The Fire People ♦ By Ray Cummings

The first of the new meteors landed on the earth in November, 1940. It was discovered by a farmer in his field near Brookline, Massachusetts, shortly after daybreak on the morning of the 11th. Astronomically, the event was recorded by the observatory at Harvard as the sudden appearance of what apparently was a new star, increasing in the short space of a few hours from invisibility to a power beyond that of the first magnitude, and then as rapidly fading again to invisibility. This star was recorded by two of the other great North American observatories, and by one in the Argentine Republic. That it was comparatively small in mass and exceedingly close to the earth, even when first discovered, was obvious. All observers agreed that it was a heavenly body of an entirely new order. That Earth and Mercury possess similar air composition and parallel species. The portrayal of the planet Mercury and its inhabitants is particularly striking, offering a unique perspective on the potential diversity of life in the universe. While certain elements of the narrative may be deemed fanciful, it serves to ignite the imagination and inspire further contemplation on the boundless possibilities of our world and beyond.