Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 65 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

THE RELUCTANT DEATH and hammers and its insides all clacking and busy. I was nearly sick.” The fifth councillor growled into his white beard: ‘““There seems little enough to say. And we have no time to waste.” **No,” agreed Jal, a little puzzled. “‘But he is a strange | Mailston shivered. “It’s not real!’ he protested, his eyes screwed up as if to shut out the violation of his existence. “It’s not!” “Kill him quickly,” de- manded the fifth councillor quietly. An envoy ran from a distant door and whispered quick frightened words in the ear of the Councillor Supreme. ‘“‘Hallana Valley taken,” announced the Councillor. “Enemy forces advancing in this direction.” Seven faces glowered. “I know you!” screamed Mailston, pressing his hands hard against his face. ““The human race was wiped out— 47 the leaders said it would be— but you couldn’t accept it. Oh, no. You, you dead things, you created yourselves! You’re just a twist in the universe, a fallacy created in your own dead minds. You’re a mistake!” The councillors rose in chorus. Every man in the hall was still. Perhaps the lights dimmed a little. “And you knew you couldn’t ever beat the Mhalro,”’ continued the fren- zied Mailston. ““So you made them inferior to what they really are. But you can’t ever beat them anyway, you fools! Because of your inferiority complex!”’ As the universe rectified the mistake under the force of its realisation, and the hall and the little world outside began to disappear like smoke, Mail- ston realised that he, too, had become part of the error. A little belatedly, he felt the power of the electrified cable scorch through him, and the extra few hours of life he had stolen ceased to have been. comicloooks.conm