Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 41 — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

* THE CENSORS easiness that their ten-year- old son caused them. Their son... The alarm that sang through the High Predictor’s aged mind struck a resonance in the mind of the Acolyte. _ “What is it? What is wrong?” “The son. He is conscious. He knows!” They seemed to be looking into the boy’s eyes, and they knew at once that he saw them—saw into them. For a moment they felt the greedy probing of his consciousness as it reached out for theirs and robbed them . . . and then, swiftly, they withdrew. ‘“He must be eliminated,” said the Acolyte, decisively. “IT am afraid that is so,” said the High Predictor. “I committed a great mistake. It must be rectified at once.” He brooded over the scene that had once given him so much delight. Then he sum- moned his energies, gravely requested the Acolyte’s help, and suddenly drove down with all his force into the boy’s mind. Russ was on the flat roof of the house, peering over at the path below. He would 111 lean too far, go down, head first. You will lean over, lean over a bit more, push away slightly with your feet... And in their minds they heard his laughter. He thrust away their suggestions, effortlessly. “His parents!” said the Acolyte. ““We must influence his parents so that they kill hin .s “To lead one member of a race into crime against another is against our laws.” “In an emergency ” “Even in an emergency we cannot fly in the face of such a law. And I can assure you now, my son, that it would be a fruitless endeavour. The boy is aware of us, and will evade us. We have always known that for anyone to know of our presence would be to overthrow our power.”’ - The Acolyte became angry. The High Predictor had reached the end of his term of office and could surely be defied now. “If you refuse to act, what will happen?’’ snapped the Acolyte. “IT have no doubt,” re- conmmcloooks.comn