Henry Bemis, a bank clerk, just wanted to read, his favorite pastime. Wanting to talk about what he was reading, Mr. Bemis’ boss, bank customers, and even his wife just didn’t understand. So he would lock himself in the bank vault during lunch time, with newspaper tucked under his arm. While in there, an explosion happens (barely noticeable, the newspaper headline had said “H-BOMB C…). Picking himself up after being knocked off his chair, he ventures out of the vault. Total destruction. The bank, his town…all rubble. He finds the remnants of a grocery store and feels reassured he can survive but as he wanders through the ruins, despair starts to set in…until he sees the sprawling steps of the public library. Books tumbled down the steps. With excitement, he starts stacking his favorite novels in the world…January, February, March…Time Enough at Last he says dreamily as he notices the Library Clock…but once he sits and reaches for his FIRST book to read, his glasses fall from his face and the lenses crack. By far one of the most eerie endings on film.
