This chilling story by Ray Bradbury involves an inattentive mother, a feisty seven-year-old girl, and her imaginary friend Drill. Throughout most of the story, the girl leads her friends in a construction game following instructions she receives from Drill. Her mother later learns that groups of similar-aged children across America are playing the same game. Its name is “Invasion”, and for her the climax comes in a single word: Peekaboo. The major theme of the story is complacency. The mother senses something is wrong, but doesn’t act until too late. Other themes: human smugness (We’re impregnable!), child innocence/impressionability, manipulation/reward, violence.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (3,100 words)
Video Version
This is an episode from Season 5 of the Ray Bradbury Theater TV series. It was first aired in January, 1992 and includes a personal introduction by Bradbury himself. It follows the original remarkably closely, and doesn’t add any “fillers” to confuse the story. Watch and enjoy!