Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

{ The iZ tiled Whoror by Donall Whandrei The only thing that holds us back from reprinting Donald Wandrei’s “The Ked Brain” is its ready availability in other anthologies. That classic story of the end of the universe and the brain that held the key to salvation was the start of Donald Wandret's career as a writer. Since then he has continued successfully, first in pulp magazines, then in other fields, including appearance in such periodicals as “Esquire.” It is from that magazine that “The Painted — Mirror’ is taken. You may therefore expect—and correctly—to find here a different sort of horror story, a really outstanding tale of a ‘magic mirror and the doom that was reflected therein. | HEN Papa Khevi moved to a new city and began again in another old shop that he had bought, Nicholas knew before he saw them that three faded golden balls would hang outside the door. It had been so nearly as long as he could remember. A year here—sell and move. Two years there—sell and move on to another shop, a different town. It had not been so when Mama Khevi lived. But of her, little Nicholas had only a vague dream that grew fainter each year. Then, long past, the three of them had dwelt in the place of strange, curious things, had always dwelt there; but after Mama Khevi died, a change came. Not many months later, Papa Khevi grew restless. He took the lad westward. And westward they went, from year to year, while Papa Khevi seemed ever more silent, with the odd, puzzled expression that troubled Nicholas showing more often in his eyes. - Like the- others, this shop flaunted an array of objects that enthralled Nicholas for days—marvelous watches, magic cameras, guns, musical instru- ments, a rack of clothing, rings and bracelets, medals, paper currency and golden foreign coins, tarnished silver plate, oil-cracked paintings, an im- mense array of articles ranging from small treasure to junk. 4 But Nicholas saw it all as treasure-trove. Each piece told a tale of adven- _ ture among the inhabitants of far places. Nicholas learned every story mere- ly by looking at the object. It-was as simple as imagination. While Papa Khevi puttered around the shop, straightening the showcases, dusting shelves, | 121 : Comicbooksico