It's been years since I saw that episode so the details may be hazy(no pun intended), but I remember how chilling that episode was. If I couldn't read, I'd feel like I'd lost a limb.

Imskipper, "Time Enough at Last," with Burgess Meredith, is one of the most famous, and most-discussed, episodes of "The Twilight Zone." It has provoked much lively discussion at The Fifth Dimension Message Board at http://www.thetzsite.com/forum/ one of the best fan sites online! Many "Twilight Zone" episodes deal with people finding themselves either the only person, or the only "real" person, in a setting, including the very first episode, "Where is Everybody?" What I never understood is that Ray Bradbury accused "Where is Everybody?" of being plagiarized from his story "Here There Be Tygers." I defy anyone to read that story and watch the show and see any similarity beyond both of them dealing with astronauts in a future time.