A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, December 1949 — page 34: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

pA WE. “i... yt iW Ne Sy vy Yo! i 7 ok , AWS ME al ae Lee) oY “ter ae <a If I looked down at the of me. Always.at the same distance. When I looked up—there was nothing. The shadow was sharper than it had heen the night before. I thought it was the shadow of a woman. And suddenly I realized-that the whispering voice had been that of a woman.’ : “He went straight to his room. He passed the door. He looked down and saw the shadow still those two paces before him. He stepped swiftly back and into the room, closing the door and locking it. He switched on the lights and stood with his ear against the door. He said, ‘I heard some one, something, laughing. The same voice that had whispered.’ And then he heard it whisper—‘I will watch outside your door tonight .. . tonight . . . tonight.’ He listened with that same alien mixture of horror and desire. He lusted to throw open the door, but the loathing held back _ his hand. He said: _.“‘T kept the lights on. But the thing ~~ did what it had promised. It watched all night at my door. It wasn’t quiet, though. It danced .. . I couldn’t see it, but I know it danced .,. . out there in the hall. It danced and weaved .. . right to left... _ left to right and back again and again... danced and weaved till dawn outside my door .. . weaving . . . my shroud, Bill . g.’ “TI said: ‘You’re not going back to your house. You’re going to live at the Club until I’ve gotten my reports. Then, no matter what they show, you're going to hop on a boat and take a long trip.’ “He shook his head : ‘I’ve got to go back to the house, Bill.’. “T asked: ‘Why, for God’s sake? “He hesitated, puzzled distress on his face ; he said: ‘I don’t know. But I’ve got to.’ “TI said, firmly: ‘You stay here with me tonight, and tomorrow you hop on a boat. To anywhere. I'll let you know about the tests and do my prescribing by radio.’ “He replied, still with that same puzzled A. MERRITT’S FANTASY ____ He stood for a few moments fighting for _ control. Then he walked in, took off hat ____and topcoat, and started for the stairs. He Said, ‘I happened to look down, and over ___ the top of my eyes I saw a shadow gliding along about six feet ahead of me. I raised ‘my eyes and it vanished. I went slowly up the stairs. ____ steps I could see the shadow flitting ahead look: ‘I can’t go away now. The fact is ... he hesitated .. . ‘the fact is, Bill... I’ve met a girl... a woman... I can’t’ leave’ her.’ ”’ ~ Dr. Lowell said, sharply: ‘You told me nothing of that, Dr. Bennett. He said nothing more to you than that? That he could not tell vou anything more about this woman? That he did not know why —but he could not?” Bill said: ‘“That—and no more.” Helen said, coldly: “What amuses you so, Demoiselle? I do not find any- thing in all this that is humorous.” I looked at the Demoiselle. The little orchid sparks were alive in her eyes, her red lips smiling—and cruel. | : CHAPTER 6 Kiss of the Shadow SAID: “The Demoiselle is a true | artist.” There was a small, tense silence around the table. De Keradel broke it harshly : : “Exactly what do you mean by that, Dr. Caranac?”’ I smiled: “All true artists are pleased when art attains excellence. Storytelling is an art. Dr. Bennett was telling his per- fectly. Therefore, your daughter, a true artist, was pleased. A perfect syllogism. Is it not true, Demoiselle ?’’ She answered, quietly : “You have said it.’”’. But she was no | longer smiling, and her eyes said some- | thing else. So did de Keradel’s. Before he could speak, I said: “Only tribute from one artist to an-. other, Helen. Go on, Bill.” Bill went on, quickly: “T sat and reasoned with him. Betimes, I gave him several stiff drinks. I related some famous cases of hallucination— Paganini, the great violinist, who at times thought he saw a shadowy woman in white stand beside him playing her violin while he played his. Leonardo da Vinci, who thought he saw and spoke with the shade of Chiron, wisest of all the Centaurs, who tutored the youthful Aesculapius—dozens of smiliar instances. I told him he had be- come a companion of men of genius and _ that it was probably a sign of something like that breaking out on him. After oO comicbooks:. ol