Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 44 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION duced a tiny metal click. The clicks thus formed fell into a pattern. George Three was aware of this, for it was im- portant to him. Gradually the pattern of small sounds he produced would join other patterns set up down the long assembly line and an intricate little symphony of small sounds would grow. But that | needed time. The morning was still young. As he turned again to place the box into the next assem- bler’s hands George Three permitted himself the luxury of glancing at her. But he found that she was turned towards her next partner. A very slight feeling of dis- appointment passed through him. But he rejected it; there were infinitely more import- ant things... The conveyor whirled its small sound and _ brought another box into place. The box swung back and forth briefly. Three’s hands caught it and swung it down in front of him. His fingers poked the three metal parts into place rhythmically and turned. He found the girl looking at him. In the brief period before he turned away he brazenly returned her look. His heart beat at the act, for it was the first time he had ever dared a breach of the rule against personalising on the assembly line. She wore a cloth wrapped tightly around her head to hold back her long hair. Long hair was frowned upon in the factory, even for those who did not work near the machines. But Lilian Four seemed to get away with the infraction. It was a matter of comment for the members of the shift. George Three shook the train of thought from his mind. He turned back to the conveyor. He was slightly off rhythm. He speeded up a bit and the tiny metal clicks again fell into the precisely timed sequence of before. He de- posited the box into her wait- ing hands and turned without looking at her, even out of the corner of his eye. But his rhythm was still not perfect. For some reason he seemed to be resisting the process of Harmonisation that would bring the assembly line 106 conmicloooks.com