X Minus One aired Theodore Sturgeon’s “A Saucer of Loneliness” on January 9, 1957. It appeared originally in the February 1953 issue of Galaxy. The story begins as a man rescues a young woman who has tried to drown herself near the beach where she takes long walks. As her story unfolds we learn (in flashback) how she came to such straits. Five years previously she came into contact with a small “flying saucer” which has given her a message. She resists all attempts to force her to reveal this message and is eventually jailed for a time. The military and government are worried the message may contain a warning of impending invasion, or may hold knowledge they can turn to their advantage in the making of a super weapon. The young woman is reviled and becomes an outcast to the point where she tries to end her miserable, lonely life. She finally confides the alien message to the man who has saved her. What can it possibly be that she is unwilling to reveal it to anyone–even suffering jail to preserve its message–and which eventually leads to her taking its secret to her grave?

“A Saucer of Loneliness” was adapted for television for the second incarnation of The Twilight Zone. The script was co-written by David Gerrold and Theodore Sturgeon and aired on September 27, 1986.

Listen now to Theodore Sturgeon’s classic tale “A Saucer of Loneliness,” a story guaranteed to touch your very soul.

Play Time: 28:27