Astounding Stories #31

Jo, a quiet scientist, never expected his latest invention—a telepathy-enhancing pill—to be the key to his own rescue. When a pair of thieves break into his lab, mistaking his sealed device for a simple box, they trigger a chain of events that leads to an unexpected connection between mind and police. Written by an unknown hand, the story unfolds with eerie precision, turning a simple theft into something far more unsettling.

In "Where There's Smoke..." from Astounding Stories #31 (1968), Jo discovers a mysterious tobacco blend that turns his dreams into reality—until his wife sells a pouch to a customer whose nightmare reveals a terrifying secret tied to the seller’s past.

In "The Thing Called Metallo!, Part One," a fugitive in a radiation-proof suit—posing as a lab technician—unwittingly unleashes a dangerous transformation after discovering the suit’s true power. As he turns to crime, the realization that his own illness demands constant radiation exposure forces him into a desperate, sealed existence.

In "Don't Turn Around!" from Astounding Stories #31 (1968), a scientist's experimental device meant to summon people from the past seems to have failed—until it inadvertently drives off two intruders who were about to rob him while he lay unconscious. The story quietly builds on the tension of isolation and unintended consequences, leaving the full impact of the invention’s true effect lingering in the air.