"A Letter from the Clearys" is a science fiction short story by American writer Connie Willis, originally published in the July 1982 issue of the Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and later reprinted in the short story collections Fire Watch (1984) and The Best of Connie Willis (2013).
In 1983 it won the Nebula Award for best science fiction short story published in the two years prior to 1983.
"A Letter from the Clearys" starts with Lynn, a young teenage girl, and her dog making their way home through the countryside after a visit to the town's post office.
After one such attack the father's fear of returning looters led to his shooting at his daughter and killing her previous dog.
As the story closes the father is boarding up the abandoned post office as they cannot bear the possibility of finding another long-lost letter and any further reminder of how much they have lost.