Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 51 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION man; he brought up a weapon shaped like an electric torch. A beam flashed out, caught the intruder and devoured it. There was a smell of burnt flesh. “I’m coming up,” said the small man and mounted the ladder. Peters looked doubtfully at Forman. “Think we should let him in? I can’t say I like the look of that super blow- torch he’s carrying.” “We need information. Besides, there are two of us.” The small man came through the door. He had a fringe of beard about his jaw and mud on his boots. “Let me introduce myself,”’ he began. ““My name is Jon Pol, and I am a scientist from the twenty-second century.” PETERS TOOK A LONG BREATH. ““Now I’ve heard every- thing!” ““Not quite,” said Jon Pol. “To begin with, during what time period did your journey commence?” “Nineteen hundred and seventy three anno domini. It 78 was a beautiful summer day and ours was to be the first manned spaceship to circle the moon. Since when we’ve consorted with witches and knights who collect spaceships for a hobby.” Jon Pol made a clicking noise with his teeth. “Interesting,” he commen- ted and took out a pad and scribbled something in it with a silver-tipped stylus. “You are now in Earth’s jurassic period. I strongly advise you to go no further.” “We'll take your advice. Just tell us how to get back to the point we started from.” “Tmpossible,”’ said Jon Pol. Forman wiped sweat from his forehead and croaked: “‘What do you mean by that?” “It is impossible to go back to the point you started from. Time travel works in one direction only——”’ “Time travel!’’ Peters ex- ploded. “‘We’re supposed to be travelling through space.” Jon Pol gave an almost imperceptible shrug of his shoulders. commicloooks.com