The ugly little boy

Isaac Asimov first published as short story in the September 1958 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction as "Lastborn", and reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows as "The Ugly Little Boy". Robert Silverberg later adapted it as a 1992 novel of the same title.

----------

**(Spoiler Alert)**
The story deals with a Neanderthal child (Timmie) brought to the future by a somewhat callous research company (Stasis Inc.). Kept within an energy isolated field, to prevent catastrophic energy/temporal differential costs, nurse Edith Fellows is engaged to look after Timmie's basic welfare. At first repelled by the boys appearance, when the company decides to return Timmie to the past knowing his survival skills have been lost; Edith points out returning him would be a death sentence. Finally Edith enters the isolation field and deliberately triggers a breach thus returning to the past with Timmie as his mother.