Challenge 1151

Not So Distant

1. In Ron Davidson’s Our Regularly Scheduled Program:

   1. Do the public’s religious and other beliefs do more than create “conspiracy theories”? Do they appear to have any connection to what the mysterious film depicts on the “Channel”?
   2. Who or what are the red-eyed, fang-toothed villains that appear the end? Are they demons from Hell or space aliens from the Outer Darkness? Why would the “Channel” disclose their real nature in advance: as a warning or as a scare tactic?
   3. What incident seems to indicate that the invaders are not human beings? Could anything have been done to prevent or resist the invasion?
   4. Does the story overstep a Bewildering Stories structural guideline?

2. In Philip Ekstrom’s A New Career on Europa:

   1. How might Sandra Dulong’s research into oceanic life on Europa been aided by studies of sea mammals such as whales and dolphins on Earth?
   2. Why is Sandra depicted as being exceptionally short? Does her stature affect her relationships with the rest of the expeditionary crew? Might it have something to do with surviving long isolation in space?
   3. Does the opening paragraph of the story imply that the narrative oversteps Bewildering Stories’ “Dead Narrator” guideline?

3. In Peggy Gerber’s Grandma’s in Prison with No Hope of Parole:

   1. The year 2032 is cited as the date of expiration of Social Security financing in the U.S. Is that date arbitrary or does it appear in calculations available to the public?
   2. According to birth rate trends, prisons will no longer be needed for housing old, retired people by the end of the 21st century. What will be the size of the young and middle-aged population?
   3. If retirees are priced out of their homes by curtailed income while immigration is discouraged or halted completely, what will happen to real estate values and conditions?

4. In Ava Sophia Hiss’s The Bullet Sees:

   1. Do the two bullets both kill their targets?
   2. At the end, does the sun shine down on a real oasis, or is the figure merely an image?
   3. Does the bullet qualify as a virtual character in the story or is it a metaphor? If it is an image, what might it represent?

5. In Charles C. Cole’s Letter From a Distant Future: How has the writer of the letter to the future been able to survive the “Extraterritorials’”predation? Do the space aliens resemble any groups on present-day Earth?

Responses welcome!

Copyright © August 17, 2026 by Bewildering Stories
What is a Bewildering Stories Challenge?