5,746 words (25–30 minutes)
Genre(s): Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Survival Fiction
Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction in December, 1951

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A Pail of Air is a hauntingly poetic survival tale set in a frozen, airless Earth. The planet has been ripped away from the Sun by a dark, rogue star and now drifts through space. The last human family—Pa, Ma, Sis, and the narrator, a young boy—struggles to survive in their “Nest,” an insulated hideout where they melt frozen oxygen to breathe and guard their fire as if it were life itself.

But one night, the boy sees something impossible: a moving light outside. Is it an illusion brought on by the darkness? A threat lurking in the cold? Or could there be other survivors in this world of endless night?

Leiber’s story is a masterclass in atmosphere, tension, and human resilience. It explores the fragility of existence, the endurance of hope, and the question of whether survival is enough—or if we need connection, discovery, and something bigger than just staying alive.