Pipe Dream

"Pipe Dream" by Fritz Leiber is a science fiction and fantasy story emphasizing reality, desire, and surrealism. It tells of Simon Grue, a Greenwich Village artist intrigued by his Russian neighbors and their strange practices with Grushenka. Simon is drawn into their world when he finds a tiny mermaid-like creature in his bathtub that looks just like Grushenka. The family is secretly experimenting to develop aquatic beings, planning to use her egg to create dream-inducing creatures for profit. A storm unleashes supernatural events, blurring the line between dreams and reality and leading to a chaotic climax.