Nightfall

Nightfall Summary | Detailed Summary

The planet Lagash seems to be on the brink of a catastrophic event that will end civilization, as its inhabitants know it. Theremon 762, a young newspaperman, has spent the last two months ridiculing the Director of Saro University, Aton 77, and his fellow astronomers, in his newspaper column. Aton claims that all six of Lagash's suns will soon disappear and the planet will be plunged into total darkness. This was a baffling thought for many people. After all, at least one of Lagash's suns had always shined. Now, Theremon has come to the observatory to meet with Aton in these "final hours" with a proposition for the Astronomers.

Aton 77 is not pleased that his telephotographer, Beenay 25, for bringing Theremon 762 to their Observatory. Theremon has spent months leading a vast newspaper campaign to belittle the findings of the Astronomers. Theremon has the gall to go to the Observatory, expecting the Astronomers' cooperation in writing another story. He asks Aton to consider what if the world doesn't end? What if nothing happens? Theremon asks Aton if he has planned for the possible reaction of the public.

Theremon suggests that while people do not truly believe the end of the world is coming, the effects of the Astronomers' words have had an impact. Business has taken a nosedive. Investors are holding on to their money. And, people are waiting to buy things-just to make sure. Theremon tells Aton that anger could ignite, and sparks could fly, if the end does not come.

Aton asks Theremon what he is proposing. Theremon wants to take charge of the publicity in the event the end of the world does not occur. He would handle things so that only the ridiculous side of the matter would show. His idea being to get people laughing over "a bunch of gibbering idiots," and then maybe they would forget about being angry at being misled. In return, Theremon gets an exclusive story from Aton. Aton and his fellow Astronomers discuss the suggestion and agree. They allow Theremon to stay with the group and witness the events as they unfold.

Sheerin 501, a psychologist, from Saro University, returns to the Observatory. He had been staying at the Hideout, but decided to leave. Sheerin then tells Aton that he was bored and hot waiting in the Hideout. Besides, he wanted to see the Stars that the Cultists were forever discussing.

Theremon asks Sheerin about the Hideout. Sheerin explains that the Astronomers have convinced about three hundred staff members and their families, mostly women and children, of the world's end. These people have agreed to hide out, away from the effects of the Darkness and the Stars. They will hopefully hold out through the ending of the world and have the resources to start over. The Hideout also contains all of the records and data the Astronomers have collected regarding the upcoming catastrophe. The Astronomers hope that the records will provide answers to the next generation about the events to come.

Theremon questions Sheerin about the history of Lagash. Sheerin explains that archaeologists have found a series of nine civilizations. All had reached heights comparable to their own. All, without exception, at the very height of their culture, were destroyed. All centers of culture were thoroughly demolished by fire. No clues were ever left behind as to why.

Several explanations were suggested, but only one theory has been handed down over the centuries. It is the myth of the Stars, found in the Book of Revelations, and proclaimed by the Cultists. The Cultists believe that every two thousand and fifty years Lagash enters into a huge cave where all the suns disappear. There is total darkness over the entire world. Then, the Cultists believe Stars appear to rob men of their souls and leave them unreasoning brutes. It is these brutes that destroy the very civilizations that they worked to build.

Sheerin explains that Aton came up with the theory that there may be another non-luminous planet, similar to Lagash. If there was, it would only shine by reflected light, and that the eternal blazes of the suns would make it invisible to the naked eye. However, as the other planet orbited closer to Lagash, it would block out the suns, causing a lengthy eclipse. No part of the planet would escape its effects. This eclipse occurs once every two thousand and forty-nine years. The Astronomers vowed to take photographs of the eclipse in order to leave the next generation with a record of what happened. The hope being that the next generations would have more time to prepare before the start of the next eclipse.

Theremon wants to know how the Darkness will drive him mad. Sheerin explains that mankind has an instinctive fear of the absence of light and confined spaces. This fear is called claustrophobia. People lacking the mental resiliency to overcome these fears become hysterical and violent, ready to do harm to themselves and to others.

Theremon does not believe Sheerin. How can someone go crazy just because there isn't a sun in the sky? How does that destroy the cities? Sheerin explains that people will do anything to avoid the Darkness. More than anything else, they want light. How will they get light? The only way is to burn something. People will burn anything and everything to create the effect of light.

At this point, two fellow Astronomers, Yimot 70 and Faro 24, return to the Observatory. They were out conducting an experiment to try and see what effect the Darkness and Stars would have on them. The others ask what type of experiment? The men had purchased a building and covered it from top to bottom in black velvet. They wanted to come as close as possible to perfect Darkness. To mimic Stars, Faro and Yimot had punched tiny holes into the ceiling and roof. Then, the men had shut themselves inside and waited. The group of Astronomers asked Yaro and Faro what happened next. "Nothing," they answered. Neither man experienced any signs of madness or fear.

The group was stunned by the news. Theremon asked Sheerin what this did to his theory. Sheerin begins to respond when sudden crashing noises cause the group to run the Dome that houses their cameras and telescopes. An intruder is seen standing over a set of shattered photographic plates. Beenay quickly tackles the intruder and brings him to the ground. The intruder is a Cultist named Latimer 25. Latimer had come to stop the group from documenting the coming of the Stars. The Cultist believe that the Astronomers are putting everyone's' immortal souls at risk by not blindly following the will of the Stars.

Aton wants to call the police, but there is little time remaining. The group decides to allow Latimer to stay, after he gives an oath that he will not interfere again. Latimer gives the oath, knowing that if he breaks it, his immortal soul would be lost forever.

Sheerin and Theremon continue to talk. Theremon asks how the Cultists managed to keep the Book of Revelations through the generations. How was it written in the first place? Sheerin suggests that there are three kinds of people unaffected by the Darkness and Stars. They are the few who do not see the Stars at all. In the first group are the seriously retarded and the ones who drink themselves into a stupor at the beginning of an eclipse and remain drunk until the end. The second group is children under the age of six who still view the world as too new and strange to be frightened by Stars and Darkness. And finally, there are those people, whose minds are so extremely insensitive, that they would be scarcely affected. Sheerin suggests that it was the very young children, with fragmented memories, and the very confused, incoherent ramblings of half-mad morons, that formed the basis for the Book of Revelations.

Aton joins Sheerin and Theremon to tell them he has received a call from the Hideout. The Cultists are active in the cities. They are rousing the people of Lagash to storm the Observatory. The Cultists are promising people eternal salvation for their immortal souls. It is paramount that the group holds off the mob until they can take the final pictures. It is now a race against time.

Beenay joins Sheerin and Theremon. Beenay tells them he has a theory about the Stars. What if there are other suns in distant universes? Because the suns are so far away, they are too dim to see. The suns' light makes it impossible to view these Stars with the naked eye. But, with the darkness of the eclipse, they would appear.

As the sky grows darker, the group begins to hear noises coming from outside. The mob is making their way to the Observatory. Sheerin and Theremon run to blockade and seal all entrances to the Observatory. After they are done, Sheerin and Theremon return to the Dome to join the others. The remaining light is fading fast. The Astronomers work frantically to take the final pictures.

As the darkness finally engulfs the group, Theremon looks to the sky in awe. He is astounded by what he sees. Lagash is in the middle of thirty thousand suns shining brightly in the sky. Theremon begins to feel himself going mad. He thinks how horrible it is to know you are going mad and can do nothing about it. He screams for light, any light, but there is none. All that he hears is the crying and whimpering of Aton as he stares up at the vast number of Stars in the sky. At last, "The long night had come again."