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O.orCash endosed.~}~~~~~~~~~~~l1)W~~r~~~1l)r#~.t~~~~~~~~~isFICTION published bi-monthly by Super ScienceOffice of publication Charlton Bldg., Derby. Conn.Appl'iaation for entry as Second Class Matter pending at the Post OfficeDerby, Conn. Copyright 1952 by Super Science Fiction Publisners. Inc.in U:S.A.) Single copies 25 cents; annual subscription $1.50.For Advertising Information ContactPU BLISH ERS REPRESENTATIVESTimes Bldg., Times Square, New York 18, N. Y.PROFESSOR Augo Zurow dronedand on, like the bees that bumbledand out the windows overlookingSquare. His class in ancientlistened patiently, Ilone takingnotes. This was considered a "snap"course at Midhattan Extension College.Zurow's exam questions only concern-dry facts and fixed dates, neverpersonal digTiessions as he offeredwhile he punctuated his dronea sarcastic cluck.this enlightened year of 1997/'stated'''we regard the ancientsstupid folk whos'B fear of nature andforces was equalled only by theirignorance of the underlying causes.superior vvisdom has rectified allin New York City, theworld's greatest metropolis, what dofind? Open windows and bumble-H,ah!"'Tela Smath shied \vith a shriek asrealiz-ed that a buzz beside her wasnot an echo of the profesSior's dronebut an actual bee. The student in theseat put out his hand and let theon· his thiln1b. Vela glanc'edman's face, th€n back to hisA puzzled reflex wrinkledfeatur'es.name \vas Roq Bartha,Vela already knevv. He wasolder students at Midhattanone of the Unitedregistrants whohave come from almost anyor so Vela had previously sup-N~)\vshe \vas sure that Roqfrom some very distant andfor the color of his skina d,istinct and decided green. ThisVela hadn't noticed be-she ahvays sat next toancient history.reason was that R-oq's face wasNot in its expression, for hein lllanner, friendly in gazelllet Vela's glances with abut constant smile. It was Roq'sfooled her. His face,and rounded, required closeto reveal the olive green thatbeneath its tan. Vela never wouldRoq's face that closer lookhadn't just110'Yvie\ved hisclose range.ever literally ovvned athumb"itwasBartha. Theappreciated it Inore than Velafor the girl was ''latching theinsect pro\vl contentedly around thatthumb and !onto Roq's palnl as he turn-editupvv"ard. Roq's palm, too, wasthat clear apple green, except for thewhitethat accentuated its colorthe more. Curious, those lines so'PQjr"hp·<.:llM.'"{ydifferent from any that Velaever seen on a human hand. Shewished now that she'd taken the Fresh-man course in~Palmistry here atMidhattan Excol.Most perplexing was the bee's be-navior. It was probing R,oq's flesh withits stinger, yet apparently not hurtinghim. The bee was using its wings tocounterbalance a rolling crawl, like aeat wallo\ving in catnip. Vela, studyingthe insect's actions, noted that thegreen t'exture of Roq's flesh was likean inner layer beneath a glossy coat,ren1inding her of specimens of carbon-acetOUS shale that she had seen inSophomore geology.the year 763 B.C.,"droned Pro-fessor Zurow, "the kingdom of Assyriasuffered upheavals that \vere bothphysical and -political, proving that thetwo are definitely linked. An 'earth-quake that accompanied a solar eclipseset off revolts resulting in the over-thro\v of King Ashur-dan."HIl~Professor Zurow gave a pleasedshake of his shaggy head as he tossedone fact to his listeners and came upvvith more."In 224 B.C.,"he continued, "agreat quake threw down the brassstatue of Apollo on the Isle of R·hodes.The Colossus, as it vvas called, wasaboutt,\rothirds the size of our Statueof Liberty,. which cost three times asmuch as the Colossus and has stoodabout twice as long. Too bad" - theprofessor finished with a cluck - "thatthe t\VO never met."Zurow meant that last sally for Velaand Roq, who ,vere now so close thatthe girl's head was practically pillowedon the green man's shoulder. But thiswas no case of brazen affection, asZuro,JVhad whimsically triedtosuggest. Vela vvas Inerely studying thegreenish grain of Roq's hand alongwith the busy bee. For the first time,Roq realized it. Abruptly but withoutanger, he pushed the girl aside andwith the same motion sent the bee fly-ing out through the ,\vindow. Instead ofseeking the flower-beds of TrumanSquare, the bee circled like a homingpigeon and buzzed back to Roq's hand."The decline of the Roman Empire,"Zurow was stating, "dates from 366.It.D. vvhen a submarine 'earthquakesucked the waters of the Mediter-ranean fDom its harbors and returnedthem in overwhelming tidal waves thathorrifi'ed the portion of the populacefortunate enough to survive."Here in America, in the year 1811,the entire regi,on of the MississippiValley vvas changed by a mighty'earth-quake that stirred the Indian tribesunder Tecumseh into wild revolt. Theywere defeated and Tecumseh's powerwas broken at the Battle of TippecanoeGeneral Harrison"Zurow broke off and glared angrilyat Roq. The professor's drone wasecho'ed by the bee's buzz. Then:"Am I interrupting your littlefriend?" demanded Zurow, childingly.'"Or perhaps, judging from y·our smile,have- interrupted some of your ownthoughts."For reply, Roq clamped his handabout the bee, suppressing it, but Velanoticed that his fixed smile did notchange. Watching the quiver of Roq'sfist, Professor Zurowchuckle~."A half-crazed fanatic shook his fistat San Francisco," recalled Zurow,"and threatened the city. ,vith de-struction. One week later came theearthquake. A coincidence? Or wasit?"The professor \vagged a finger atRpq Bartha as though admonishinghim to spare New York. As Roq lower-ed his fist, a bell clanged the end ofthe period and the students filed fromthe classDoon1. Vela Smath, her tin ofMicrotext film tucked beneath her arm,followed Roq Bartha out to TrumanSquare.ROQ'S complexion lost itslook when Vela contrasted it 1,yith thedarker shades of the park bench andthe surrounding shrubbery. RDq open-ed his fist and the bee buzz-ed awayunharmed.J"Don't Inind Professor Zuro\v,"sympathized Vela. "He's' all talk.. No--body takes him s'eriously, or his courseeither.""I do," Roq rebuked. "In fact, yourancient history, as he teachesit,isabout the only exact science in thecurriculum."Vela did the 1997 equivalent ofdoubletake."Why, ,,,,,hat about astrophysics"A fancy name for the guess-workonce called astronomy."voicerang with ridicule. "Anyone can calcu-late \veights of planets and distancesto stars when no one knovvs the realans,vers.""Why, you'll be saying next thatgeology is ridiculous!""The IllOSt ridiculfous of" noddedRoq. "Take a beetle that crawls overan apple, never e\TI8n penetrating theskin. What does it knowthe \vorm that burrows out fromcore ?""Why, why - " Vela finally foundwords. "You mean some of us arebeetles and lother people can be com-pared to worms?"Roq's nod was solemn, but hisretained that fixed half-smile.minded Vela of a bobbingbut before she could say so, Roqoed his case against the geologists."'First they say the center of
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