Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was considered one of the “Big Three” writers of twentieth-century science fiction, alongside Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. His short story, "The Sentinel", was first published in the Spring 1951 issue of 10 Story Fantasy under the title, "Sentinel of Eternity". It was subsequently published as part of the short story collections, Expedition to Earth and The Nine Billion Names of God. It is perhaps best remembered now as being the inspiration and starting point for the 1968 novel and film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. We’re building a digital archive of short fiction forms from the classic, golden age, and pulp fiction era of science fiction and fantasy: a central repository of out-of-print stories of three thousand words or less. You can read Clarke's original story on our website, along with the rest of the flash fiction and short stories featured in our videos. For more information, go to www.cyborgink.com.