"Good Lord, I'm glad to meet you, Lantry! We've been trying to find you
for the past twenty-four hours!"
The man seized his hand, pumped it, slapped him on the back.
"What, what?" said Lantry.
"Good Lord, man, why did you run off? Do you realize what an instance
this is? We want to talk to you!"
McClure was smiling, glowing. Another handshake, another slap. "I
_thought_ it was you!"
The man is mad, thought Lantry. Absolutely mad. Here I've toppled his
incinerators, killed people, and he's shaking my hand. Mad, mad!
"Will you come along to the Hall?" said the man, taking his elbow.
"Wh-what hall?" Lantry stepped back.
"The Science Hall, of course. It isn't every year we get a real case
of suspended animation. In small animals, yes, but in a man, hardly!
Will you come?"
"What's the act!" demanded Lantry, glaring. "What's all this talk."
"My dear fellow, what do you mean?" the man was stunned.
"Never mind. Is that the only reason you want to see me?"
"What other reason would there be, Mr. Lantry? You don't know how glad
I am to see you!" He almost did a little dance. "I suspected. When we
were in there together. You being so pale and all. And then the way you
smoked your cigarette, something about it, and a lot of other things,
all subliminal. But it is you, isn't it, it _is_ you!"
"It is I. William Lantry." Dryly.
"Good fellow! Come along!"
* * * * *
The beetle moved swiftly through the dawn streets. McClure talked
rapidly.
Lantry sat, listening, astounded. Here was this fool, McClure, playing
his cards for him! Here was this stupid scientist, or whatever,
accepting him not as a suspicious baggage, a murderous item. Oh
no! Quite the contrary! Only as a suspended animation case was he
considered! Not as a dangerous man at all. Far from it!
"Of course," cried McClure, grinning. "You didn't know where to go,
whom to turn to. It was all quite incredible to you."
"Yes."
"I had a feeling you'd be there at the morgue tonight," said McClure,
happily.
"Oh?" Lantry stiffened.
"Yes. Can't explain it. But you, how shall I put it? Ancient Americans?
You had funny ideas on death. And you were among the dead so long, I
felt you'd be drawn back by the accident, by the morgue and all. It's
not very logical. Silly, in fact. It's just a feeling. I hate feelings
but there it was. I came on a, I guess you'd call it a hunch, wouldn't
you?"
"You might call it that."
"And there you were!"
"There I was," said Lantry.
"Are you hungry?"
"I've eaten."
"How did you get around?"
"I hitch-hiked."
"You _what_?"
"People gave me rides on the road."
"Remarkable."
"I imagine it sounds that way." He looked at the passing houses. "So
this is the era of space travel, is it?"
"Oh, we've been traveling to Mars for some forty years now."
"Amazing. And those big funnels, those towers in the middle of every
town?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account