Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

QUIZ think Sam Pelloquin thinks anything at all about it,” I said. “It’s just another story to him. As for myself, I think we'll jump a hundred years ahead overnight.” “T bet old man Harris was sur- prised when the rocket crashed on his farm!” “Jimmy,” I said quietly, “what did your mother just tell you?” His face disappeared behind a slice of bread and jam. “I forgot, Dad.” After dinner I went to the bedroom to get my brief case. I was searching the top of the bureau for my security badge when Dot came in from the kitchen, dish towel still in her hand. “Out again?” “Long hours, Dot, for me as well as the other professors at the univer- sity.”> I smiled. “I guess you can put me down as working the night shift now.” “You know I’m not complaining,” she said. I found the badge and pinned it on my suit coat, then checked the contents - of my brief case. “You have to go through a lot of red tape for Security, don’t you?” She asked the question rather hesi- tantly. I zipped the leather case shut and wondered what it was she was digging for. “You know why,” I said. “‘Since they come from a civilization a lot more advanced than our own, they must know a lot about science that we don’t. Once we establish communi- cation with them—find out their language—it’s going to be one big quiz game. Naturally all the security is to see that we’re the only ones who get the answers.” “I see,” she said, staring absently at the towel in her hands. © “That wasn’t what you wanted to know, was. it?” I could almost guess 2 GAME ‘what was coming now. And all it ° proved was that Dot was just as human as the few dozen others who 33 had already asked me different versions of the same question. She gave the towel a half angry flirt and lowered her voice to the conspira- _ torial whisper we always used when we didn’t want Jimmy to hear. “I know the background,” she whispered. ‘““There’s going to be a lot of scientists asking a lot of questions. And they'll be getting the answers because those people are way ahead of us in just about everything, aren’t they? They know all about science and they should know a lot about medicine, too, shouldn’t they? You said they have the same basic metabolism that we have!’’ I nodded and waited for her to continue. . “You know Irene has cancer,”’ she said, taking the plunge. ‘“‘Maybe they even know something about that!” Irene was Dot’s sister, a case the doc- tors had labeled hopeless years ago. I waited a moment before replying, hating to promise her what wasn’t mine to promise. “They probably do, Dot. I guess they'll be asked questions like that. There are some men at the University who would like to know the same thing—for personal reasons.” She kissed me good night at the door and held me for a moment. **You’ll be right there to remind them,” she said fiercely. ‘Don’t forget!” It had started to rain a little, the drops slicking the front door stoop and making small haloes around the street lamps. I fumbled in my pockets for the. car keys and just for a second glanced up at the black sky. The aliens had come from some place up there, I thought. Strange little creatures from an unknown world who probably knew all the Conmicloooks COLA