"The Skull" is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick

Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...

, first published in 1952 in If

If (magazine)

If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...

, and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick

The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick

The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Underwood-Miller in 1987 as a five volume set. See Philip K...

. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub

Beyond Lies the Wub (collection)

Beyond Lies the Wub is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Gollancz in 1988 and reprints Volume I of The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick...

in 1988.

Plot synopsis

The plot centers around protagonist Conger, a man who is given a chance to get out of jail if he agrees to do a job: traveling back in time in order to kill a man who would later prove to change the world. Congers' target is a man who appeared in 1960 in a small town in the US, and who spawned a new religious movement which radically changed the world over the next few hundred years. Conger is given a skull from which he can identify the man, and is sent back in time in a capsule. As Conger prepares for the man's arrival, he discovers that the skull is in fact his, and he is the man who will change the world, as people around town begin to take interest in the time traveler.