Youth

"Youth" by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction novelette published in 1952. Two boys discover strange creatures they hope to train as circus animals, while nearby, an astronomer discusses a crucial meeting with aliens whose civilization faces collapse after atomic wars. When the alien visitors fail to appear, a search reveals a crashed spaceship with tiny dead occupants. The story builds toward a surprising revelation about the true nature of these mysterious beings and their home world.

Youth, by Isaac Asimov. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #31547.