The Lake

by Ray Bradbury

The Lake is a short story by American author Ray Bradbury. It was first published in the May 1944 edition of Weird Tales, and later collected in Bradbury's collections Dark Carnival, The October Country, and The Stories of Ray Bradbury.
Bradbury believed it was one of the finest stories he'd ever written.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Science Fiction, Drama

12 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Ray Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.

Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).

The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harold and his wife go back to the beach where one day as a kid, he saw his friend Tally drown. Then something very unexpected happens.


Definitely a solid and well-written emotional short story with a good twist. It really is quite short though. And the ending feels sad, but also a bit puzzling.

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Езерото“ е прекрасен меланхоличен разказ! Бредбъри умее да разказва изключително тъжни истории по вълшебен лиричен начин...




„Беше септември. Последните дни на месеца, когато всичко се натъжава без някаква конкретна причина. Плажът бе тъй дълъг и самотен със своите петима-шестима посетители. Децата спряха да подхвърлят топката, може би защото вятърът бе натъжил и тях с тихото си подсвирване; насядаха и усетиха как есента се спуска над безкрайния бряг.“


„Странно, но когато си малък, наистина очакваш някой да отговори на призивите ти. Имаш чувството, че всичко, за което си помислиш, може да бъде истинско. И понякога това сигурно не е толкова погрешно.“


„Много бавно достроих останалото, след което станах, обърнах се и се отдалечих, за да не гледам как се руши от вълните. Както се руши всичко останало.“

[Yórgos St. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite short stories ever written. It's a sentimental little piece that every time brings tears to my eyes. The writing is phenomenal! Ray Bradbury was a poet.

[Дмитрий · Rating 5 out of 5]

Красивая и поэтичная, немного сентиментальная и символичная история о детстве, жизни и смерти.

[Beronymph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arasodes wamikitxavs msgavsi tragedia 4 purcelshi. Chemi azrit ravi. Chemi azrit madloba vaja babu.

[Rey of Sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's such a strange story... :/

[Giorgi Meskhia · Rating 4 out of 5]

ასეთ ისტორიებში ყოველთვის მარგარეტის მსგავს პერსონაჟებს უფრო თანავუგრძნობ

[Antara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this short story, according to Bradbury, is his first successful attempt at writing a story that wasn't an imitation of other writers, but was purely his own. Only a few pages long, but the writing.. oh the writing, the imagery, the way he strung his words together into painted emotions. I savored every line and the poignancy of the story will stay with me a long time.

[Arpi Ghazarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Բրեդբըրին լրիվ տիրապետում ա հոգու լարերի վրա "նվագելու" նուրբ արվեստին: Բացառություն չի նաև այս պատմվածքը. հրաշք ա:💛

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story made me want to cry, I'm not 100% sure why. I found it when I was watching a video about screenwriting and it mentioned this was the first real, authentic story Bradbury wrote that he felt was uniquely his, that no one else could write. You can tell. It's a good story.

[K R N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray Bradbury mentioned this several times in Zen in the Art of Writing and I can see why.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of childhood loss, memory, and the way grief remains suspended in time, until the past resurfaces, literally and emotionally. As a twelve-year-old boy on the shores of Lake Michigan, Harold loses his closest friend, Tally, who drowns while she was swimming. Her body is never recovered, and the lake becomes a symbol of both mystery and unresolved grief.

On the last day of that fateful summer before moving west with his mother, Harold wanders the empty, autumnal beach seeing its boarded up stands and wind whipped sand already evoking the death of summer and the end of childhood. He calls Tally’s name into the waves, feeling that part of his life has been taken by the water.

Years later, now twenty‑two and newly married, Harold returns with his wife. While standing on the familiar shore, he sees a lifeguard carry a small, drowned body from the lake. Against all logic, he recognizes the child as Tally, unchanged, still young, still golden haired, as if the lake preserved her outside of time. The moment devastates him feeling that the lake has finally “given her back,” but doing so fractures the life he has begun with Margaret his wife. He walks back to her, now a “strange woman” to him, haunted by the permanence of his first love and the impossibility of reconciling the past with the present.

[Hasmik Meliksetyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

► Չորս կողմը միշտ էնքան շատ մարդ կա, որ մենակ մնալու միակ ձևը երևակայության մեջ պատկերացնելն է: Հազար մարդով ես շրջապատված, ու բոլորը ասում են՝ ինչը ոնց անես: Մնում է, որ գոնե մտքումդ լճի ափ վազես, որ կարողանաս ինքդ քո աշխարհում մենակ մնալ:

Պատմվածքի հրաշալի կառուցվածք ուներ էս գործը։ Սիրում եմ, երբ գրականությունը ինձ փաստի առաջ ա կանգնացնում։ Սա էդ գրականությունն էր։ Բրեդբերի ձյաձյան իր բարձրունքում էր։ Մի կողմից հետաքրքիր սցենարային պատմվածք` համեմված սիրուն մտքերով, մյուս կողմից փիլիսոփայական ակնարկ ու լիքը խորանալու տեղ։ Ի վերջո էկա էն մտքին, որ ամենքս լիճն ենք, որտեղ ինչ որ ժամանակ անհետ խեղդվել են ինչ֊որ ցանկություններ, զգացմունքներ ու հույզեր։ Մեզ թվացել ա, թե դրանք անէացել են, ձուլվել են, չկան։ Բայց վաղ թե ուշ մի փրկարար ջրիմուռների միջից հանելու ա դրանք, ու մենք սարսափենք էդ տեսարանից... հետո լճի ափով քայլենք, մինչև հասնենք էն տեղին, ուր ինչ֊որ անունով անծանոթ մեկը ժպտալով մեզ կսպասի...

[Alien Bookreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story about life and death, how people die and stay young forever and those who survive keep on aging.

After a plunge into his childhood the protagonist looks at his present and finds that it feels foreign to him.

A nice concept. Ray Bradbury could have done more with this story.

[Indira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "The Lake" because a friend recommended it. She lives in Lake Bluff, Illinois, where I lived for six years. That is also where the story takes place.

Ray Bradbury lived in Waukegan, Illinois, a large town neighboring the village of Lake Bluff. I was excited to read how Bradbury, an accomplished author, describes Lake Bluff. Much of the Lake Bluff Bradbury describes is very different from the Lake Bluff I knew. Bradbury knew a population of 10,000, while I knew a population of 6,000; he recalls a beach with hot dog stands and merry-go-rounds, while I recall a beach with picnics and a tree-lined bluff. However, Bradbury's descriptions of Lake Michigan remain true. He beautifully describes the waves falling onto the sand, the chilly September breeze, and how being in the lake washes away memories of the outside world for a fleeting moment.

The story is not just for those who know Lake Bluff. It contains great imagery and is incredibly poignant for such a short tale.

Note: I did not read the story online. It is included in a collection of Bradbury's short stories titled The October Country.)

[literaryleftie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Death does not permit growth or change...She will be forever young and I will love her forever."

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s October first and this story was a sobering reminder I needed to revisit. Especially for the parts of me that have decayed or will soon part.

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Childhood Loss
23 January 2024

I’m not really sure I can write all that much about this book, and I’m not all that sure if I can call it horror either. Then again, the collection that I’m reading aren’t necessarily all horror, but they do have a dark tinge to them, such as this story.

Basically the narrator, when he was a boy, is standing at the lake. Actually in the lake, despite his mother telling him not to. Some time previously, we aren’t told how long, his girlfriend drowned in the lake, and he is standing there remembering just before he leaves. When he does, that past disappears, and he even finds love again.

However, he returns much later to the lake, with his now wife, and it turns out that they have just dragged a body out of the water. Strangely, nobody knew that this girl had drowned, so it makes us wonder who she was, especially since the lifeguard makes a comment that there never have been a report of a drowning since 1933.

Yet, something is enchanting about this place, particularly since he turns back to his wife, who has become a stranger. In a way two women take him away from here, and when they do the memories of this place fade. We don’t know what happened though, particularly since the narrator we could say is somewhat unreliable. As I mentioned, it really isn’t a horror story, but it does have a dark twist to it.

[Luboslav Emilov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Това са най-истинските 5 звезди които съм давал в последно време . Образец за разказ , само няколко глътки въздух до последната страница , а чустваш как дъхат секва . Побиха ме тръпки сякаш аз самият седях на бреговете на езерото и попивах студеният вятър , докато гледам как малкият замък бива погълнат от прилива....

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at http://www.weylmann.com/The%20Lake.pdf

The blurb here says that Bradbury thought this--which happens to be his first professionally published--one of his best. I cannot agree; I find it flat, predictable but not fulfilling.

And for Margaret, the new bride, it's not sentimental but a horror story.

[G.G. Melies · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Y entonces hubo una joven en Sacramento y hubo palabras y besos."

Hermoso cuento, simple pero efectivo. No es ciencia ficción para los que piensan que Ray solo escribía sobre Marte o planetas lejanos. Escrito en 1942, en tan solo una hora, en el jardín de su casa, supo que por fin había escrito algo bueno debido a que lloró cuando lo terminó.

[Mariam Al Owais · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreakingly beautiful short story and one that I have re-read many times. For such a short narrative, Ray Bradbury was able to evoke strong emotions and create empathy. I urge you to read it and experience his writing.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was the girl still alive when he called her name suggesting that they build the sandcastle together? Otherwise why didn't she do it right there and then? Spooky and mysterious (maybe confounding is a better description).

[Chris Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, man. That hit me much harder than it did when I first read it as a kid.
You can read this story in several Bradbury collections, and I wholeheartedly recommend that you find one. It is in Dark Carnival, The Stories of Ray Bradbury vol.1, and The October Country.

[ʟ ɪ ʙ ɴ ɪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epítome de cerrar ciclos.

[Timothy Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another top tier short story from Bradbury

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic use of imagery

[Andrea Criscione · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Not as compelling as A Sound of Thunder, but certainly a bit unnerving.

[Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s one of those stories that took me back to my childhood back when autumn really began in September along with school. Brilliant use of authentic and vivid imagery.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very confusing and was that even an ending???? Liked the premise and writing though!