The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl

Infobox short story
name = The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl
author = Ray Bradbury
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = crime short story
published_in = "Detective Book Magazine"
publication_type = magazine
publisher =
media_type = Print
pub_date = November, 1948

"The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" is a short story by Ray Bradbury. The story was also published as "Touch and Go" in EQMM in January 1953.

Plot summary

Mr. Acton begins the story standing over the body of Mr. Huxley, whom he has just killed. While attempting to cover up his tracks, he has flashbacks of his encounters with Mr. Huxley, with whom he is having an altercation over a woman. These flashbacks reveal to the murderer that there are more and more of his fingerprints all over the man's house, because he thought that he had touched so many different objects. His frenzy to remove all of the evidence distracts him from his actual objective, to get away with the crime, and he is eventually caught after polishing the entire house.

References

*cite web
last = Contento
first = William G.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections, Combined Edition
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.locusmag.com/index/s88.htm#A1827
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-26

Publication history

The story was included in the several of Bradbury's short story collections:
* The Golden Apples of the Sun, 1953
* The Vintage Bradbury, 1965
* Twice 22, 1966