Authentic Science Fiction, No. 23 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

42 THE SINGING SPHERES But Fuzzy-bubble swore that their holy relic’s truth had | “To the farthest reaches of — been corroborated every time. memory,” he said, “the events it depicts have come true.” The entire affair began to give me the creeps. even less when he explained how the apparatus worked. “In the days of the Wise Ones, it is said, they looked into the future over several years. With our present depleted popula- tion we dare not afford such expenditure—therefore the cere- monies ate limited. A thousand lives are all that can be spared tomorrow—” My spine tingled coldly with horror and I began to sweat again. Was this what Makkub had meant? Fuzzy-bubble caught something’of my reaction and seemed surprised. first rebuke I had known him utter. chosen to operate the Machine of Revelation. There will be no lack of volunteers—many will be turned disappointed ~ away. Even when the Wise Ones demanded countless mil- lions, many more were prepared to make the sacrifice than were needed.” “Well,” I said, helplessly. “If you put it that way—’’ After which I tried to find out something more about the machine. The difficulty, as I saw it, lay in what might be described as “focusing” the thing. Apparently it presented glimpses of future events in a series of disjointed pictures, © which, in Hartnell’s words, were ‘“‘apt to dodge about a bit.” Focusing was therefore necessary in four dimensions—length and breadth, to provide single-plane illustrations; depth, to’ determine the point on the planet’s surface where these events were due to take place; and, finally, in time. I could well believe that manipulation might prove tricky. And all the while this fantastic apparatus must be fed with concentrated force from living sacrifices. At last Fuzzy-bubble departed, announcing that in the hour before dawn he would call to escort us. Hartnell yawned and looked at his watch. Doesn’t seem much else we can do.” But I remained awake a long time. If, in that moment, young Hartnell had known what sort of pictures the Machine of Revelation was due to produce, I don’t think he would © have got much sleep, either. I liked it © “You should not pity them,” he said, with the | “Tt is an honour to be ~ ( “Another four hours I make it, Pop. I’m going to catch up some sleep. | CHAPTER SEVEN 6¢ v | We Who Die Salute the Wise Ones!” E awoke in the darkness to see Fuzzy-bubble hovering | like a ghostly purple disc some few feet away. I wie on the Mattus. “Come,” he said. “It is almost ‘ime, | | Hartnell Sat up on the curved floor, rubbing himself rue- er z I Me slept in ote comfortable places than this, Pop.” ope there’s nothing strenuous on the programme.” sai ne “My back’s absolutely numb—” oe "eae ine was, too, but we couldn’t spare the delay of mosis and groaning. “Let’s get tevin ya e progressed slowly through those pitch-black . ; ? c ; shaped tunnels, guided by Fuzzy-bubble’s dim radinnee Sou he told me, “we shall reach the research labora- I raised my eyebrows. That’s a new one,” said Hartnell. researching after?” The sphere’s reply was suitabl i ably solemn. “There is onl on bien pg paterests the rulers and the people of eae on—methods of increasing the populati j ony race from extinction.” — POR an mAS Reiare ery much tempted to remark that throwin é at tl g away a thou- sand inhabitants because of Makkub’s idle sumosite ulate help the situation a lot, I decided to stay silent. ae a while, Fuzzy-bubble said: “Now we arrive. I can ee ain nothing to you of what proceeds, save that our chemists try to solve the secret of life—how it is possible for our people to spring forth from one particular basin of rock While other basins, exactly similar, produce nothing. Once tad problem is ares our difficulties are ended. ere was something else to keep quiet about, for biologist . 7 } ”, s Cr veRant the mts universe had devoted their bears for -enturies to such a quest. As with the singing s ~ doon, they had nothing to report. Ee oe Now the caverns became more elongated, and for the first “What are they busy 43 GEomilcbooks.co