The corridor of the Fine Arts Building was deserted, save for two figures at the far end, two men approaching slowly. Rose was about to go into the classroom, where she’d left her purse, when she saw a sign on the door—a crude sign in pencil, on a ragged sheet of paper.

“Collapse of Western Civilization — Dr. Norbert Beilstein,” it said. “Visitors welcome.”

Previously unpublished, Slice of Life—about a college coed’s winter-induced dream—is an early testament to Kurt Vonnegut’s original voice and curious imagination.

Cover design by Adil Dara.