“Project: Earth” (“One Who Stole”) January 1953

In what turns out to be a spin on the Judeo-Christian creation myth, an old man is compiling a massive log called Project B: Earth. Some children in the building spy on him, and their friend Tommy is intrigued, not showing the fear the others do. He sneaks into Mr. Billings’ room to see what he is up to. The book is a compilation of everything about the earth and its inhabitants. But there is also a wooden frame containing little pink creatures. Mr. Billings returns to the room and allows Tommy to examine the creatures, sort of insect men, with antennae sprouting from their foreheads. Mr. Billings says they constitute Project C and explains that Project A consisted of winged creatures but that they rebelled. Tommy and his people are the result of Project B, another failure. His hope and the hopes of his superiors are in Project C. Tommy gets an idea and steals the creatures, playing with them and keeping them in a cage. He shows his friend. Joan is upset that they are naked, so she makes clothing for them. Mr. Billings finds Tommy and demands the creatures back. They will play marbles, with the winner taking the creatures. Tommy is winning at first, getting almost half the marbles. But during Mr. Billings’ turn, there is a blinding flash, which not only puts the remaining marbles out of the circle, but also turns them into molten fragments. Mr. Billings has won. He returns to his apartment with the creatures. Projects A and B failed because it was hard to maintain the proper control over them. But Project C will fail, too. The creatures from Project A influenced those from Project B to rebel. And now the Project B creatures (the humans) have caused the Project C ones to rebel. They flee from Mr. Billings when he opens the box. And they are wearing clothing now, just as the humans did after they rebelled.