A Little Journey (Bradbury)

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A Little Journey
1951
Summary of the Short Story
Microsummary: A group of elderly women were deceived by a man who promised them a trip to find God in space, but when they discovered the rocket was a fake, they decided to take the journey anyway.

Mrs. Amelia Bellowes, an 85-year-old woman, joined a group of elderly ladies who had paid a man named Mr. Thirkell to take them on a rocket trip to find God. They had traveled to Mars and spent a week at Thirkell's Restorium, but when they demanded to see the rocket, they discovered it was a rusty, battered old vessel. Despite this, Mrs. Bellowes insisted they proceed with their journey, forcing Mr. Thirkell to be their navigator.

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Mrs. Amelia Bellowes — elderly woman; determined, strong-willed, and faithful; leader of the group.
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Mr. Thirkell — deceptive man who tricked the women; cunning, dishonest, and manipulative.

This is our rocket. We paid for our trip. And we're going to take our trip!

During the trip, the rocket exploded, sending the passengers and Mr. Thirkell hurtling through space. Mrs. Bellowes saw Mr. Thirkell falling towards the Sun, where he would be burned and roasted. Meanwhile, she and the other women continued to travel through space at a high speed, with only a few minutes of oxygen left in their helmets.

As they fell through the darkness, Mrs. Bellowes felt a sense of peace and believed that they were indeed moving closer to God. She imagined a mighty golden hand reaching down to comfort her and the other women, and introduced herself as Mrs. Amelia Bellowes from the planet Earth.

Out into space. Out and out, and the darkness like a great church, and the stars like candles, and in spite of everything, Mr. Thirkell, the rocket, and the dishonesty, we are going toward the Lord.

I'm Mrs. Amelia Bellowes. I'm from the planet Earth.