A Green Cloud Came

In Short

Set in the twenty-fourth century following a grand celebration marking the end of the final war, two lovers face an existential crisis. Eric believes he sees a terrifying green poison cloud outside their window—a lethal space phenomenon predicted by a disgraced astronomer—leaving him and his wife, Natalla, as the sole survivors on Earth. Facing immediate extinction, Eric abandons his plans to leave Natalla for another woman, rediscovering his devotion to her. However, the end of the world is a calculated illusion engineered by Natalla herself to win back her husband's heart.

The Story

The narrative opens in an advanced future society on the morning after a lavish, costume-filled celebration commemorating the conclusion of the final human war. Natalla stands in her living quarters, maintaining a cool, composed exterior while secretly trembling with heartbreak. Her husband, Eric, is on the verge of leaving her. He has requested a release from their marital bond to pursue a relationship with another woman named Sandra. Desperate to preserve her marriage, Natalla asks Eric to leave quickly, hiding her emotional agony behind an artificial veil of poise.

As Eric turns toward the doorway to depart, he glances out the window and freezes in sheer terror. He calls out to Natalla with a cry of horror, blocking her view of the outside world to spare her from the gruesome sight. Eric explains that the atmosphere outside has turned into a swirling mass of nauseous green gas, littered with the bodies of citizens who fell in the streets. He recalls the warnings of Greer, a local astronomer who was recently committed to a psychiatric facility after predicting that a toxic space cloud would sweep over the planet and wipe out all life. Because the rest of the scientific community dismissed Greer's calculations as delusions, no precautions were taken.

Believing that the sealed windows of their home have made them the only human survivors on Earth, Eric experiences a profound shift in perspective. Faced with the immediate collapse of civilization, his domestic grievances instantly vanish. He takes Natalla in his arms and begins reflecting on historical literature from centuries past, recalling stories where men only realized their profound love for their wives when faced with sudden, tragedy-induced loss. Realizing that his attraction to Sandra was a fleeting delusion, Eric confesses his deep, enduring love for Natalla and begs her never to leave him, asking to remain her mate forever.

Natalla happily accepts his embrace, allowing him to carry her to their quarters in the tradition of ancient romantic tales. As Eric rejoices in their reconciliation, Natalla silently revels in the success of her deception. There is no green cloud. Exploiting Eric's knowledge of Greer's discarded theories, Natalla had secretly installed a specialized projection screen outside the window to display a hyper-realistic film of the toxic cloud and falling bodies. As they embrace, she quietly presses a hidden button on her table, signaling an automated robot to dismantle and destroy the projection equipment outside before morning.

How It Unfolds

The bitter parting Natalla stands in her festive, semi-barbaric garments, struggling to hide her despair as Eric prepares to walk out on their marriage for another woman. She asks him to leave immediately, projecting an aura of cold composure to cover her heartbreak.

The false apocalypse Glancing out the window, Eric breaks into a cry of horror and blocks Natalla from looking outside, believing he has spotted a deadly green poison cloud suffocating the streets. He recalls an astronomer named Greer whose warnings of an atmospheric toxic cloud were dismissed as psychiatric delusions.

Reflections in the dark Convinced they are the sole survivors of a planetary extinction event, Eric turns to Natalla for comfort and reflects on primitive romantic stories from ancient centuries. He realizes that his desire for a marital release was a mistake and that he cannot live without her.

The hidden trick Natalla welcomes Eric back into her arms, permitting him to carry her away while keeping her secret safe: she engineered the entire visual illusion using a hidden projector and calls a robot to dismantle the evidence before sunrise.

The People

• Natalla: A composed and resourceful woman living in the twenty-fourth century. Facing the imminent destruction of her marriage, she refuses to let her husband leave for another woman. Behind her cool facade lies a calculating mind willing to employ high-tech illusion and psychological trickery to secure her husband's devotion.
• Eric: Natalla's husband, who is driven by impulsive romantic desires and easily influenced by high-stakes narrative drama. He initially seeks a divorce to be with Sandra, but the sudden, perceived threat of total extinction shatters his illusions, driving him back into his wife's arms.
• Sandra: The off-screen woman with whom Eric believes he has found a more suitable psychological match. She serves as the catalyst for the central rift between Eric and Natalla.
• Greer: A disgraced astronomer previously institutionalized by the psychiatry department for predicting a catastrophic poison cloud. His dismissed theories provide the perfect believable narrative for Natalla's fake apocalypse.

In Its Own Voice

"When at last she spoke, her voice was steady."

Before the deception unfolds, Natalla carefully guards her composure so Eric will not see her trembling as he prepares to abandon their marriage.

"The conclusion was the only one that could be drawn under such circumstances; Greer was suffering from delusions."

Eric recalls how the scientific community dismissed the astronomer's warning of a cosmic cloud, providing the perfect logical foundation for his panic.

"No need to tell him that she, too, had read the old books."

As Eric carries her away, Natalla quietly rejoices in the success of her fake apocalypse, knowing she manipulated his romantic nostalgia to save their relationship.

What It's Really About

Underneath its speculative twenty-fourth-century backdrop, the narrative explores the foolishness of human romance and the persistent fragility of marital commitment. The plot examines how easily people mistake temporary discontent for incompatibility, only recognizing the true value of their relationships when confronted with loss or mortality. By contrasting an advanced future of robots, psychoadjusters, and planetary calculations with primitive romantic impulses, the story suggests that human nature remains fundamentally unchanged across centuries. Natalla's secret projection apparatus serves as a metaphor for the theatrical illusions partners often use to manage one another's egos, demonstrating that emotional leverage and domestic maneuvering can easily outwit the most sophisticated future technology.

Why Read It Today

This short work offers a swift, lighthearted read for fans of vintage mid-century speculative fiction and ironic twist endings. It captures the unique pulp era atmosphere of the 1940s, blending futuristic technology like tele-screens, psychoadjusters, and domestic robots with classical melodramatic romance tropes. The dialogue reflects the period's stylized, heightened formal speech, framing domestic disputes through an amusingly dramatic lens.

Readers who enjoy self-contained, high-concept narratives with a clever sting in the tail will appreciate how quickly the story shifts from atmospheric cosmic horror to light domestic comedy. It serves as a brief, entertaining reminder of how science fiction often used extraordinary futuristic premises merely as a mirror for timeless human relationships and emotional foolishness.