Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 53 — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

A masterpiece in miniature . . by the world’s most famous science fiction personality . . . Forrest J]. Ackerman of Hollywood THE MUTE TWINHEAD was puzzling over the old problem. *‘Do you think,” he reflected, in the queer lisp that was the heritage of his cleft tongue, “that Man could have made mutant in his own image?” His acquaintance of the twilight hour vouchsafed no opinion. The mutant’s second head arched its neck forward from the cave wall against which it rested. With its twang, characteristic of its double tongue, it argued: ““But if Man’s son, Adam, created us all with the Adam Bomb——?” “TI don’t hold with that Bomb birth story,” his opposite head lisped in negation. “‘Do you, stranger?” Still the stranger did not respond; why, it could not be directly discerned, for it was very dark in the cave. Twang-tongue declared: “‘But for Man to have made mutie in His own image, He would have had to have been a polymorph! Part of Him would have had to have been two- headed, like us, and part like our Siamese sisters and part like little Roll Ball and part like Octo-arms we met last week and part like the Centi- Feets and part like our cousin, Snaky. Why, He would have been a monster! Don’t you agree, stranger?” QUESTION In the dark recess of the cave the stranger stirred, but still no sound issued from his direction. And so this philosophical discussion of the late 1990’s stalemated itself. Then the moon’s clouded rays, slowly, as though fearful of what they might reveal, crept into the cave. The wandering shaft moved hesi- tantly up the misshapen body of Twinhead, and at last reluctantly illuminated the entire mutie. Was it an illusion, or did the face of the Man in the Moon pale? There was no man left on Earth to tell. The beam’s slow progress continued, until the second mutie too was visible. Then it became evident why this stranger did not speak. Rather, it must be put this way: It would have become evident had there been a man there with eyes to see. It remained a mystery to Twinhead for, though he had more than his share of eyes—six to be exact—they were all albino white, pupilless ovals of jellyfish flesh that failed to function, Twinhead, since birth, was blind. And the stranger—well, he was silent because... The Muties- have a proverb: Two heads are better than none. THIRTEEN Ccomiclbooks.conn