Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION chance would have gone by default. Mark squeezed past an elderly couple and halted by a mural. It showed a rolling landscape of beautiful lawn spotted with exotic flowers. Trees misted the horizon and fileecy white clouds drifted high against an azure sky. Aside from the twin suns it could have been a scene from Earth. It wasn’t; it was sup- posed to represent Deneb Five. It wasn’t representative, either, any more than a cultivated garden was repre- sentative of tropical jungles. A young couple were study- ing the mural, and Mark glanced hopefully at them. “Interested ?”” “Uh?” The boy, a vacant- faced youngster with a pimpled skin, blinked and remained silent. ““That’s Deneb Five,” said Mark cheerfully. ““Wonderful place.” ““Where’s the houses ?”’ said the girl. She was a female counterpart of the boy, her make-up, if anything, making her appear even more vacuous. Her eyes became alive as she stared at Mark, neat in his pearl-grey uniform edged with silver. She stared at him, letting her eyes drift over his craggy, unhandsome features, his shock of thick black hair, the creases of irritation be- tween his eyes. “They’re building them now,” lied Mark, and smiled warmly at her. ‘““The colonists, I mean. There is quite a large settlement now, and it’s grow- ing all the time.’”’ He became confidential. “‘Just the place for a young couple to settle down. Plenty of space, plenty of sun and air. You’d enjoy every moment of it.” “Yeah?” The boy tugged at the girl’s arm. “I guess so.” “No houses,” said the girl. © It seemed to worry her. “Hicks,” said the boy. “Who wants to live in the sticks?” He glanced at the wall clock and pulled at the girl’s arm. “‘Come on, honey, we gotta get moving. Remo’s real keen and we don’t wanta miss the opening.” “Sure,” said the girl, her eyes glued to Mark’s face. “I guess you're right.” They walked off without another word. comicloooks.conrn