02451cam a22003373u 4500 32819 UtSlPG 20260610133741.0 m cr n 260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Beaumont, Charles, 1929-1967 Elegy Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2010 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy February 1953. Release date is 2010-06-14 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Elegy" by Charles Beaumont is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative unfolds aboard a space vessel, where Captain Webber and his crew, after running out of fuel and drifting aimlessly in space, discover what seems to be a city on an asteroid. The story explores themes of reality and illusion as the crew confronts their situation, wondering about the implications of finding a familiar yet impossible environment far from Earth. As they make a harrowing landing on the asteroid, the crew encounters a peculiar little man named Mr. Greypoole, who reveals that they are in a place called Happy Glades, a cemetery designed to replicate the conditions of life for the deceased. Each household and setting they observe is a mere imitation meant for the long-lost guests who have passed away, trapped in a façade of normalcy. The narrative delves into existential questions as the crew grapples with the realization that this so-called paradise is nothing more than a complex machine designed to keep the dead in a state of unchanging bliss. In a climactic turn, the story culminates in the captain's tragic understanding of their situation, leading to an exploration of the themes of life, death, and the consequences of desire for escape from reality. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Produced from Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy February 1953. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32819 73665 73665