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diff --git a/old/51494.txt b/old/51494.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 454864c..0000000 --- a/old/51494.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1092 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Beach Scene, by Marshall King - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Beach Scene - -Author: Marshall King - -Release Date: March 18, 2016 [EBook #51494] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEACH SCENE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - BEACH SCENE - - By MARSHALL KING - - Illustrated by WOOD - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine October 1960. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - It was a fine day at the beach - for Purnie's game--but his new - friends played very rough! - - -Purnie ran laughing and shouting through the forest until he could run -no more. He fell headlong into a patch of blue moss and whooped with -delight in having this day free for exploring. He was free to see the -ocean at last. - -When he had caught his breath, he looked back through the forest. No -sign of the village; he had left it far behind. Safe from the scrutiny -of brothers and parents, there was nothing now to stop him from going -to the ocean. This was the moment to stop time. - -"On your mark!" he shouted to the rippling stream and its orange -whirlpools. He glanced furtively from side to side, pretending that -some object might try to get a head start. "Get set!" he challenged -the thin-winged bees that hovered over the abundant foliage. "Stop!" -He shrieked this command upward toward the dense, low-hanging purple -clouds that perennially raced across the treetops, making one wonder -how tall the trees really were. - -His eyes took quick inventory. It was exactly as he knew it would be: -the milky-orange stream had become motionless and its minute whirlpools -had stopped whirling; a nearby bee hung suspended over a paka plant, -its transparent wings frozen in position for a downward stroke; and the -heavy purple fluid overhead held fast in its manufacture of whorls and -nimbi. - -With everything around him in a state of perfect tableau, Purnie -hurried toward the ocean. - -If only the days weren't so short! he thought. There was so much to -see and so little time. It seemed that everyone except him had seen -the wonders of the beach country. The stories he had heard from his -brothers and their friends had taunted him for as long as he could -remember. So many times had he heard these thrilling tales that now, -as he ran along, he could clearly picture the wonderland as though he -were already there. There would be a rockslide of petrified logs to -play on, the ocean itself with waves higher than a house, the comical -three-legged tripons who never stopped munching on seaweed, and many -kinds of other wonderful creatures found only at the ocean. - -He bounced through the forest as though the world was reserved this -day just for him. And who could say it wasn't? he thought. Wasn't this -his fifth birthday? He ran along feeling sorry for four-year-olds, and -even for those who were only four and a half, for they were babies and -wouldn't dare try slipping away to the ocean alone. But five! - -"I'll set you free, Mr. Bee--just wait and see!" As he passed one of -the many motionless pollen-gathering insects he met on the way, he took -care not to brush against it or disturb its interrupted task. When -Purnie had stopped time, the bees--like all the other creatures he -met--had been arrested in their native activities, and he knew that as -soon as he resumed time, everything would pick up where it had left off. - - * * * * * - -When he smelled an acid sweetness that told him the ocean was not far -off, his pulse quickened in anticipation. Rather than spoil what was -clearly going to be a perfect day, he chose to ignore the fact that he -had been forbidden to use time-stopping as a convenience for journeying -far from home. He chose to ignore the oft-repeated statement that an -hour of time-stopping consumed more energy than a week of foot-racing. -He chose to ignore the negative maxim that "small children who stop -time without an adult being present, may not live to regret it." - -He chose, instead, to picture the beaming praise of family and friends -when they learned of his brave journey. - -The journey was long, the clock stood still. He stopped long enough to -gather some fruit that grew along the path. It would serve as his lunch -during this day of promise. With it under his arm he bounded along a -dozen more steps, then stopped abruptly in his tracks. - -He found himself atop a rocky knoll, overlooking the mighty sea! - -He was so overpowered by the vista before him that his "Hurrah!" came -out as a weak squeak. The ocean lay at the ready, its stilled waves -awaiting his command to resume their tidal sweep. The breakers along -the shoreline hung in varying stages of disarray, some having already -exploded into towering white spray while others were poised in smooth -orange curls waiting to start that action. - -And there were new friends everywhere! Overhead, a flock of spora were -frozen in a steep glide, preparatory to a beach landing. Purnie had -heard of these playful creatures many times. Today, with his brothers -in school, he would have the pets all to himself. Further down the -beach was a pair of two-legged animals poised in mid-step, facing -the spot where Purnie now stood. Some distance behind them were eight -more, each of whom were motionless in a curious pose of interrupted -animation. And down in the water, where the ocean ran itself into thin -nothingness upon the sand, he saw standing here and there the comical -tripons, those three-legged marine buffoons who made handsome careers -of munching seaweed. - -"Hi there!" Purnie called. When he got no reaction, he remembered that -he himself was "dead" to the living world: he was still in a zone of -time-stopping, on the inside looking out. For him, the world would -continue to be a tableau of mannikins until he resumed time. - - * * * * * - -"Hi there!" he called again; but now his mental attitude was that he -expected time to resume. It did! Immediately he was surrounded by -activity. He heard the roar of the crashing orange breakers, he tasted -the dew of acid that floated from the spray, and he saw his new friends -continue the actions which he had stopped while back in the forest. - -He knew, too, that at this moment, in the forest, the little brook -picked up its flow where it had left off, the purple clouds resumed -their leeward journey up the valley, and the bees continued their -pollen-gathering without having missed a single stroke of their -delicate wings. The brook, the clouds, and the insects had not been -interrupted in the least; their respective tasks had been performed -with continuing sureness. It was time itself that Purnie had stopped, -not the world around him. - -He scampered around the rockpile and down the sandy cliff to meet the -tripons who, to him, had just come to life. - -"I can stand on my head!" He set down his lunch and balanced himself -bottoms-up while his legs pawed the air in an effort to hold him in -position. He knew it was probably the worst head-stand he had ever -done, for he felt weak and dizzy. Already time-stopping had left its -mark on his strength. But his spirits ran on unchecked. - -The tripon thought Purnie's feat was superb. It stopped munching long -enough to give him a salutory wag of its rump before returning to its -repast. - -Purnie ran from pillar to post, trying to see and do everything at -once. He looked around to greet the flock of spora, but they had glided -to a spot further along the shore. Then, bouncing up to the first of -the two-legged animals, he started to burst forth with his habitual "Hi -there!" when he heard them making sounds of their own. - -"... will be no limit to my operations now, Benson. This planet makes -seventeen. Seventeen planets I can claim as my own!" - -"My, my. Seventeen planets. And tell me, Forbes, just what the hell are -you going to do with them--mount them on the wall of your den back in -San Diego?" - -"Hi there, wanna play?" Purnie's invitation got nothing more than -startled glance from the animals who quickly returned to their chatter. -He scampered up the beach, picked up his lunch, and ran back to them, -tagging along at their heels. "I've got my lunch, want some?" - -"Benson, you'd better tell your men back there to stop gawking at -the scenery and get to work. Time is money. I didn't pay for this -expedition just to give your flunkies a vacation." - - * * * * * - -The animals stopped so suddenly that Purnie nearly tangled himself in -their heels. - -"All right, Forbes, just hold it a minute. Listen to me. Sure, it's -your money that put us here; it's your expedition all the way. But you -hired me to get you here with the best crew on earth, and that's just -what I've done. My job isn't over yet. I'm responsible for the safety -of the men while we're here, and for the safe trip home." - -"Precisely. And since you're responsible, get 'em working. Tell 'em to -bring along the flag. Look at the damn fools back there, playing in the -ocean with a three-legged ostrich!" - -"Good God, man, aren't you human? We've only been on this planet twenty -minutes! Naturally they want to look around. They half expected to find -wild animals or worse, and here we are surrounded by quaint little -creatures that run up to us like we're long-lost brothers. Let the men -look around a minute or two before we stake out your claim." - -"Bah! Bunch of damn children." - -As Purnie followed along, a leg shot out at him and missed. "Benson, -will you get this bug-eyed kangaroo away from me!" Purnie shrieked with -joy at this new frolic and promptly stood on his head. In this position -he got an upside down view of them walking away. - -He gave up trying to stay with them. Why did they move so fast, anyway? -What was the hurry? As he sat down and began eating his lunch, three -more of the creatures came along making excited noises, apparently -trying to catch up to the first two. As they passed him, he held out -his lunch. "Want some?" No response. - -Playing held more promise than eating. He left his lunch half eaten and -went down to where they had stopped further along the beach. - -"Captain Benson, sir! Miles has detected strong radiation in the -vicinity. He's trying to locate it now." - -"There you are, Forbes. Your new piece of real estate is going to make -you so rich that you can buy your next planet. That'll make eighteen, I -believe." - -"Radiation, bah! We've found low-grade ore on every planet I've -discovered so far, and this one'll be no different. Now how about that -flag? Let's get it up, Benson. And the cornerstone, and the plaque." - -"All right, lads. The sooner we get Mr. Forbes's pennant raised and his -claim staked out, the sooner we can take time to look around. Lively -now!" - - * * * * * - -When the three animals went back to join the rest of their group, the -first two resumed walking. Purnie followed along. - -"Well, Benson, you won't have to look far for materials to use for the -base of the flag pole. Look at that rockpile up there. - -"Can't use them. They're petrified logs. The ones on top are too high -to carry down, and if we move those on the bottom, the whole works will -slide down on top of us." - -"Well--that's your problem. Just remember, I want this flag pole to be -solid. It's got to stand at least--" - -"Don't worry, Forbes, we'll get your monument erected. What's this with -the flag? There must be more to staking a claim than just putting up a -flag." - -"There is, there is. Much more. I've taken care of all requirements set -down by law to make my claim. But the flag? Well, you might say it -represents an empire, Benson. The Forbes Empire. On each of my flags -is the word FORBES, a symbol of development and progress. Call it -sentiment if you will." - -"Don't worry, I won't. I've seen real-estate flags before." - -"Damn it all, will you stop referring to this as a real-estate deal? -What I'm doing is big, man. Big! This is pioneering." - -"Of course. And if I'm not mistaken, you've set up a neat little escrow -system so that you not only own the planets, but you will virtually own -the people who are foolish enough to buy land on them." - -"I could have your hide for talking to me like this. Damn you, man! -It's people like me who pay your way. It's people like me who give your -space ships some place to go. It's people like me who pour good money -into a chancey job like this, so that people like you can get away from -thirteen-story tenement houses. Did you ever think of that?" - -"I imagine you'll triple your money in six months." - -When they stopped, Purnie stopped. At first he had been interested in -the strange sounds they were making, but as he grew used to them, and -as they in turn ignored his presence, he hopped alongside chattering to -himself, content to be in their company. - -He heard more of these sounds coming from behind, and he turned to see -the remainder of the group running toward them. - -"Captain Benson! Here's the flag, sir. And here's Miles with the -scintillometer. He says the radiation's getting stronger over this way!" - -"How about that, Miles?" - -"This thing's going wild, Captain. It's almost off scale." - - * * * * * - -Purnie saw one of the animals hovering around him with a little box. -Thankful for the attention, he stood on his head. "Can you do this?" -He was overjoyed at the reaction. They all started making wonderful -noises, and he felt most satisfied. - -"Stand back, Captain! Here's the source right here! This little -chuck-walla's hotter than a plutonium pile!" - -"Let me see that, Miles. Well, I'll be damned! Now what do you -suppose--" - -By now they had formed a widening circle around him, and he was hard -put to think of an encore. He gambled on trying a brand new trick: he -stood on one leg. - -"Benson, I must have that animal! Put him in a box." - -"Now wait a minute, Forbes. Universal Law forbids--" - -"This is my planet and I am the law. Put him in a box!" - -"With my crew as witness, I officially protest--" - -"Good God, what a specimen to take back. Radio-active animals! Why, -they can reproduce themselves, of course! There must be thousands of -these creatures around here someplace. And to think of those damn fools -on Earth with their plutonium piles! Hah! Now I'll have investors -_flocking_ to me. How about it, Benson--does pioneering pay off or -doesn't it?" - -"Not so fast. Since this little fellow is radioactive, there may be -great danger to the crew--" - -"Now look here! You had planned to put _mineral_ specimens in a lead -box, so what's the difference? Put him in a box." - -"He'll die." - -"I have you under contract, Benson! You are responsible to me, and -what's more, you are on my property. Put him in a box." - -Purnie was tired. First the time-stopping, then this. While this day -had brought more fun and excitement than he could have hoped for, -the strain was beginning to tell. He lay in the center of the circle -happily exhausted, hoping that his friends would show him some of their -own tricks. - -He didn't have to wait long. The animals forming the circle stepped -back and made way for two others who came through carrying a box. -Purnie sat up to watch the show. - -"Hell, Captain, why don't I just pick him up? Looks like he has no -intention of running away." - -"Better not, Cabot. Even though you're shielded, no telling what -powers the little fella has. Play it safe and use the rope." - -"I swear he knows what we're saying. Look at those eyes." - -"All right, careful now with that line." - -"Come on, baby. Here you go. That's a boy!" - - * * * * * - -Purnie took in these sounds with perplexed concern. He sensed the -imploring quality of the creature with the rope, but he didn't know -what he was supposed to do. He cocked his head to one side as he -wiggled in anticipation. - -He saw the noose spinning down toward his head, and, before he knew -it, he had scooted out of the circle and up the sandy beach. He was -surprised at himself for running away. Why had he done it? He wondered. -Never before had he felt this fleeting twinge that made him want to -protect himself. - -He watched the animals huddle around the box on the beach, their -attention apparently diverted to something else. He wished now that he -had not run away; he felt he had lost his chance to join in their fun. - -"Wait!" He ran over to his half-eaten lunch, picked it up, and ran back -into the little crowd. "I've got my lunch, want some?" - -The party came to life once more. His friends ran this way and that, -and at last Purnie knew that the idea was to get him into the box. -He picked up the spirit of the tease, and deliberately ran within a -few feet of the lead box, then, just as the nearest pursuer was about -to push him in, he sidestepped onto safer ground. Then he heard a -deafening roar and felt a warm, wet sting in one of his legs. - -"Forbes, you fool! Put away that gun!" - -"There you are, boys. It's all in knowing how. Just winged him, that's -all. Now pick him up." - -The pang in his leg was nothing: Purnie's misery lay in his confusion. -What had he done wrong? When he saw the noose spinning toward him -again, he involuntarily stopped time. He knew better than to use this -power carelessly, but his action now was reflex. In that split second -following the sharp sting in his leg, his mind had grasped in all -directions to find an acceptable course of action. Finding none, it had -ordered the stoppage of time. - -The scene around him became a tableau once more. The noose hung -motionless over his head while the rest of the rope snaked its way in -transverse waves back to one of the two-legged animals. Purnie dragged -himself through the congregation, whimpering from his inability to -understand. - -As he worked his way past one creature after another, he tried at first -to not look them in the eye, for he felt sure he had done something -wrong. Then he thought that by sneaking a glance at them as he passed, -he might see a sign pointing to their purpose. He limped by one who had -in his hand a small shiny object that had been emitting smoke from one -end; the smoke now billowed in lifeless curls about the animal's head. -He hobbled by another who held a small box that had previously made a -hissing sound whenever Purnie was near. These things told him nothing. -Before starting his climb up the knoll, he passed a tripon which, true -to its reputation, was comical even in fright. Startled by the loud -explosion, it had jumped four feet into the air before Purnie had -stopped time. Now it hung there, its beak stuffed with seaweed and its -three legs drawn up into a squatting position. - -Leaving the assorted statues behind, he limped his way up the knoll, -torn between leaving and staying. What an odd place, this ocean -country! He wondered why he had not heard more detail about the beach -animals. - -Reaching the top of the bluff, he looked down upon his silent friends -with a feeling of deep sorrow. How he wished he were down there playing -with them. But he knew at last that theirs was a game he didn't fit -into. Now there was nothing left but to resume time and start the -long walk home. Even though the short day was nearly over, he knew he -didn't dare use time-stopping to get himself home in nothing flat. His -fatigued body and clouded mind were strong signals that he had already -abused this faculty. - - * * * * * - -When Purnie started time again, the animal with the noose stood in -open-mouthed disbelief as the rope fell harmlessly to the sand--on the -spot where Purnie had been standing. - -"My God, he's--he's gone." - -Then another of the animals, the one with the smoking thing in his -hand, ran a few steps toward the noose, stopped and gaped at the rope. -"All right, you people, what's going on here? Get him in that box. What -did you do with him?" - -The resumption of time meant nothing at all to those on the beach, for -to them time had never stopped. The only thing they could be sure of -was that at one moment there had been a fuzzy creature hopping around -in front of them, and the next moment he was gone. - -"Is he invisible, Captain? Where is he?" - -"Up there, Captain! On those rocks. Isn't that him?" - -"Well, I'll be damned!" - -"Benson, I'm holding you personally responsible for this! Now that -you've botched it up, I'll bring him down my own way." - -"Just a minute, Forbes, let me think. There's something about that -fuzzy little devil that we should.... Forbes! I warned you about that -gun!" - -Purnie moved across the top of the rockpile for a last look at his -friends. His weight on the end of the first log started the slide. -Slowly at first, the giant pencils began cascading down the short -distance to the sand. Purnie fell back onto solid ground, horrified at -the spectacle before him. The agonizing screams of the animals below -filled him with hysteria. - -The boulders caught most of them as they stood ankle-deep in the surf. -Others were pinned down on the sand. - -"I didn't mean it!" Purnie screamed. "I'm sorry! Can't you hear?" He -hopped back and forth near the edge of the rise, torn with panic and -shame. "Get up! Please get up!" He was horrified by the moans reaching -his ears from the beach. "You're getting all wet! Did you hear me? -Please get up." He was choked with rage and sorrow. How could he have -done this? He wanted his friends to get up and shake themselves off, -tell him it was all right. But it was beyond his power to bring it -about. - -The lapping tide threatened to cover those in the orange surf. - - * * * * * - -Purnie worked his way down the hill, imploring them to save themselves. -The sounds they made carried a new tone, a desperate foreboding of -death. - -"Rhodes! Cabot! Can you hear me?" - -"I--I can't move, Captain. My leg, it's.... My God, we're going to -drown!" - -"Look around you, Cabot. Can you see anyone moving?" - -"The men on the beach are nearly buried, Captain. And the rest of us -here in the water--" - -"Forbes. Can you see Forbes? Maybe he's--" His sounds were cut off by a -wavelet gently rolling over his head. - -Purnie could wait no longer. The tides were all but covering one of the -animals, and soon the others would be in the same plight. Disregarding -the consequences, he ordered time to stop. - -Wading down into the surf, he worked a log off one victim, then he -tugged the animal up to the sand. Through blinding tears, Purnie worked -slowly and carefully. He knew there was no hurry--at least, not as far -as his friends' safety was concerned. No matter what their condition -of life or death was at this moment, it would stay the same way until -he started time again. He made his way deeper into the orange liquid, -where a raised hand signalled the location of a submerged body. The -hand was clutching a large white banner that was tangled among the -logs. Purnie worked the animal free and pulled it ashore. - -It was the one who had been carrying the shiny object that spit smoke. - -Scarcely noticing his own injured leg, he ferried one victim after -another until there were no more in the surf. Up on the beach, he -started unraveling the logs that pinned down the animals caught there. -He removed a log from the lap of one, who then remained in a sitting -position, his face contorted into a frozen mask of agony and shock. -Another, with the weight removed, rolled over like an iron statue into -a new position. Purnie whimpered in black misery as he surveyed the -chaotic scene before him. - -At last he could do no more; he felt consciousness slipping away from -him. - -He instinctively knew that if he lost his senses during a period of -time-stopping, events would pick up where they had left off ... without -him. For Purnie, this would be death. If he had to lose consciousness, -he knew he must first resume time. - -Step by step he plodded up the little hill, pausing every now and then -to consider if this were the moment to start time before it was too -late. With his energy fast draining away, he reached the top of the -knoll, and he turned to look down once more on the group below. - -Then he knew how much his mind and body had suffered: when he ordered -time to resume, nothing happened. - -His heart sank. He wasn't afraid of death, and he knew that if he died -the oceans would roll again and his friends would move about. But he -wanted to see them safe. - -He tried to clear his mind for supreme effort. There was no _urging_ -time to start. He knew he couldn't persuade it by bits and pieces, -first slowly then full ahead. Time either progressed or it didn't. He -had to take one viewpoint or the other. - -Then, without knowing exactly when it happened, his mind took -command.... - - * * * * * - -His friends came to life. The first one he saw stir lay on his stomach -and pounded his fists on the beach. A flood of relief settled over -Purnie as sounds came from the animal. - -"What's the matter with me? Somebody tell me! Am I nuts? Miles! Schick! -What's happening?" - -"I'm coming, Rhodes! Heaven help us, man--I saw it, too. We're either -crazy or those damn logs are alive!" - -"It's not the logs. How about us? How'd we get out of the water? Miles, -we're both cracking." - -"I'm telling you, man, it's the logs, or rocks or whatever they are. -I was looking right at them. First they're on top of me, then they're -piled up over there!" - -"Damnit, the logs didn't pick us up out of the ocean, did they? Captain -Benson!" - -"Are you men all right?" - -"Yes sir, but--" - -"Who saw exactly what happened?" - -"I'm afraid we're not seeing right, Captain. Those logs--" - -"I know, I know. Now get hold of yourselves. We've got to round up the -others and get out of here while time is on our side." - -"But what happened, Captain?" - -"Hell, Rhodes, don't you think I'd like to know? Those logs are so old -they're petrified. The whole bunch of us couldn't lift one. It would -take super-human energy to move one of those things." - -"I haven't seen anything super-human. Those ostriches down there are so -busy eating seaweed--" - -"All right, let's bear a hand here with the others. Some of them can't -walk. Where's Forbes?" - -"He's sitting down there in the water, Captain, crying like a baby. Or -laughing. I can't tell which." - -"We'll have to get him. Miles, Schick, come along. Forbes! You all -right?" - -"Ho-ho-ho! Seventeen! Seventeen! Seventeen planets, Benson, and they'll -do anything I say! This one's got a mind of its own. Did you see that -little trick with the rocks? Ho-ho!" - -"See if you can find his gun, Schick; he'll either kill himself or one -of us. Tie his hands and take him back to the ship. We'll be along -shortly." - -"Hah-hah-hah! Seventeen! Benson, I'm holding you personally responsible -for this. Hee-hee!" - - * * * * * - -Purnie opened his eyes as consciousness returned. Had his friends gone? - -He pulled himself along on his stomach to a position between two rocks, -where he could see without being seen. By the light of the twin moons -he saw that they were leaving, marching away in groups of two and -three, the weak helping the weaker. As they disappeared around the -curving shoreline, the voices of the last two, bringing up the rear far -behind the others, fell faintly on his ears over the sound of the surf. - -"Is it possible that we're all crazy, Captain?" - -"It's possible, but we're not." - -"I wish I could be sure." - -"See Forbes up ahead there? What do you think of him?" - -"I still can't believe it." - -"He'll never be the same." - -"Tell me something. What was the most unusual thing you noticed back -there?" - -"You must be kidding, sir. Why, the way those logs were off of us -suddenly--" - -"Yes, of course. But I mean beside that." - -"Well, I guess I was kind of busy. You know, scared and mixed up." - -"But didn't you notice our little pop-eyed friend?" - -"Oh, him. I'm afraid not, Captain. I--I guess I was thinking mostly of -myself." - -"Hmmm. If I could only be sure I saw him. If only someone else saw him -too." - -"I'm afraid I don't follow you, sir." - -"Well, damn it all, you know that Forbes took a pot shot at him. Got -him in the leg. That being the case, why would the fuzzy little devil -come back to his tormentors--back to us--when we were trapped under -those logs?" - -"Well, I guess as long as we were trapped, he figured we couldn't do -him any more harm.... I'm sorry, that was a stupid answer. I guess I'm -still a little shaky." - -"Forget it. Look, you go ahead to the ship and make ready for take-off. -I'll join you in a few minutes. I think I'll go back and look around. -You know. Make sure we haven't left anyone." - -"No need to do that. They're all ahead of us. I've checked." - -"That's my responsibility, Cabot, not yours. Now go on." - - * * * * * - -As Purnie lay gathering strength for the long trek home, he saw through -glazed eyes one of the animals coming back along the beach. When it was -nearly directly below him, he could hear it making sounds that by now -had become familiar. - -"Where are you?" - -Purnie paid little attention to the antics of his friend; he was -beyond understanding. He wondered what they would say at home when he -returned. - -"We've made a terrible mistake. We--" The sounds faded in and out on -Purnie's ears as the creature turned slowly and called in different -directions. He watched the animal walk over to the pile of scattered -logs and peer around and under them. - -"If you're hurt I'd like to help!" The twin moons were high in the sky -now, and where their light broke through the swirling clouds a double -shadow was cast around the animal. With foggy awareness, Purnie watched -the creature shake its head slowly, then walk away in the direction of -the others. - -Purnie's eyes stared, without seeing, at the panorama before him. The -beach was deserted now, and his gaze was transfixed on a shimmering -white square floating on the ocean. Across it, the last thing Purnie -ever saw, was emblazoned the word FORBES. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Beach Scene, by Marshall King - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEACH SCENE *** - -***** This file should be named 51494.txt or 51494.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/4/9/51494/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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