So, this week I’m going to talk about a fun, cheery little story by Ray Bradbury called “The Veldt.”

Spoiler: the story is neither fun nor cheery.

We start off with George and Lydia Hadley, who live in what can best be described as a smart house with their children, Peter and Wendy. This house does literally everything for them, from cooking their meals to brushing their teeth and tying their shoes. The most important aspect of the house, however, is their child’s playroom/nursery, which can project basically anything that they can think of.

George and Lydia are a bit concerned about this, however, as the room seems to be projecting the African veldt, complete with vultures and lions eating something unidentifiable. The screams coming from the room are a little creepy to.

One day, while they’re checking out the room, they get the lion’s attention and run out of the room by instinct despite the lions not being able to hurt them. While outside, Lydia asks him to lock the nursery for a few days. George, remembering the kids’ tantrum the last time they did this, is reluctant but agrees. Lydia then suggests that they shut down the house and take a vacation for a while, reasoning both their nerves and that the home is making her feel useless as a wife an mother since it does everything for them.

Remember, this story was written in the 1950s.

Anyway, George concedes, and agrees that maybe some time away will do them some good.

Later that night, George and Lydia wait for their kids to get home from a carnival. While they’re waiting, George decides to head into the nursery, which is still in veldt mode. He tries to change it to literally anything else, but it won’t let him. Lydia tells him that it’s possible that they tampered with it somehow, since they, especially Peter, are very smart.

This chat is interrupted, however, when Peter and Wendy return. George confronts them about their little Africa simulation, but the deny coming up with it and head towards the nursery. The parents follow, but instead of the veldt they see a forest. George sends them to bed, but finds something on the floor that gives him some pause: one of his old wallets, with blood on it. He leaves and locks up the room.

Later that night, George and Lydia discuss the situation further. They decide that, in addition to shutting down the nursery and heading out, they should bring in a psychologist. While they’re talking, they realize the kids have broken into the nursery when they hear roars and very familiar screams. Needless to say, they don’t sleep very well that night.

Later, Peter and George have a discussion. Peter asks him if he’s really planning to shut down the nursery. George says they’re considering this, as well as going on a vacation away from the home. Peter tells him that he should stop considering it, before walking away. Which isn’t ominous at all.

Then comes a visit from the aforementioned psychologist, one David McClean. They talk and George takes David to the nursery. While there David asks if they may be lashing out because they were told no recently. George says that they were denied a trip to New York, and that they did threaten lock up the nursery about a month ago to get them to do their homework. David basically tells him that they should definitely lock up the nursery and send them to counseling, since they seem to be having a lot of trouble dealing with being told no.

The room is starting to freak both of them out, and they decide to leave. Before they leave, however, they find one of Lydia’s scarves, bloodied and torn. After leaving, they go to the breaker that powers the nursery and turn it off.

The children respond to this with good grace. I’m kidding, they throw a temper tantrum and start throwing shit. This causes Lydia to tell George to let them have one last hurrah in nursery before they leave. George says no and goes to turn off the rest of the house. He comes back, and this time a combination of the kids’ whining and Lydia’s insistence causes him to relent and let them play in there for one minute.

The two parents discuss their impending trip to Iowa, but eventually realize that the kids have been awfully quiet. They decide to go check on them, but find the nursery empty. This is when the kids lock them in the room. Then the lions start circling, and we get this absolutely terrifying banger of a line:

And suddenly they realized why those other screams sounded familiar.

Some time later, David comes back to the house with the parents nowhere to be seen. He enters the nursery and finds Wendy and Peter. Oh, and the lions having a nice little snack. He asks the children where their parents are, and Peter cheerfully tells him that they should be there soon. Wendy offers him a cup of tea as David, with increasing horror, realizes what’s happened.

The kids committed parricide by lion, in case it wasn’t obvious.

This story is very clearly about technology, and our relationship with it. Only it’s less in a “luxury space communism” sense, and more a “Thomas Edison was a witch” sense. The characters feel a kind of disconnect, which can be seen when Lydia talks about the house taking over what should be her role. The children are especially disconnected, since they’re so attached to the fantasy worlds created by the nursery that they’re willing to kill to keep it.

The fact that they’re spoiled brats doesn’t really help, either.