Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 44 — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION and attempted to crawl on hands and knees. But he bumped his head on the box of slats. Demoralised and frustrated, he wiped his nose, forced back a sneeze, and put his injured finger in his mouth. When he finally found the pill it had been reduced to a small pink spotch by his care- less foot. He undressed and fell into bed. He woke up face to face with the rat. Perched on the bureau top a scant three feet from his head, it observed him with wide, unblinking eyes. For a long moment George Three did not breathe. It was morning, and a morning sun sent long beams of light through a small, dingy east window. Those beams caught on the filthy grey animal’s fur and whiskers, giving it a_ weird, flaming appearance. Then George Three shud- dered in horror and clutched the thin blanket that was partly covering his body. “Go...” he choked out in a high-pitched voice. But the rat did not move. Terror gave way to a feeling of desperation. George Three shot out a hand towards his 114 shoe. He caught it up and froze. Then, an animal cun- ning rising in him, he very slowly cocked his arm. Still the animal did not move. A slight breeze shiv- ered its glowing fur slightly. A fragment of courage came to George Three. The rat was his enemy. He would now destroy it... His hand had slowly risen above his head. He tensed himself to let the shoe fly. But just then the rat let out a very slight mewing sound and toppled from the bureau top. There was a slight flop, then silence. George Three waited a moment, then rose to a sitting position where he could see the floor. The rat lay on its back, its feet twitching faintly. Quickly George Three was upon it, battering its head with frantic blows. It took many such blows to satisfy his feelings of hate and horror. When he had rendered the helpless animal a pulp of red- dened fur, he found the answer. , The rat had devoured his envelope of Tab. A bit of conmicloooks.com