The short story “The Veld” by Ray Bradbury was published in 1951. The dystopian focuses on a family and their two children, who become too attached to their magical nursery wherein everything they think becomes near-real life. The story touches upon themes such as virtual realities, the dependence on technology and dysfunctioning families.

One of the themes explored in the short story is the notion of virtual realities. The children, Wendy and Peter, spend most of their time in the nursery, where their thoughts become to life. The psychologist, David McClean, tells the father what the room was intended for and what it has turned into. “One of the original uses of these nurseries was so that we could study the patterns left on the wall by the child’s mind, study at our leisure and help the child. In this care, however, the room has become a channel toward – destructive thoughts, instead of a release away from them.” (p. 25). The children’s names are references to the main characters of the fairy tale Peter Pan, where Peter and Wendy live in a fantastical world called Neverland that is a creation of their minds. In the same way in the “The Veld” the interactive nursery becomes their Neverland as the children use the room to escape to the African veld they have envisioned for so long. The significance of the room being called a nursery is also vital. Traditionally, a nursery is where small children and infants are taken care of by their parents and in the short story, the love the children have for their nursery surpasses their love for their parents, as their virtual reality has become everything they could ever want.

The family structure in the house is dysfunctional. The children are rude, disobedient and Peter even insults and threatens his father. The parents’ negligence and carelessness combined with the spoiled children’s’ excessive freedom and