Authentic Science Fiction, December 1951 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

THE MOON tS HEAVEN 27 ratio to be made. You reckon that’s good. You’d agree with anyone about anything if only they’d stop this crush- ing. And then, very rapidly, it gets less. You -realise the automatic timed direction rocket -must have been fired minutes ago. The ship has turned and slowed. Suddenly a swift, cold panic hits you. The crushing has been completely gone and it seems to have taken your weight with it. You feel bodyless, insubstantial. But understand- ing comes and you smile at this, your first experience of free-fall. Atah’s voice rolls through the cabin, still cheery, still con- fident that all’s well. “You can get up when you like everybody. Take it easy to begin with. Don’t bump your heads!’’ You bring your fingers down on the release buttons. and feel the clasps open. Gripping the mattress with both hands, you gingerly swing your legs round. They seem to want to go a lot farther than you meant them to. Yet when you try to stop them, they rush back and hit the wall. Muscular co-ordination has got to be learnt all over again. Finally you manage to sit up. Atah is floating around the pilot, chatting about the course and suchlike things. The others are sitting up like you, staring a little scaredly around them—except Reina. She is sitting cross-legged in the geometric centre of the cabin, with no support whatever, and looking mighty pleased with herself. She gives you a taunt- ing grin. ‘Lot of people said that women wouldn’t make out very well in free-fall, Mike, didn’t they? Looks like they were wrong, eh?’’ ‘‘ Wait until you get on to the Moon, my lady. See how you like it then!’’ You shoot out a hand so as to point to her. The action iifts you right off the mattress and carries you across space and bumps you into her. You both move off in two new comicbooks.com