SOLVED. sci fi short stories [s]

[elias]

I'm looking for the title or author of two short stories I read back in the nineties but the book was from way before that.

One of the stories is about a man inside a house that has no windows or doors and he tries to remember things as if he is suffering from some kind of amnesia.The reader follows what the man is thinking , there are some people in the house at some point but they keep disappearing I don't' remember if he actually interact with the people at all, at one point the man stares at a model of a spacecraft or a plane sitting on the top of a piano and he tries to remember how he relates to it, he doesn't remember the model being there the last time he looked at the piano, who put it there? What is the piano for? He then gets this funny feeling about how things are always ready for him all the time, food, clothing, I think theres a speakerphone somewhere that gives them instructions. By the end he sees someone leaving the house through a latch and follows the person outside the house that is built in a forest area. The police appear and suround him. Thats when we learn that he is an alien metamorphosed into human that had been captured during the hibernation status and put in the house to be studied so humans could understand how the alien memory works when trying to fit in as human. Who is the author, the title ? Please help me x

[Wendy]

Hi Elias
This probably isn't going to help that much, but I've read that story too. I can't remember who wrote it at the moment but as soon as I do i'll let you know.

[elias]

Thanks Wendy, I been looking for the source for the last ten years and started to believe it was my imagination. Hope you can remember.

[elias]

Man can anybody help me with this one?

title of the story, or book name or author?

anything would go a long way.

[Cheryl]

If you can remember anything about the book itself, I might be able to find it in my stacks of (unread) collections. See my longer post in your other request. :)

[elias]

thanks again Cheryl, this story is in the same book.

you great

[Lisa]

What's the book?

Should this be marked as solved and put in its solved folder?

Should the book be shelved on its proper shelf? If yes, please put [s] at the end of the topic title so we all know the book is shelved.

Thanks. We're behind shelving about a dozen books. I think Rebecca is going to do them for me/us but if she doesn't, I'll get to them.

But member help is always appreciated.

Thanks.

[elias]

it's not solved yet Lisa.

[Cheryl]

(The same book as the other story he's asking about, the other topic he started.)

Yeah, so sorry, just not coming up with it. An older single-author anthology that was available in a library... I'll remember to come back here if I read a story fitting any of these story descriptions - but for now, no... :(

[Wendy]

Sorry Elias, I'm still racking through dusty brain cells trying to remember the name of the blinking book. I'm sure I'll have one of those 'Eureka' moments soon. Until then......

[elias]

You are my only hope Wendy! I'm sure it will come to you.

[elias]

I think it was a collection of stories by a certain writer

[Michelle Mulford]

Just throwing this out there; is it something by C.M. Kornbluth? The collection I read of his is called "Critical Mass," which I don't think is the one you're looking for, but he had several. Or you could try looking at a list of golden-age science fiction authors to see if a name jogs your memory.

[elias]

I will look into it, but apparently it's not by CM Kornbluth but it's early do say. Think I have a lot to look into now. Cheers

[Wendy]

I'm still trying to find it, I've done loads of research and the only thing I know for sure is that the author is a well known Sci Fi writer. Ray Bradbury keeps naggling at me as the author but I just can't find any poof - I'm determined to keep going. Cheers

[elias]

Hello Wendy, in fact Ray Bradbury has a short story called " There will be some soft rain" that is about a house that provides for a family. I think this is the story you read but is not the same as the one I'm looking for. As fas as I ca remember,the author was famous but I'm still failing to find those two stories, thanks again.

[Wendy]

I don't think it's that one. The one I'm thinking of (the first story on your initial post) results in the man, after following one of his housemates out of the house/appartment is taken into custody and questioned about being an alien. He denies it and the people who are questioning him pressurise him by saying that he'll only resume his alien shape when sufficient pressure is put upon him - which eventually happens.

The embarrasing thing would be to find out now that this isn't the same story after all!!

[Emlen]

Not the part about the house, but the alien who thinks he's not an alien makes me think of Philip K. Dick's "Imposter" (which I read in The Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick. It takes place during a war between human's and aliens, they think the main character is an alien with a bomb in disguise and at the end...(view spoiler)[he escapes custody, runs away and leads the authorities to where the alien ship landed/crashed, hoping to prove his innocence; instead he finds his own murdered body, and realizes he is the alien just before the bomb goes off. (hide spoiler)] Any chance that's it?

[elias]

The story I read the alien is killed as soon as he learns thats he's not a human. It's very short story, no more than 10 pages.

back to square one...

[Dylan]

"Outside" by Brian W. Aldiss

Full text: http://lexal.net/scifi/scifiction/cla...

[elias]

NOOOOOOO way!!!!!!!

Thank you ever so much Dylan

~I had lost all hopes of finding it.

[Dylan]

No problem. Actually, just realized I linked a bad author page, Aldiss wrote a lot of classic stuff: Brian W. Aldiss

[elias]

I have been looking for it for over 15 years.

don't know how to thank you

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Elias--is this one solved? If so, congrats. :o) If not, we'll keep on a-looking.

[elias]

It's solved - thank you

[Kate]

"Outside" is in No Time Like Tomorrow by Brian W. Aldiss. It may be in other collections as well.

[Wendy]

I'm very happy for you Elias, it was the same story that I was thinkin off :)

[elias]

it was the same story indeed Wendy but I didn't remember the details. Thank you.