Authentic Science Fiction, December 1951 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

28 THE MOON IS HEAVEN directions like a couple of billiard balls, wile laughing all the while. Atah swings round gently, a soft smile on his face. “‘ Grap a strap, you two. I don’t want to spoil your fun in free fall, but don’t let it go to your heads, will you?”’ You suddenly feel very foolish, even though you know that Atah didn’t mean it that way. A strap looms up in front of you and you grab it. You are now half-way up the wall. Looking around, you see that Reina is way up on the ceiling. The whole thing strikes you as being quite ridiculous. - Hand over hand, you pull yourself down and back to your mattress. But when you try to lie on it you find you can’t. Each time your body hits it you bounce back with the reaction and hover in the air just above it. You decide to stay there. It’s as good a place as anywhere else. Atah has been doing a bit of juggling with his instruments. Taking bearings on various things. He’ gives the pilot a gentle pat on the back and grins round at you. ‘Dead on’ course,’’ he says. ‘‘ Not bad at all. I ex- pected a small error. Now we-won’t have to correct for it. That'll give us all the more fuel for reducing velocity on landing.”’ That’s fine, you think. But it won’t be for some time yet. It’s going to take about eighty-three hours to get to the neutral point between Earth and Moon. And that’s quite a while when there’s nothing to do but float about like a departed spirit. Then Leeson comes to the rescue. He dives a hand in his pocket without taking his eyes off the dials and screens, and brings out a small package. ‘ Surprise for you chaps,’’ he says, and you can feel him grinning. ,‘‘ Something to while away the time.”’ The small package comes sailing through the air towards you. You reach out and pluck it. You miss it and have to watch it go whizzing by. Then, strangely enough, it comicbooks.com