Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 44 — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION chief. Then, turning back to George Three, he said: “Snap out of it, Addict. What you doin’ up there?” George Three was silent. He had barely understood what they were asking. His head was slowly clearing. Behind the three men he saw buildings along a narrow street. There were a few shuffling hulks of men and women on the side- walk. Two or three of them were looking down at him, their haunted faces twisted into a weird kind of. . . pity. ““Nudge him a little,’’ said the chief. A stab of pain struck him in the chest. Buckets of water again brought him from dark depths. “Hey!” growled the chief, straightening up. “Get back there you!” He was waving his arms at the growing crowd of ragged people who had stopped on the sidewalk. “Get back or ll run you in.” George Three caught a glimpse of an arm being extended. ““Hey!”’ The angry chief was nearly pushed off his feet. - Suddenly a tight circle of humanity formed around 140 George Three and the police- men, It tightened. One policeman drew a gun. He fired quickly and two gaunt figures went down with short screams. He was about to fire again when a thin hand de- scended likea knifeon his wrist. The milling crowd closed in with angry grumbles. The heavy bulk of the police chief fell convulsing. on top of George Three... The circle of many-coloured lights grew out of the intense black. It grew periodically to great brightness and then dimmed almost to invisibility. George Three concentrated upon it, strove to hold and have the beautiful object, be it real or phantom. Under his concentration it grew. The circle gradually re- solved itself, its outlines still some what fuzzy. But then, to George Three’s horror, the circle seemed to break. Long black cracks coursed through its coloured surface. He tried to prevent them. But he could not. ; Now the cracks seemed to mark off boundaries within the circle, each enclosed area comicloooks.conn