“Death-Wish,” a 1950 short story written by Ray Bradbury

Over at the Internet Archive, you can read or download “Death-Wish,” an enigmatic short fantasy story penned by Ray Bradbury. Originally published in the Fall 1950 issue of Planet Stories magazine, the plot revolves around an Earthman who wanders the ruins of dead Martian cities, searching for a legendary blue bottle. Here are the opening lines of the story:

THE sundials were tumbled into white pebbles. The birds of the air now flew in ancient skies of rock and sand, buried, their songs stopped. The rivers were currented with dust which flooded across the land when the wind bade it reenact an old tale of engulfment. The cities were deep laid with granaries of silence, time stored and kept, golden kernels of forgetfulness, pools and fountains of quietude and memory...

“Death-Wish” was later reprinted several times under the title “The Blue Bottle.”

[via Tinkoo Valia of Variety SF]