The Veldt's Hunger

This smart house nursery reads kids' minds and creates whatever they imagine. But George's children

only think about one thing. African veldt. Lions. Heat.

Death. For months now, the walls project the same scene. George finds his

bloody wallet in a lion's mouth. His wife's scarf torn on the ground. The psychologist

warns them to shut it down immediately. The kids are thinking about killing you, he says.

But when George tries to lock the nursery, his children beg for one last minute

inside. He agrees. The door slams shut. The lions weren't projections anymore.

They were real. And very hungry.