Zero Hour (Bradbury)

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.

Zero Hour

1947

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: Children across the country played a game called 'Invasion,' unknowingly helping extraterrestrial beings invade Earth, while their unsuspecting parents dismissed it as harmless fun until it was too late.

In a peaceful suburban neighborhood, children were excitedly playing a new game called "Invasion." The game involved gathering household items like spoons, wrenches, and pipes to create a mysterious apparatus. The children claimed that they were helping beings from outer space invade Earth. The adults, amused by the children's wild imaginations, dismissed the game as harmless fun.

Mink, a seven-year-old girl, was the leader of the group. She claimed to be in communication with a being named Drill, who was guiding the children in their efforts.

👧🏻

Mink Morris — seven-year-old girl; loud, strong, and determined; leader of the Invasion game in her neighborhood.

👽

Drill — extraterrestrial being; manipulates children to help with the invasion; mysterious, cunning.

"Invasion!" said Mink. The door slammed.

Invasion! said Mink. The door slammed.

Mink's mother, Mrs. Morris, was initially entertained by the game but grew increasingly uneasy as the day went on. She noticed strange occurrences, such as a buzzing sound and Mink's ability to make a yo-yo disappear and reappear.

👩🏻

Mrs. Morris — Mink's mother; initially amused by the game, but later becomes suspicious and fearful.

As the designated "zero hour" approached, Mrs. Morris became increasingly anxious. She tried to convince her husband, Henry, that something was wrong, but he dismissed her concerns.

👨🏻

Mr. Morris — Mink's father; unaware of the true nature of the game until the very end.

In a panic, Mrs. Morris locked herself and her husband in the attic, believing it would protect them from the impending invasion.

As the clock struck five, the neighborhood was rocked by a series of explosions. The children's laughter turned to screams of delight, and heavy footsteps filled the Morris home. Mink led a group of beings into the house, searching for her parents. The attic door melted away, revealing Mink and the invaders. The beings had used the children's innocence and imagination to infiltrate Earth, and the invasion had begun.

"They're going to let us run the world. Well, not just us, but the kids over in the next block, too. I might be queen."

They're going to let us run the world. Well, not just us, but the kids over in the next block, too. I might be queen.

"Peek-a-boo," said Mink.