Forbidden Worlds #48

Jeff Thompson thought he'd found the adventure of a lifetime when he signed on as a lab assistant on a remote South Pacific atoll—until he met the temperamental Professor Myatt and his equally strong-willed daughter Gloria, who are secretly building the Earth-Worm, a revolutionary burrowing device meant to explore the deep underearth through a nearby volcanic crater. When the military arrives to test a hydrogen bomb on the island, the Myatts see their chance to launch their dangerous expedition before evacuation—but Jeff must decide whether to stop them or join them on a descent into unknown depths.

Two brothers inherit their father's fortune in vastly unequal measure—along with an ancient family ring said to bring good luck to the deserving—and as their lives diverge sharply, the younger, Jack, finds his scientific pursuits flourishing while the older, Alfred, squanders his wealth. When Alfred's desperation leads him to steal the ring in the dead of night, he sets in motion a chain of events that neither brother could have foreseen, testing whether luck truly belongs to those who possess the token or to those who deserve it. "The Good Luck Ring!" explores how obsession with fortune can blind us to what we already have.

Dr. Orin Blakely, curator of the Institute of Psychic Research, explores the origins of one of the world's most common superstitions: why walking under a ladder is believed to bring bad luck. Through a series of historical scenarios—from cave dwellers fending off sneaky enemies to drunk English householders stumbling home—Blakely traces how this folk belief may have taken root in our collective memory. It's a clever look at how superstitions aren't born from thin air, but from real dangers and mishaps that got passed down through the ages.

Eric Fenn, a brilliant young engineer at a toy corporation, finally brings his creation—a tiny mechanical marvel called Peter Plastic—to life when lightning strikes his home during a violent storm, but the newly animate toy proves dangerously unpredictable and destructive. As panic spreads across the city and authorities hunt the electrical being, Peter approaches Fenn with a startling request: build him a companion, or face dire consequences. Now Fenn must decide whether to comply with the creature's demand or find another way to stop the threat he's unwittingly unleashed.