The Possessed (short story)


"The Possessed" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1953.

Plot summary

A swarm of disembodied aliens, whose home world was destroyed, are in search of an animal species which they can inhabit and guide to intelligence. Finding a promising reptilian species on one planet, some of their number remain while the rest continue the search. Those who remain return each year to a certain location on the planet's surface, in case the swarm returns, and they continue to seek out this place even millions of years after it sinks into the planet's ocean. The end reveals the fate of these aliens and their hosts.

Publication history

The story appears in the following collections.