Science fiction; Short stories; Television game shows -- Fiction
Again the lights bathed the Quizz Master with their brilliance. This
time the young man was joined by two others--one a rather stout, partly
bald gentleman with old-fashioned rim-glasses, the other a younger,
more robust looking fellow with a shock of iron-gray hair.
“Well, well, here we are again! And here, Ladies and Gentlemen, are our
contestants. I hardly need introduce our Incumbent to you--forty-nine
weeks undefeated. Here he is--_Charles Monroe!_” The little stout man
stepped forward and took a bow. The applause was thunderous in the vast
hall. Then Monroe nervously fingered his rim-glasses and returned to
his place.
“And here, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have this week’s Challenger, Mr.
_James Burton!_”
The applause was almost as deafening. Burton stepped forward and waved
confidently to the multitude.
Bob May quickly interposed: “Folks! You all know how The Quizz is
held--and how important it is. You remember that Mr. Monroe’s category
is _Philately_--and he certainly has shown us that there’s little he
doesn’t know about postage stamps!”
He turned purposefully to Burton. His voice was tense with excitement
as it rang out in the hushed auditorium: “And now, Mr. Burton, will you
tell us--_what is your category?_”
A gaudy, multi-colored panel of many category listings suddenly blazed
on across the back of the stage. Burton slowly turned and regarded the
panel. The huge auditorium was whisper-silent. Then Burton said: “_The
Planet Mars!_”
Bob May fairly jumped off the stage in his tempestuous excitement.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Our Challenger picks as his quizz category--_The
Planet Mars!_”
The audience roared its delight.
“All right! You both know what to expect. The questions in your
respective categories are selected by our own Univac Cybernetic Brain.
No human being knows what they will be until _I_ ask you the questions!
Are you ready?”
Monroe swallowed nervously and adjusted his funny spectacles. He nodded.
Burton answered: “Yes, sir, Mr. May!”
“Good! As you know each one of you will be asked questions of
increasing difficulty--until one of you misses! The survivor is the
winner! But just so that you will have no outside disturbances--or
help--” he waved a waggish finger at them--“you’ll be enclosed in the
special Force-Field. Nothing can penetrate, no light, no sound, no
telepathic prompting! We can all see you, but you can’t see us. That
should be a comfort!”
He laughed uproariously at his own joke. “Only _I_ can talk to you
through my special communicator. But we can all hear your answers. And
now--are you ready?”
Both contestants nodded.
“Here we go, then! But first....”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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