I read this in the early 80's but it could have been written in the 50's or 60's. A man (boy?) finds a small box, peers into it and sees a miniature version of the earth. Curious, he peers into it again and again, until maybe the third or fourth time he feels something sting his eye painfully, after which he throws the box down and stomps on it. A few days later, an enormous disembodied eye appears in the sky...does anyone recognize this?
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I wonder if this, at least in part, inspired the Futurama episode "The Farnsworth Parabox".– PolynomialJun 9, 2014 at 7:30
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Polynomial - Coincidentally, it was that very episode that got me interested in finding this short story again!– MasstripJun 9, 2014 at 20:57
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I was thinking of Kaganov's "Black Blood of Transylvania", but that one was written in the 2007.– January First-of-MayMar 1, 2016 at 10:57
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1 Answer
The story is the "The IFTH of OOFTH" by Walter Tevis, originally published in 1957 in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
“George,” he said, “there is something in there.” His voice now was very steady and yet strange.
“What?” I asked. What else do you say?
“A little ball,” he said. “A little round ball. Quite misted over, but nonetheless a ball.”
Shortly afterwards the protagonist gets shot in the eye and goes on a rampage with a red hot poker...
You can read a full version of the story here.
answered Jun 8, 2014 at 15:49
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2To Richard-I've been searching over 20 years for that; responding that quickly to my poorly-remembered description (just finished re-reading it, wow was I off or what?) makes you a sci-fi GOD in my book. Much thanks!– MasstripJun 8, 2014 at 16:18
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2@masstrip - I thought your description was pretty damn good compared to some that I've seen. The eye in the sky was a dead giveaway. Don't forget to upvote and mark the answer as accepted.– ValorumJun 8, 2014 at 16:55
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Yeah, pretty good description really and a great story. Its why I love these tags. And thanks for the link to read, Richard. :)– ChrisJun 9, 2014 at 10:06