At first glance, this is an ordinary science fiction story with a final twist in the spirit of “The Twilight Zone” (or, in modern terms, a ready-made basis for a “Black Mirror” script). However, a second glance will find much more...

Contents• Puppet theater (story and afterword by the author)• Additional materials to help the reader: - Translator's notes (for those who don't have enough footnotes) - Graham Slate's article “Reading Gene Wolfe” ", dedicated to the story, and its (and the story's) discussion from the website of the magazine "Locus" - Article by Mark Aramini with a brief analysis of the story (maybe it will help you look at the story differently or at some details)