Out in the Garden
Encyclopedia
Out In The Garden is a science fiction short story
by Philip K. Dick
, first published in 1953 in Fantasy Fiction
and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick
. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub
in 1988.
The story is about a wife who spends most of her time in the garden with her duck, reading and meditating, while the duck is chasing spiders to eat. Her husband is inside the house all the time. One day, the woman gives birth to their son, and the man, tired of the duck, kills it. A few years later, the man is uncertain whether he's the father of the son, since the boy seems to be in the garden all the time. The boy asks his father if he wants to play with him in the garden, and the father agrees, only to find the boy is eating spiders.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
, first published in 1953 in Fantasy Fiction
Fantasy Fiction (magazine)
Fantasy Fiction was a fantasy and science fiction magazine published in the United States in 1953. It was published by Future Publications out of New York. Between February 1953 and November 1953 they released a total of four issues in the digest format.-Famous contributors:Fantasy Fiction...
and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Underwood-Miller in 1987 as a five volume set. See Philip K...
. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub
Beyond Lies the Wub (collection)
Beyond Lies the Wub is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Gollancz in 1988 and reprints Volume I of The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick...
in 1988.
The story is about a wife who spends most of her time in the garden with her duck, reading and meditating, while the duck is chasing spiders to eat. Her husband is inside the house all the time. One day, the woman gives birth to their son, and the man, tired of the duck, kills it. A few years later, the man is uncertain whether he's the father of the son, since the boy seems to be in the garden all the time. The boy asks his father if he wants to play with him in the garden, and the father agrees, only to find the boy is eating spiders.