Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 41 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION his eyes tightly to shut out sight of the horrid depths below. He started to descend, and the wind whistled in his pants legs, and blew out the skirts of his coat. “Stop!” he commanded. He realised that he now hung suspended in the air. A slight measure of calmness returned. Down, down slowly, and he felt the creeping slowness of his fall. He was far colder from his fright than from the night air, and he thought it took ages to come down, but would not hasten his rate of descent. He was startled when his foot touched ground, and though he landed lightly as a drifting feather he sank in a heap, sobbing and patting the earth of the field as though it was the most wonderful thing he’d ever touched. Later his innate common sense came to his rescue. “I’ve got to get over this fear of heights. I wasn’t in the least bit of danger, except when I got panicky. It’s plain I can go as high as I want, and safely, too, as long as I keep my head. I can’t fali, so why let myself get so scared?” 52 But he still was. “I will conquer that fear,” he told himself, and lay down on the air a few feet above ground. He closed his eyes, and there he battled it out with himself. His agoraphobia began to subside at last and he rolled over until he was face down- © ward, then opened his eyes. Slowly he made himself rise, stopping often. Then, as he gained confidence, rose higher and faster. A hundred feet, five hundred, a thousand, five, ten, twenty, on up until he was again chilled by the increasing cold. Still in the spirit of experi- mentation, he allowed himself to drop in free fall. But panic started to grip him again. “Stop! Stop!”’ he cried.... and did so, instantaneously, effortlessly. And as he lay there on noth- ing, a mile above the ground, his fear of heights left him for ever. “Man, this is wonderful!” His mood changed instantly. ‘““What’s this guy Superman got that 1 haven’t?’ The answer was a snort of derision. “‘Don’t go getting comicloooks.corn