Avon Murder Mystery Monthly No. 41 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

66 THE METAL MONSTER zation of a scene of the Dance Macabre—and yet—vastly comforting, | For here was something which was well within the range of human knowledge. It was the light about us that did it; a vibration that even as. 1 conjectured, was within the only partly explored region of the ultra- violet and the comparatively unexplored region above it. Yet there were differences, for there was none of that misty halo around the bones, the flesh which the X-rays cannot render wholly. in- visible. The skeletons stood out clean cut, with no trace of. fleshly vestments. I crept over, spoke to the two. “Don't look up yet,” I said. “Don’t open your eyes. We're going through a queer light. It has an X-ray quality. You're going to see me as a skeleton— “What?” shouted Drake. Disobeying my warning he straightened, glared at me. And disquieting as the spectacle had been before, fully understanding it as I did, I could not restrain my shudder at the nites weirdness of that skull which was his head thrusting itself toward me. The skeleton that was Ventnor turned to me; was arrested by the sight of the flitting pair ahead. I saw the fleshless jaws clamp, then opened to speak. Abruptly, upon the skeletons in ixink of the flesh dropped back. Girl and woman stood there once again robed in beauty. So swift was that transition from the grisly unreal to the normal that even to my unsuperstitious mind it smacked of necromancy. The next instant the three of us stood looking at each other, clothed once more in the flesh, and the pony no longer the steed of death, but our shaggy, patient little companion. The light had changed; the high violet had gone from it, and it was shot with yellow gleamings like fugitive sunbeams. We weré passing through a wide corridor that seerned to be unending. The yellow light grew stronger. “That light wasn’t exactly the Roentgen variety,” Drake interrupted my absorption in our surroundings. “And I hope to God it’s as different as it seemed. If it’s not we may be up against a lot of trouble.” “More trouble than we’re in?” I asked, a trifle satirically. — “X-ray burns,” he answered, “and no way to treat them in this place --if we livé to want treatment,” he ended grimly. “IT don’t think we were subjected to their action long enough—" J began, and was silent. | The corridor had opened without warning into a place for whose immensity I have no images that are adequate. It was a chamber that was vaster than ten score of the Great Hails of Karnac in one: great as that fabled hall in dread Amenti where Osiris sits throned between. ECOMC OOO (GO)