Embroidery (short story)

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Embroidery is a science fiction short story by author Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in 1951 by Stadium Publishing Corp. It is included in the collection A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories (2005).

The plot of "Embroidery" follows three women (who themselves are not described) as they attempt to sew back in the world that surrounds them before it ends in an apocalyptic manner.

The story is set in America, though no real description of the location is given within the story it appears to be an isolated house surrounded by fields and meadows as is the scene in one of the womens pieces of work.

Despite the extreme shortness time makes a constant appearance within the story as the women count down to 5 o'clock at which time an experiment will occur, the results of which are unknown to the women. The constant reference of time is used to build up a climatic effect creating a sense of tension as the women await their fate.

It can be said that Bradbury is attempting to show that technology is good but that it is possible to overstep the mark and take things to far without being aware of what the consequences of the actions will be. This theme can be seen within other Bradbury stories such as "The Murderer"