Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 67: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION reason in the entire world why he should walk out on them, and they were right. As right as Mrs. Johnson had been; as a thousand other men and women were, and yet mere rightness did not prevent mysterious disappearances. And yet they mourned those who had walked out on their business and who had never returned. Would never return. Could never return? He groaned in the darkness and one question of relative im- portance gave way to one of paramount importance. Why was he here? He was still thinking about itwhen the lights flashed on and a scattering of reeds fell with a soggy thud to the floor. Immediately the people awoke and began to move. Some rested for a_ while, only to shriek with pain and fear, and stagger to their feet. Jud moaned, sat up, and Sam tore open one of the new- dropped reeds and thrust a mass of the red pulp against the thin man’s lips. 66 “Wake up, Jud. Eat this— and talk.” “Yes.” His sleep, short as it had been, had done the man good, and as he stared at Sam his eyes had lost most of their glaze. He swallowed and tried to smile. *““My name is...” “I know your name,”’ Sam interrupted. “‘I know all about you. Just answer my questions.” Yee zi: ‘Tell me. How did you get here?” “T don’t know.” Johnson frowned as he ate the red pulp. “I’d just bought my paper, The Tribune, you know, and was crossing the street when, all of a sudden, I was in here.” “I see. That was ten days ago then, maybe eleven now.” He looked at the man, remem- bering his choice of reading material, and fighting his own impatience to drag the in- formation out of the elderly clerk. ““What do you know about this place?” **Nothing.”’ comicloooks.com