Short Story #16: D-Day by Robert Trout

Title: D-Day

Author:  Robert Trout

Short Story #16 out of 365

Rating: 4 (out of 5 stars)


Book cover:  Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories for Late at Night edited by Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Arthur
Date Read: 1/9/2014
Source:  Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories for Late at Night edited by Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Arthur.

Summary

A news reporter ("Robert Trout") begins by reporting that there has been a blast in Pittsburg and communications have ceased.  He continues to hear about other cities going dark after a blast while trying to convey information to the audience.  He begins to speculate that maybe it could be the start of war but just before he speaks to it in detail, his broadcast is slowly interrupted and then goes off the air completely.

Reflection

This blends the live-reporting feature of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast with the tension of the Cold War in the 1960s to make for an engaging, albeit brief, short story.  The increasing anxiety of the report coupled with the growing speculation helps the pace of the story so that you are quite engaged with it by the time it ends. 
For a full listing of all the short stories in this series, check out the category 365 Short Stories a year.





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