Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 44 — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION he stared at the large and ugly automatic the reporter produced from his coveralls. Curry knew he had to be the first man on the moon. That was why he’d gone on living when it would have been easier to have died. But could he expect this maniac to understand? Appealing to the man’s emotions ap- peared an impossibly slender. chance. He pulled a small, jagged piece of metal from his cover- all pocket and held it up so that Steve could see it. It was black and stained. “Do you know what that is, Steve?” **No.”’ “It’s a piece from the casing of an A-4 rocket. What we called the V-2. I was ten years old when the rescue men gave it to me. Even though some of its meaning has been dulied by time, I still carry it. Especially now, on the first rocket to the moon.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,’’ Steve said roughly. “Imagine a young boy, everything he had, and every- body he had, suddenly smashed and gone, annihilated in the fire of a rocket weapon. How would he feel about 60 rockets? You, how would you have felt? I know. And that’s what everybody seemed to expect of me.” Curry was gripping the piece of metal so that its jagged edges deeply indented his skin. “Everybody ex- pected me to hate because my parents had been killed. They couldn’t see it any other way. I saw only that the great possibilities in rocketry had so far not had a chance. I worked and studied. Slaved my guts out. Have you lived for a year on a stale bun for dinner each day, so you could buy more text- books? Worked half the night in an.icy room because you couldn’t afford to light the fire? And on top of all that have people call you crazy because you had rockets in your head and a dream in your eye?” “Sob stuff.’ Steve’s thin lips curled back from _ yel- lowed teeth and his face was bleak and bitter. ““Wouldn’t make a column inch of copy. I know——” “So okay. But that’s a little of the reason why you won’t be the first man on the moon.” “You’re not the only guy who’s worked for this moment, comiclooks.conrn