Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 46 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION both don’t mind my talking to you like this?” It wasn’tso much anapology for intruding, as a simple statement of fact. Patrick looked at his face closely, thinking that perhaps he’d seen him somewhere before. With something of a shock he realised that he had seen him before; it had been there, in that same canteen, quite fre- quently, sitting alone in a corner and not talking to anyone, yet, somehow, not seeming lonely or different from the usual clientele. “J just happened to be sitting over there’—the man gestured vaguely with his thumb“‘—and I saw what you were doing.” Patrick sucked in his breath. He’d been certain that there’d been no one near enough to see them. Certain! “One day,”’ the man con- tinued, “‘you might need help because of——” he waved briefly at the sppon, “‘—be- cause of things like that. If you ever do, either of you, then look me up.”’ He looked at them both very steadily, very calmly. Patrick swallowed. His throat had gone dry and his body had stiffened and tight- ened up from the moment the man had started speaking. 40 He’d been so sure that there had been no one watching them that his initial surprise had prevented him from pay- ing attention to what the stranger had said. He blinked. ““Need help ?” hesaid, vaguely. The old man nodded. “You might do,’ he said. ‘‘Never can tell. Being able to do things like that there trick with the spoon won’t make you popular, you know. May- be there’ll come a time when you'll need advice or some- thing. If you ever do, either of you,” his eyes flicked to the girl, “‘the name’s Whittam. George Whittam, 1495, Level. Four.” He shook his head when he saw Patrick reaching into the pocket of his cover- all. ““No, don’t write it down. Just keep it in your head. One four nine five, Level Four. And you can both forget you ever saw me—unless you need that help I was talking about.” *“One four nine five, Level Four,’ Patrick repeated. “That’s right.” The man put his hand briefly on Pat- rick’s shoulder as he moved away, pressing it with friendly strength. And then he was gone. Awareness of the place and the time and the situation returned gradually to Patrick, like water seeping slowly up comiclooks.corn