“The World in Rubber, Soft and Malleable” is a 2009 science fiction short story by Aaron Polson. It is about a boy who stays behind when the rest of the world is traveling through the mysterious doors that appear in their basements.
Another Cool Million Writers Award Story
Yet again here is another story I read for this year’s Million Writers Award. This was another one that surprised me by being different than I thought it would be – especially since I initially thought the title was “The World in A Rubber, Soft and Malleable!” That would have changed things quite a bit! 
Regardless of it being about something totally different than I thought it would be, I still found it to be an enjoyable story, and it really made me wonder if I would have the guts to do what some of the people in this story did.
Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell
Andy is a 17 year old boy who lives in a town that is swiftly vanishing. The town itself isn’t vanishing, so to speak, but the people who live in it are. And where are they going you might ask? Good question – they are going through the strange doors that are appearing in everyones’ basements. There are some holdouts though, like his friend Jarrod. The two of them are taking advantage of the absense of people by spray painting the town! Tsk-tsk, typical teenagers. But the real question comes when Andy confronts his own door. Will he conform and do what everyone else is doing – or will he rebel and do his own thing? Interesting… very interesting.
Interesting Tidbits About This Story:
- Page Count: 4
- Word Count: 1,953
- Did you know that Aaron Polson was once nominated for Kansas Teacher of the Year? Yep. You can learn more about this talented author on his web site.
Where You Can Find The World in Rubber, Soft and Malleable:
- This story was originally published on September 17, 2009 in the online fiction magazine A Fly in Amber – where you can still read it for free.
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