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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..172e863 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63965 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63965) diff --git a/old/63965-h.zip b/old/63965-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d152461..0000000 --- a/old/63965-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63965-h/63965-h.htm b/old/63965-h/63965-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index bf3d8cb..0000000 --- a/old/63965-h/63965-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1204 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Monster, by William Morrison. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Monster, by William Morrison - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Monster - -Author: William Morrison - -Release Date: December 5, 2020 [EBook #63965] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONSTER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>MONSTER</h1> - -<h2>by WILLIAM MORRISON</h2> - -<p><i>Colonizing Mars was hell, because of one<br /> -thing—large, hungry critters. They flew,<br /> -crawled, snarled, howled, burrowed up under<br /> -the floors, chewed at doors and windows. And<br /> -then, to make things worse, came the Monster....</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories July 1951.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>There was a faint scratching at the door, so faint that Alice Kidd, -who had been listening fearfully for precisely that sound, was at first -not certain that she heard it. But, as she came close to the doorway, -it was no longer possible to doubt, and a chill went through her at -the thought of the creature panting eagerly on the other side. Now she -could hear it whine, and, despite her knowledge that the gesture was -an idle one, she could not help once more feeling the bolt behind the -door. Then she made sure that the shutters too were securely barred, -although these were usually in less danger; most of the animals could -not apply pressure very far above the ground.</p> - -<p>Small was staring at her, not particularly frightened, but very much -interested. Her face, she thought, must be pale through the radiation -tan. Ordinarily, there was nothing timid or fragile about her, or she -would never have accompanied her husband to Mars; but all the same, -she felt weak and helpless before the danger that threatened. And she -shuddered as her five-year-old son asked, "Can it get in, Mommy?"</p> - -<p>"I hope not, darling. Come, let's go into the other room and bolt the -connecting door. And then I'll call up Daddy."</p> - -<p>"Does it want to eat us, Mommy?"</p> - -<p>Alice shuddered again. "Don't talk about it," she said, and carried him -quickly into the next room. When the door was bolted, she pressed the -contact button, asked for Mr. Kidd, and almost at once was speaking to -Anthony.</p> - -<p>He listened quietly, his dark face in the visor as grave as if he were -concerned with some problem of engineering, and then said in a tone -of reassurance, "Don't worry, it can't get in. Not under a couple of -hours, anyway. And even if it does, you have that gun."</p> - -<p>"That explosive thing?"</p> - -<p>"It'll do, if you keep your nerve. But I don't think you'll have to put -it to the test. I'm coming home now, anyway, and I'll take care of our -friend. Have any idea what it is?"</p> - -<p>"I haven't seen it. It just whines a little, and keeps scratching, very -quietly."</p> - -<p>"Probably a badgerine. Hope it doesn't try to tunnel under the floor. -All right, sugar, keep your shirt on, and the Mars Marines will be -there to the rescue."</p> - -<p>"Take care of yourself."</p> - -<p>"And how. Think I want you to be left with all that insurance money and -fall victim to some fortune-hunter who sees nothing in you but your -beautiful bank account?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He hung up, and Alice waited, trembling. In the room where she was, -she could no longer hear the straining animal, but she knew that it -hadn't gone away. She tried to get interested in some of Small's -childish treasures. The blocks he had long outgrown, and they kept the -things only because there was no one to give them to, and it seemed -silly to throw anything away here. Besides, Alice had the idea that -her son might have a brother or a sister some day soon, if they ever -decided it was possible to raise a baby here, and toys were difficult -to import. As for Small's magic hypno-ray ring, his imitation teleport -bracelet, and his genuine imitation home teleset and similar objects, -all obtained either by sending away one quarter credit in stamps -plus a cereal box-top or by selling a special perfumed soap to his -neighbors—which in this case meant his parents—she had always found -it difficult to arouse any interest in them. She had, in fact, been -slightly annoyed at Anthony's indulgence of his son's desire to obtain -them. And it was impossible to simulate interest now, with that animal -at the door.</p> - -<p>And then, suddenly, the animal wasn't there any longer. She didn't hear -any noise from Anthony's gun. It wasn't that kind. She felt simply -the shock of contact as the missile went through the creature's body -and shook the house. Then came a long, despairing chorus of yells, -and after that, for a moment, silence. She withdrew the bolt of the -connecting door, and then the buzzer sounded.</p> - -<p>When Anthony came in, she fell into his arms. Small, however, wasn't -having any emotional excitement. He said, "What was it, Daddy? Was it -really a badgerine?"</p> - -<p>"Not this time, son. Just an octerocap."</p> - -<p>"As if the other wasn't bad enough," said Alice faintly. The octerocap -was an eight-headed wolf, and was as likely to kill newcomers by -the fright its appearance induced as much as by its numerous teeth. -"Anthony, you must simply get me another gun like yours."</p> - -<p>"You can take mine if you really feel unsafe."</p> - -<p>"You know I wouldn't take it. You need yours to get home with. And -there isn't so much danger as long as you're within calling range. But -in case of emergency—"</p> - -<p>He nodded. "Do you think I don't realize that? I've been cabling that -idiot, Tapling, for another gun ever since we got here. Not a chance."</p> - -<p>"But why? Does he think that the government sends engineers to Mars for -the purpose of having them killed and eaten by animals?"</p> - -<p>"Tapling's is not to reason why, it's but to do according to -regulations and let others die. He says that Regulation L34XC3 of -Code 3 forbids it."</p> - -<p>"The stupid fool!"</p> - -<p>"Call him by his right name. That Idiot Tapling, or T. I. Tapling, as -we usually denote him at the office."</p> - -<p>"Is he the same way to them?"</p> - -<p>"And how! Operations have been dragging along at half of capacity -because he says we haven't filled out the necessary forms for those -spare parts we need. And we can't fill them out, because the forms have -to be countersigned by the vice-president in charge of Operation M54, -and that gentleman is vacationing somewhere in space with a new bride, -and can't be located. So you see, darling, you're cursing him in good -company."</p> - -<p>Even at that, as Anthony might have pointed out, he was suppressing -a good part of what might have been said of Mr. Tapling. At the -mines where Anthony and his fellow engineers worked, everything was -completely automatic, and the dozen men were needed only for checking -and repairs. It was T. I. Tapling who had done his best to ruin their -lives.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The houses he had ordered built for them were not too bad. To be -reasonably invulnerable to the drill-toothed animals who abounded on -these wastes, the walls would have had to be about a dozen feet thick; -and Tapling had had no grounds for suspecting that fact, which had not -been in any of the reports he had read. But it was unquestionably his -fault that the houses were so widely scattered. Dealing with a planet -where the sunlight was weak and ultra-violet was obtained chiefly from -artificial radiation, a planet where the air was so cold that no one -went outdoors unless he had to, T. I. Tapling had been worried about -living space and had generously allotted to each engineer and his -family territory uninhabited for a couple of miles in every direction. -Possibly he expected them to grow vegetables next to their houses. -Apparently he had no suspicion that he was making things as easy as -possible for the predatory animals.</p> - -<p>And of all locations, Anthony and Alice had the worst. Their house was -most isolated, was the most difficult to get to from the office, and -was in the part of the country most liable to attack. It was little -wonder that Alice said, as she had said so often before, "But we <i>must</i> -do something. Do you think we could have an electric barrier set up?"</p> - -<p>"We could not. That's against regulation something or other too. Might -kill friendly animals."</p> - -<p>"But there isn't a single animal that's friendly!"</p> - -<p>"Tell that to regulations and their guardian, Mr. Tapling."</p> - -<p>Small looked up and said, "Mommy, we ought to get a dog."</p> - -<p>Anthony nodded. "Our brilliant son is correct. Just as correct as he -was when he first suggested it two months ago."</p> - -<p>"But, Anthony, you know how much food costs here. He'd eat us out of—"</p> - -<p>"Dogs eat animals," announced Small. "Space Dragoneer says so in his -television program."</p> - -<p>"Small's right," agreed Anthony. "I'll bet an octerocap has eight -different kinds of vitamins, one for each head. We ought to try eating -one ourselves and save money."</p> - -<p>"Ugh!"</p> - -<p>"I want to eat an octerocap," said Small. "He wants to eat me, so I -don't see why I shouldn't eat him."</p> - -<p>"Never heard more perfect logic in my life," observed Anthony with -pride. "That's my boy. However, let's put the lesson in logic aside -for a moment, and repair the damage the thing caused. Get the plastic -metal, Alice."</p> - -<p>But Small was not to be so easily sidetracked. When the repairs to the -door had been completed, he said, as if continuing a conversation that -had been going on all the time, "Are we getting the dog soon, Daddy?"</p> - -<p>"I think we are, Small. Then, for a change, I think your Mommy will -feel safe in the house."</p> - -<p>"I'll call him, 'Rover'," decided Small.</p> - -<p>"'Rover' let it be. He'll be unique—the only dog on Mars with that -name. In fact, the only dog on Mars."</p> - -<p>"I'm unique too, Daddy. I'm the only boy on Mars called 'Small'."</p> - -<p>"It's not your real name, you know."</p> - -<p>"It is so," asserted Small. "'Anthony, Jr.' is just a nickname. When I -start going to television school, I'm going to tell the teacher that my -name is Small Kidd."</p> - -<p>Alice had been thinking. She said, "Anthony, dear, instead of writing -for a dog, why don't you try again to get one of those new guns? I'm -sure that if you did fill out a form—"</p> - -<p>"I've filled out thousands. But don't worry, dear, I'll write T. I. -Tapling again. Just don't expect too much, though."</p> - -<p>Alice tried to pretend that she didn't, but in her heart she felt a -pang of disappointment when Tapling wrote back that additional guns -were forbidden not only by Regulation L34XC3 of Code 3, but by virtue -of certain other regulations as well. He was pleased, however, to reply -favorably to Mr. Kidd's other request, and enclosed forthwith a copy of -a catalogue published by the Central Terrestrial Dog Breeding Station.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Alice's first thought was that for once Mr. Tapling had done something -right, and without wrapping his action up in red tape. Alice's second -thought was, "That Idiot Tapling!"—for the catalogue, it turned out, -was three hundred years old. It had been published some time before -the first Mars expedition had taken off, and she could only wonder -from what antique waste-paper pile the bureaucratic T. I. Tapling's -bureaucratic subordinates had dug it up.</p> - -<p>It was, nonetheless, fascinating reading, and Small was even more -fascinated by the pictures it contained. Moreover, with a catalogue -actually in the house, he seemed to regard her as definitely committed -to get Rover. He wavered in his favorites for that title between Great -Danes and Saint Bernards, and Alice, as she contemplated the size of -the two breeds, could only think of the enormous quantities of food -they would consume, and shudder in dismay.</p> - -<p>She put up one final feeble struggle that same night, when Anthony -came home, and Small showed him the wonders in the new book. "Look, -Daddy, this one looks like a sheep!"</p> - -<p>"It's a Bedlington Terrier."</p> - -<p>"Can we eat it?"</p> - -<p>"No. It may look like a sheep, but it eats like a dog. What kind do you -want?"</p> - -<p>"He wants a big one," said Alice. "Great Dane or St. Bernard."</p> - -<p>"How about an Irish Wolfhound?"</p> - -<p>"Is that a big one, Daddy?"</p> - -<p>"Tallest in the book."</p> - -<p>"Maybe we should choose that," said Alice tentatively. "That is," she -corrected herself, "if we choose any at all. And I rather doubt whether -we should."</p> - -<p>"It's up to you."</p> - -<p>"Think of the cost of feeding a big dog!"</p> - -<p>"But I told you before, it will probably feed on the animals it kills."</p> - -<p>"Suppose it doesn't kill any?"</p> - -<p>"It had better," said Anthony. "That's why I sent for the catalogue. -We'll have to take a look at the qualities of the different breeds, -and not depend entirely on Small's otherwise excellent criterion of -size. We want a dog that's kind and affectionate with a child; tough, -adaptable, a good hunter; and easy to care for. There are several -that seem to fit the bill, but of course it's hard to be sure from a -catalogue alone. And a lot depends on the individual dog, too. Why not -tell the Dog Breeding Station what we want, and leave the final choice -up to them?"</p> - -<p>"But we're not sure—"</p> - -<p>It was at that moment that for the first time there came a scratching -not at the door, but at the shutter.</p> - -<p>Alice looked at her husband and her child, and then hugged the latter -closely. "Thank God you're home," she told Anthony.</p> - -<p>The shutters were not as resistant as the doors, and they both knew it. -But for the moment, the creature outside seemed to have trouble making -up its mind. The scratching stopped, and then began again, at another -shutter.</p> - -<p>"As long as it isn't at the door, I have a chance to slip out before it -can slip in—I hope," said Anthony. He picked up his gun. "Get Small -behind the other door, and bar it."</p> - -<p>"Don't be silly. I'll put Small there, but I'm staying here. I'll keep -the explosive gun in readiness, just in case."</p> - -<p>Anthony nodded, and said, "All right, then. Here I go."</p> - -<p>He opened the door and stepped out. At the faint sound the door made, -the scratching at the shutter stopped. A second later, something seemed -to flash through the air and throw itself at Anthony's face. Anthony, -startled, didn't pull the trigger. Instead, he swung the gun upward and -caught the creature in the middle, throwing it above the roof. As it -rose high, he aimed, giving it a wide beam. The creature split in two -and the pieces fell to the ground, where they wriggled spasmodically.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>As it rose high, he aimed, giving it a wide beam....</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The thing had possessed a long snake's head and neck on a small -pseudo-mammalian body. Anthony's shot had cut it at the base of the -neck, and as the eyes glared at him, he fired into the head. But even -with the head shattered, the neck continued to twitch.</p> - -<p>Alice shuddered. "How did it fly?"</p> - -<p>"Get a little closer, and you'll see for yourself."</p> - -<p>She managed to overcome her repulsion and approached close, still -holding her own gun in readiness. And then, as Anthony had said, she -saw for herself. All along the neck were small pairs of wings, and -on the body two pairs of large ones. They were folded now, but their -nature was clearly visible. As if to leave her in no doubt whatever, -during one of the twitchings a pair on the body shuddered open, and -revealed a five-foot wingspread before it closed again.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"Let's get into the house before we talk," replied Anthony, and they -withdrew quickly and were about to bolt the door once more.</p> - -<p>At that moment, Alice looked around and screamed. "Small!"</p> - -<p>Anthony opened the door again, to find that Small had slipped out and -was poking with interest in his mind and a stick in his hand at the -body-half of the shattered animal. Anthony grabbed him and carried him -in. When they had bolted the door again, Alice fell into a chair. "That -child gives me heart-failure a dozen times a day."</p> - -<p>"That's what kids are for," said Anthony. "About that thing I -killed—I've heard of them, but I've never seen one before. I hope they -don't turn out to be common around here."</p> - -<p>"If one finally found its way to us, others will, sooner or later."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid so," he sighed. "They're known as 'snaffles'—flying -snakes. It may make you feel better to learn that they're not -poisonous."</p> - -<p>"It doesn't make me feel better in the least. They're horrible anyway."</p> - -<p>"Well, how about getting a dog?"</p> - -<p>"Send away for one—at once. Any kind, so long as it will kill these -terrible things."</p> - -<p>They sent away, and then they waited. A week later, Anthony killed -a badgerine—a vicious, burrowing animal that had the habit of -slaughtering for the pure joy of killing. The same day, a report came -from T. I. Tapling to the effect that the Central Terrestrial Dog -Breeding Station had reported an order for one of their animals, and -that, by virtue of the fact that all orders for Government personnel -on Government projects must be routed through Government channels, the -order had been turned over to Mr. Tapling. However, as Mr. Tapling was -strongly opposed to red tape—so said Mr. Tapling, black on white—he -would not return a new blank order form to Mr. Anthony Kidd, but would -save time, according to the procedure permitted by Regulation MN37VX25, -Code 2, and fill out the necessary form himself.</p> - -<p>"Why, the guy's human," said Anthony in surprise.</p> - -<p>"Maybe he had a dog himself once," suggested Alice.</p> - -<p>"Whatever it is, it shouldn't be long now."</p> - -<p>But Mr. Tapling, as an expediter, was not quite as efficient as when -he played the role of obstructor. Another week passed, during which -Anthony killed another octerocap and two snaffles, incurring a slight -wound from one of the latter. The wound showed signs, at first, of -festering badly, and special biostatic treatment was needed to keep -it from getting worse. The week after that, Anthony shot a new animal -which he had never even heard described before. It seemed a baggy -formless mass, with a tiny, almost invisible head. He tossed it aside, -and the other animals, enticed by the meal, came to eat it and then -prowl, audibly drooling, around the house. He shot several more, and -still no dog.</p> - -<p>He spent part of his hard-earned salary for a special cable to Mr. -Tapling, and that gentleman, in his hatred of red tape, referred the -message to a subordinate, who passed it on for action to a subordinate -of his own. Anthony never heard of the cable again.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>During the next week he killed no less than five different animals. -Alice herself killed a snaffle which tried to get into the house -through an imperfectly barred window. The explosive gun was a great -success, blowing head and most of the neck to bits with one shot, and -knocking Alice to the floor at the same time by means of the recoil. -She was bruised for days, and from that moment she lived in almost as -great terror of the gun itself as of the animals outside.</p> - -<p>In the month that followed, Anthony sent a cable each week, and -received no reply to any of them. The number of animals that prowled -around the house increased almost daily. There came the day when Alice -called up the mine in panic.</p> - -<p>"Anthony, there are <i>three</i> of them outside the house, all at once. One -at the door, two at different shutters. Rush home! And bring help!"</p> - -<p>"Okay," said Anthony, and rushed.</p> - -<p>This time he was accompanied by one of his fellow engineers, who was -carrying a surprise for Alice. The first surprise, however, was the one -that Anthony himself received. Tunneling under the concrete foundation -of the house was a badgerine whose presence Alice had not even -suspected. But Anthony had no time to tackle it, for the other animals -were quickly upon him. The first to arrive were the snaffles, and both -Anthony and the engineer with him aimed and shot in a hurry. Anthony's -target fell apart as scheduled. The engineer's kept on coming, but -fortunately overshot its mark, for its intended victim had fallen to -the ground.</p> - -<p>Anthony swung his gun around, knocked the snaffle into the air, and -fired right into the middle of an octerocap rushing at him. It fell to -the ground, eight heads howling, and then managed to lift itself and -spring. But by this time the engineer was on his feet again, and while -he broke its back with a blow of his own gun, Anthony disposed of the -remaining snaffle.</p> - -<p>It was only then that they heard the shriek from inside. The badgerine -was cutting through the concrete and getting into the house. Anthony -rushed to the door. It was bolted; and Alice, terrified as she watched -the floor give way, either didn't hear his yells or was unable to get -to him. Anthony wasted no time in pounding at the closed door. He -rushed to the hole the badgerine had dug and crawled down after it.</p> - -<p>The hole was dark, but fortunately fairly wide, as the badgerine was -a large animal. Anthony was able to pull himself along at a fair rate -of speed. While he was still a dozen feet from the concrete, he heard -the explosive gun go off. He almost felt the shock that must have hit -Alice, and tried to crawl faster, but only scraped his face against -the rock. Actually, it was only a few seconds before he reached the -concrete and dragged himself through, but it seemed like hours.</p> - -<p>Alice had turned on the brightest lights, and, thoroughly shaken by the -recoil, was now trying to aim with an unsteady gun at the badgerine, -which had pulled itself together as if gathering strength to spring at -her. The explosion had torn a hole in its side, and blood was staining -the floor—but it wasn't the wound that had saved Alice from its first -attempt to pounce upon her. It was the bright light, which dazzled the -eyes so well adjusted to the black of the tunnel. It had leaped by odor -and missed, and Alice had been cool enough to hold her fire until she -could aim. But this time the animal would not miss.</p> - -<p>It sprang, in fact, just as Anthony dragged his own gun to aiming -position, and its teeth were about to close on her throat when his -blast drilled it through the primary heart. Even as it fell, it knocked -her down.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Anthony kicked the animal aside and picked up his wife, who had -fainted. Outside, the man who had accompanied him was pounding on the -door. From behind the bolted door of the inner room, Small was wailing.</p> - -<p>Anthony deposited his wife gently on a sofa, and let his friend in. The -man said bitterly, "That Idiot Tapling."</p> - -<p>"Never mind Tapling. Let me have your flask."</p> - -<p>But Alice didn't need the whisky to revive. She opened her eyes just -as Anthony lifted her again, and then, as her gaze met his own, she -sighed. "What a wonderful man I married. Always just in time."</p> - -<p>"That Idiot Tapling," growled the newcomer.</p> - -<p>Alice looked at him questioningly, and Anthony said, "This is Carl -Dowley. From the mines. He came along when I told him that I might need -help. And look at what he has."</p> - -<p>"A new gun!" exclaimed Alice.</p> - -<p>"That's what it looks like," said Dowley. "From surplus, courtesy -of Regulation ND7-Z5. And that's exactly what it isn't." He said to -Anthony, "You saw me aim and fire. But you didn't see anything happen. -Because it didn't go off."</p> - -<p>"Let me take a look at it." Anthony opened it up, and stared. "No -loader, no radiation shield, no charge chamber—the guts are missing!"</p> - -<p>They looked at each other, and all three said, at the same moment, -almost as if they had rehearsed it, "That Idiot Tapling!"</p> - -<p>It was only then that Alice heard Small's wailing and opened the inner -door.</p> - -<p>They had thought that day was bad enough. The next day topped it.</p> - -<p>The hole the badgerine had dug had been filled with quick-setting -concrete and had no further attraction for animal visitors. Late in -the afternoon, however, something came to the door, and Alice tried -to phone the mine. But the line was dead, and she realized that some -animal, probably another badgerine, had cut through the concrete and -metal shield that protected the phone and visor wires. She was not -seriously upset, however—not then. She simply switched to the radio -sender, and tried to contact the mine along her private wave-length. It -was only when she realized that the power was not on that panic really -gripped her.</p> - -<p>The creature at the door kept working steadily, as if unaware that a -half hour after its arrival a competitor had arrived at one of the -shutters, and that a pretty race was on to see which would get Alice as -its prey. She stared at her watch and tried to guess when Anthony would -be coming home. Probably, as far as she could estimate, a half hour -after the first creature had reached her. She might stop it with the -explosive gun, and she might not. And then, if another showed up at the -same window or door, while she was still unsteady from the recoil....</p> - -<p>Her only hope was that they would come after her one by one, not too -close together. She considered seriously the possibility of opening the -shutter to allow the entrance of the snaffle which she was sure was -tearing at it, getting rid of that, and then closing the shutter again -while she recovered her steadiness. But she knew that the thing might -come at her faster than she could handle it, and decided to leave the -shutter alone.</p> - -<p>For another half hour the animals worked away, each intent upon its -own means of arriving at the victim. Then, for the first time, Alice -heard the sound of a struggle between animals outside the house. The -scratching at the shutter stopped, there came a thin shriek, a crash -against the side, and then silence except for the vibration of the -shutter.</p> - -<p>The scratching at the door stopped next. This time there came the -howling of octerocap heads, and then a crash high up, as if the -creature had been hurled with great force against the house. The thing -that had hurled it next pounded on the door, and to her horror Alice -saw the door yield at the same time both at the bottom and at the top, -as if it had been hit by both head and foot at once. Never before had -any animal been large enough to accomplish such a feat. This must be a -predator of a new type, huger and stronger than the others.</p> - -<p>For the second time in two days, Alice fainted.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>She was awakened a little later by a great pounding on the door. At -first she thought she would faint again, but the unexpected sound of -Anthony's voice reassured her. He was yelling to her to open up.</p> - -<p>She lifted the bolt, and Anthony stepped toward her. As she fell -forward to fling her arms around his neck, however, she caught sight of -something over his shoulder ... she closed her eyes and shrieked.</p> - -<p>"Take it easy," said Anthony. "He may look frightening, but he's of a -breed that's been trained to be gentle with humans."</p> - -<p>"It's—"</p> - -<p>"It's the thing that smashed the snaffle and trampled the octerocap. -It's the dog they sent us."</p> - -<p>She drew back, and a monster stepped into the room, its clumsy gait -almost knocking the door off its hinges. It gazed at her with saucer -eyes, and then, as Small came toward it, his own little eyes wide -with a puzzled sort of delight, the dog stretched out a tongue bigger -than Small's head and tried to lick Small's face. The boy fell over -backward, squalling in fright.</p> - -<p>"No, Rover!" said Anthony sternly.</p> - -<p>The dog hung its head in shame.</p> - -<p>"Down, Rover!"</p> - -<p>The dog stood motionless, Anthony smacked him on the rear. The dog -squatted down on his haunches, his head somewhere near the ceiling.</p> - -<p>"See how gentle he is? He may look like a monster, but he wouldn't lay -a paw or a tooth on a human being. They breed his kind for gentleness."</p> - -<p>"But—are you sure it's a dog? How—why didn't you—"</p> - -<p>"I tried to call you late this afternoon, when he arrived," said -Anthony reasonably, "but the wire was cut. And your radio wasn't -receiving. So I set out to walk him home. Had him on a leash. Not that -I could hold him if he really tried to pull away, but he won't exert -his full force against a human who has him on a leash."</p> - -<p>"Then how <i>did</i> he get away? If he killed the octerocap and the -snaffle, he must have got here before you."</p> - -<p>"He did. Fact is, I was careless," confessed Anthony shamefacedly. "I -stopped to light a cigaret, and he tugged the leash out of my hand -before I could get a good grip on it. He headed for this place because -it was the only human-looking habitation in the neighborhood. Good -thing, too. He got here in time to take care of those creatures."</p> - -<p>Alice stared at the monster. "Good heavens, how big is he, anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Seven feet at the shoulder, and weighs 2000 pounds. No wonder he could -handle those animals, even though he is a pup."</p> - -<p>"<i>A pup!</i>"</p> - -<p>"Four months old. Two months when they shipped him out. It seems that -the catalogue That Idiot Tapling sent us is a little out of date. -In the past few centuries they've bred new kinds of dogs, entirely -different from those they used to have on Earth. They've got them small -enough to fit into a thimble, and big enough—well, as big as this -one will be. Naturally, when we wrote away and asked for a protector -type, one of the biggest they had, we didn't have any idea that they'd -developed this. If Tapling had only sent us a modern catalogue—"</p> - -<p>"I like him," announced Small suddenly. "Is his name Rover?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely."</p> - -<p>"Will he knock me over again?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not. That was just an accident."</p> - -<p>"Are we going to keep him?"</p> - -<p>Anthony looked at Alice and grinned. "I don't think we have any choice -in the matter. It's a question of life and death."</p> - -<p>"But not in the house," said Alice. "There's no room for him in the -house. And he'll be quite safe outside."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid not," said Anthony. "He's strong, but as a pup he's still -delicate. Very susceptible to virus infections."</p> - -<p>"That elephant?" exclaimed Alice incredulously. "Afraid of little -things like viruses?"</p> - -<p>Anthony nodded. "His kind catch cold very easily. After he grows older, -of course, he'll be different. He'll be able to sleep outside, if you -make him a chest protector. The chest has to stay warm. You used to -knit well, Alice."</p> - -<p>"I can't knit a chest protector for an elephant!"</p> - -<p>"You're exaggerating. Even full-grown, he probably won't top 4600 -pounds. Some elephants come a lot bigger than that."</p> - -<p>"I'll sew him a protector out of an old blanket. I won't knit it."</p> - -<p>"I guess that will do. Meanwhile, as I said, we'll have to keep him in -the house. And about food—" He coughed delicately. "Later on, he'll -be able to supply himself. Meanwhile, he's still a pup, as I must -keep on reminding you. We'll have to buy special dog food. And vitamin -concentrates. A few gallons a year, no more. He'll be mature at about -two."</p> - -<p>Alice groaned. "He probably saved my life, but I can't help it, -Anthony, I can't welcome him like the guest he should be. Either he'll -eat us out of house and home, or he'll crowd us out—"</p> - -<p>"I can take him back or give him to someone else," observed Anthony. "I -already have an offer."</p> - -<p>"No—I'm afraid we need him too much." She looked at the animal grimly, -and said, "You win, Rover. You're one of the family."</p> - -<p>Rover bent his head, and Anthony scratched it. Small said, "Daddy, -could he give me a ride?" and Anthony put the boy on the dog's back, -and watched him parade clumsily around the room, knocking over no more -than two chairs. A moment later, the boy slipped off, beaming.</p> - -<p>"I think it'll work out," said Anthony.</p> - -<p>As if in answer, Small's eyes seemed to pop out of his head, while -his finger pointed. Alice shrieked, and in her voice there was the -expression of stark tragedy such as Aristotle had never known, of -the ultimate outrage of a malignant and remorseless fate: "<i>He isn't -housebroken!</i>"</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Monster, by William Morrison - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONSTER *** - -***** This file should be named 63965-h.htm or 63965-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/6/63965/ - -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 print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Monster - -Author: William Morrison - -Release Date: December 5, 2020 [EBook #63965] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONSTER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - MONSTER - - by WILLIAM MORRISON - - _Colonizing Mars was hell, because of one - thing--large, hungry critters. They flew, - crawled, snarled, howled, burrowed up under - the floors, chewed at doors and windows. And - then, to make things worse, came the Monster...._ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories July 1951. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -There was a faint scratching at the door, so faint that Alice Kidd, -who had been listening fearfully for precisely that sound, was at first -not certain that she heard it. But, as she came close to the doorway, -it was no longer possible to doubt, and a chill went through her at -the thought of the creature panting eagerly on the other side. Now she -could hear it whine, and, despite her knowledge that the gesture was -an idle one, she could not help once more feeling the bolt behind the -door. Then she made sure that the shutters too were securely barred, -although these were usually in less danger; most of the animals could -not apply pressure very far above the ground. - -Small was staring at her, not particularly frightened, but very much -interested. Her face, she thought, must be pale through the radiation -tan. Ordinarily, there was nothing timid or fragile about her, or she -would never have accompanied her husband to Mars; but all the same, -she felt weak and helpless before the danger that threatened. And she -shuddered as her five-year-old son asked, "Can it get in, Mommy?" - -"I hope not, darling. Come, let's go into the other room and bolt the -connecting door. And then I'll call up Daddy." - -"Does it want to eat us, Mommy?" - -Alice shuddered again. "Don't talk about it," she said, and carried him -quickly into the next room. When the door was bolted, she pressed the -contact button, asked for Mr. Kidd, and almost at once was speaking to -Anthony. - -He listened quietly, his dark face in the visor as grave as if he were -concerned with some problem of engineering, and then said in a tone -of reassurance, "Don't worry, it can't get in. Not under a couple of -hours, anyway. And even if it does, you have that gun." - -"That explosive thing?" - -"It'll do, if you keep your nerve. But I don't think you'll have to put -it to the test. I'm coming home now, anyway, and I'll take care of our -friend. Have any idea what it is?" - -"I haven't seen it. It just whines a little, and keeps scratching, very -quietly." - -"Probably a badgerine. Hope it doesn't try to tunnel under the floor. -All right, sugar, keep your shirt on, and the Mars Marines will be -there to the rescue." - -"Take care of yourself." - -"And how. Think I want you to be left with all that insurance money and -fall victim to some fortune-hunter who sees nothing in you but your -beautiful bank account?" - - * * * * * - -He hung up, and Alice waited, trembling. In the room where she was, -she could no longer hear the straining animal, but she knew that it -hadn't gone away. She tried to get interested in some of Small's -childish treasures. The blocks he had long outgrown, and they kept the -things only because there was no one to give them to, and it seemed -silly to throw anything away here. Besides, Alice had the idea that -her son might have a brother or a sister some day soon, if they ever -decided it was possible to raise a baby here, and toys were difficult -to import. As for Small's magic hypno-ray ring, his imitation teleport -bracelet, and his genuine imitation home teleset and similar objects, -all obtained either by sending away one quarter credit in stamps -plus a cereal box-top or by selling a special perfumed soap to his -neighbors--which in this case meant his parents--she had always found -it difficult to arouse any interest in them. She had, in fact, been -slightly annoyed at Anthony's indulgence of his son's desire to obtain -them. And it was impossible to simulate interest now, with that animal -at the door. - -And then, suddenly, the animal wasn't there any longer. She didn't hear -any noise from Anthony's gun. It wasn't that kind. She felt simply -the shock of contact as the missile went through the creature's body -and shook the house. Then came a long, despairing chorus of yells, -and after that, for a moment, silence. She withdrew the bolt of the -connecting door, and then the buzzer sounded. - -When Anthony came in, she fell into his arms. Small, however, wasn't -having any emotional excitement. He said, "What was it, Daddy? Was it -really a badgerine?" - -"Not this time, son. Just an octerocap." - -"As if the other wasn't bad enough," said Alice faintly. The octerocap -was an eight-headed wolf, and was as likely to kill newcomers by -the fright its appearance induced as much as by its numerous teeth. -"Anthony, you must simply get me another gun like yours." - -"You can take mine if you really feel unsafe." - -"You know I wouldn't take it. You need yours to get home with. And -there isn't so much danger as long as you're within calling range. But -in case of emergency--" - -He nodded. "Do you think I don't realize that? I've been cabling that -idiot, Tapling, for another gun ever since we got here. Not a chance." - -"But why? Does he think that the government sends engineers to Mars for -the purpose of having them killed and eaten by animals?" - -"Tapling's is not to reason why, it's but to do according to -regulations and let others die. He says that Regulation L34XC3 of -Code 3 forbids it." - -"The stupid fool!" - -"Call him by his right name. That Idiot Tapling, or T. I. Tapling, as -we usually denote him at the office." - -"Is he the same way to them?" - -"And how! Operations have been dragging along at half of capacity -because he says we haven't filled out the necessary forms for those -spare parts we need. And we can't fill them out, because the forms have -to be countersigned by the vice-president in charge of Operation M54, -and that gentleman is vacationing somewhere in space with a new bride, -and can't be located. So you see, darling, you're cursing him in good -company." - -Even at that, as Anthony might have pointed out, he was suppressing -a good part of what might have been said of Mr. Tapling. At the -mines where Anthony and his fellow engineers worked, everything was -completely automatic, and the dozen men were needed only for checking -and repairs. It was T. I. Tapling who had done his best to ruin their -lives. - - * * * * * - -The houses he had ordered built for them were not too bad. To be -reasonably invulnerable to the drill-toothed animals who abounded on -these wastes, the walls would have had to be about a dozen feet thick; -and Tapling had had no grounds for suspecting that fact, which had not -been in any of the reports he had read. But it was unquestionably his -fault that the houses were so widely scattered. Dealing with a planet -where the sunlight was weak and ultra-violet was obtained chiefly from -artificial radiation, a planet where the air was so cold that no one -went outdoors unless he had to, T. I. Tapling had been worried about -living space and had generously allotted to each engineer and his -family territory uninhabited for a couple of miles in every direction. -Possibly he expected them to grow vegetables next to their houses. -Apparently he had no suspicion that he was making things as easy as -possible for the predatory animals. - -And of all locations, Anthony and Alice had the worst. Their house was -most isolated, was the most difficult to get to from the office, and -was in the part of the country most liable to attack. It was little -wonder that Alice said, as she had said so often before, "But we _must_ -do something. Do you think we could have an electric barrier set up?" - -"We could not. That's against regulation something or other too. Might -kill friendly animals." - -"But there isn't a single animal that's friendly!" - -"Tell that to regulations and their guardian, Mr. Tapling." - -Small looked up and said, "Mommy, we ought to get a dog." - -Anthony nodded. "Our brilliant son is correct. Just as correct as he -was when he first suggested it two months ago." - -"But, Anthony, you know how much food costs here. He'd eat us out of--" - -"Dogs eat animals," announced Small. "Space Dragoneer says so in his -television program." - -"Small's right," agreed Anthony. "I'll bet an octerocap has eight -different kinds of vitamins, one for each head. We ought to try eating -one ourselves and save money." - -"Ugh!" - -"I want to eat an octerocap," said Small. "He wants to eat me, so I -don't see why I shouldn't eat him." - -"Never heard more perfect logic in my life," observed Anthony with -pride. "That's my boy. However, let's put the lesson in logic aside -for a moment, and repair the damage the thing caused. Get the plastic -metal, Alice." - -But Small was not to be so easily sidetracked. When the repairs to the -door had been completed, he said, as if continuing a conversation that -had been going on all the time, "Are we getting the dog soon, Daddy?" - -"I think we are, Small. Then, for a change, I think your Mommy will -feel safe in the house." - -"I'll call him, 'Rover'," decided Small. - -"'Rover' let it be. He'll be unique--the only dog on Mars with that -name. In fact, the only dog on Mars." - -"I'm unique too, Daddy. I'm the only boy on Mars called 'Small'." - -"It's not your real name, you know." - -"It is so," asserted Small. "'Anthony, Jr.' is just a nickname. When I -start going to television school, I'm going to tell the teacher that my -name is Small Kidd." - -Alice had been thinking. She said, "Anthony, dear, instead of writing -for a dog, why don't you try again to get one of those new guns? I'm -sure that if you did fill out a form--" - -"I've filled out thousands. But don't worry, dear, I'll write T. I. -Tapling again. Just don't expect too much, though." - -Alice tried to pretend that she didn't, but in her heart she felt a -pang of disappointment when Tapling wrote back that additional guns -were forbidden not only by Regulation L34XC3 of Code 3, but by virtue -of certain other regulations as well. He was pleased, however, to reply -favorably to Mr. Kidd's other request, and enclosed forthwith a copy of -a catalogue published by the Central Terrestrial Dog Breeding Station. - - * * * * * - -Alice's first thought was that for once Mr. Tapling had done something -right, and without wrapping his action up in red tape. Alice's second -thought was, "That Idiot Tapling!"--for the catalogue, it turned out, -was three hundred years old. It had been published some time before -the first Mars expedition had taken off, and she could only wonder -from what antique waste-paper pile the bureaucratic T. I. Tapling's -bureaucratic subordinates had dug it up. - -It was, nonetheless, fascinating reading, and Small was even more -fascinated by the pictures it contained. Moreover, with a catalogue -actually in the house, he seemed to regard her as definitely committed -to get Rover. He wavered in his favorites for that title between Great -Danes and Saint Bernards, and Alice, as she contemplated the size of -the two breeds, could only think of the enormous quantities of food -they would consume, and shudder in dismay. - -She put up one final feeble struggle that same night, when Anthony -came home, and Small showed him the wonders in the new book. "Look, -Daddy, this one looks like a sheep!" - -"It's a Bedlington Terrier." - -"Can we eat it?" - -"No. It may look like a sheep, but it eats like a dog. What kind do you -want?" - -"He wants a big one," said Alice. "Great Dane or St. Bernard." - -"How about an Irish Wolfhound?" - -"Is that a big one, Daddy?" - -"Tallest in the book." - -"Maybe we should choose that," said Alice tentatively. "That is," she -corrected herself, "if we choose any at all. And I rather doubt whether -we should." - -"It's up to you." - -"Think of the cost of feeding a big dog!" - -"But I told you before, it will probably feed on the animals it kills." - -"Suppose it doesn't kill any?" - -"It had better," said Anthony. "That's why I sent for the catalogue. -We'll have to take a look at the qualities of the different breeds, -and not depend entirely on Small's otherwise excellent criterion of -size. We want a dog that's kind and affectionate with a child; tough, -adaptable, a good hunter; and easy to care for. There are several -that seem to fit the bill, but of course it's hard to be sure from a -catalogue alone. And a lot depends on the individual dog, too. Why not -tell the Dog Breeding Station what we want, and leave the final choice -up to them?" - -"But we're not sure--" - -It was at that moment that for the first time there came a scratching -not at the door, but at the shutter. - -Alice looked at her husband and her child, and then hugged the latter -closely. "Thank God you're home," she told Anthony. - -The shutters were not as resistant as the doors, and they both knew it. -But for the moment, the creature outside seemed to have trouble making -up its mind. The scratching stopped, and then began again, at another -shutter. - -"As long as it isn't at the door, I have a chance to slip out before it -can slip in--I hope," said Anthony. He picked up his gun. "Get Small -behind the other door, and bar it." - -"Don't be silly. I'll put Small there, but I'm staying here. I'll keep -the explosive gun in readiness, just in case." - -Anthony nodded, and said, "All right, then. Here I go." - -He opened the door and stepped out. At the faint sound the door made, -the scratching at the shutter stopped. A second later, something seemed -to flash through the air and throw itself at Anthony's face. Anthony, -startled, didn't pull the trigger. Instead, he swung the gun upward and -caught the creature in the middle, throwing it above the roof. As it -rose high, he aimed, giving it a wide beam. The creature split in two -and the pieces fell to the ground, where they wriggled spasmodically. - -[Illustration: _As it rose high, he aimed, giving it a wide beam...._] - - * * * * * - -The thing had possessed a long snake's head and neck on a small -pseudo-mammalian body. Anthony's shot had cut it at the base of the -neck, and as the eyes glared at him, he fired into the head. But even -with the head shattered, the neck continued to twitch. - -Alice shuddered. "How did it fly?" - -"Get a little closer, and you'll see for yourself." - -She managed to overcome her repulsion and approached close, still -holding her own gun in readiness. And then, as Anthony had said, she -saw for herself. All along the neck were small pairs of wings, and -on the body two pairs of large ones. They were folded now, but their -nature was clearly visible. As if to leave her in no doubt whatever, -during one of the twitchings a pair on the body shuddered open, and -revealed a five-foot wingspread before it closed again. - -"What is it?" she asked. - -"Let's get into the house before we talk," replied Anthony, and they -withdrew quickly and were about to bolt the door once more. - -At that moment, Alice looked around and screamed. "Small!" - -Anthony opened the door again, to find that Small had slipped out and -was poking with interest in his mind and a stick in his hand at the -body-half of the shattered animal. Anthony grabbed him and carried him -in. When they had bolted the door again, Alice fell into a chair. "That -child gives me heart-failure a dozen times a day." - -"That's what kids are for," said Anthony. "About that thing I -killed--I've heard of them, but I've never seen one before. I hope they -don't turn out to be common around here." - -"If one finally found its way to us, others will, sooner or later." - -"I'm afraid so," he sighed. "They're known as 'snaffles'--flying -snakes. It may make you feel better to learn that they're not -poisonous." - -"It doesn't make me feel better in the least. They're horrible anyway." - -"Well, how about getting a dog?" - -"Send away for one--at once. Any kind, so long as it will kill these -terrible things." - -They sent away, and then they waited. A week later, Anthony killed -a badgerine--a vicious, burrowing animal that had the habit of -slaughtering for the pure joy of killing. The same day, a report came -from T. I. Tapling to the effect that the Central Terrestrial Dog -Breeding Station had reported an order for one of their animals, and -that, by virtue of the fact that all orders for Government personnel -on Government projects must be routed through Government channels, the -order had been turned over to Mr. Tapling. However, as Mr. Tapling was -strongly opposed to red tape--so said Mr. Tapling, black on white--he -would not return a new blank order form to Mr. Anthony Kidd, but would -save time, according to the procedure permitted by Regulation MN37VX25, -Code 2, and fill out the necessary form himself. - -"Why, the guy's human," said Anthony in surprise. - -"Maybe he had a dog himself once," suggested Alice. - -"Whatever it is, it shouldn't be long now." - -But Mr. Tapling, as an expediter, was not quite as efficient as when -he played the role of obstructor. Another week passed, during which -Anthony killed another octerocap and two snaffles, incurring a slight -wound from one of the latter. The wound showed signs, at first, of -festering badly, and special biostatic treatment was needed to keep -it from getting worse. The week after that, Anthony shot a new animal -which he had never even heard described before. It seemed a baggy -formless mass, with a tiny, almost invisible head. He tossed it aside, -and the other animals, enticed by the meal, came to eat it and then -prowl, audibly drooling, around the house. He shot several more, and -still no dog. - -He spent part of his hard-earned salary for a special cable to Mr. -Tapling, and that gentleman, in his hatred of red tape, referred the -message to a subordinate, who passed it on for action to a subordinate -of his own. Anthony never heard of the cable again. - - * * * * * - -During the next week he killed no less than five different animals. -Alice herself killed a snaffle which tried to get into the house -through an imperfectly barred window. The explosive gun was a great -success, blowing head and most of the neck to bits with one shot, and -knocking Alice to the floor at the same time by means of the recoil. -She was bruised for days, and from that moment she lived in almost as -great terror of the gun itself as of the animals outside. - -In the month that followed, Anthony sent a cable each week, and -received no reply to any of them. The number of animals that prowled -around the house increased almost daily. There came the day when Alice -called up the mine in panic. - -"Anthony, there are _three_ of them outside the house, all at once. One -at the door, two at different shutters. Rush home! And bring help!" - -"Okay," said Anthony, and rushed. - -This time he was accompanied by one of his fellow engineers, who was -carrying a surprise for Alice. The first surprise, however, was the one -that Anthony himself received. Tunneling under the concrete foundation -of the house was a badgerine whose presence Alice had not even -suspected. But Anthony had no time to tackle it, for the other animals -were quickly upon him. The first to arrive were the snaffles, and both -Anthony and the engineer with him aimed and shot in a hurry. Anthony's -target fell apart as scheduled. The engineer's kept on coming, but -fortunately overshot its mark, for its intended victim had fallen to -the ground. - -Anthony swung his gun around, knocked the snaffle into the air, and -fired right into the middle of an octerocap rushing at him. It fell to -the ground, eight heads howling, and then managed to lift itself and -spring. But by this time the engineer was on his feet again, and while -he broke its back with a blow of his own gun, Anthony disposed of the -remaining snaffle. - -It was only then that they heard the shriek from inside. The badgerine -was cutting through the concrete and getting into the house. Anthony -rushed to the door. It was bolted; and Alice, terrified as she watched -the floor give way, either didn't hear his yells or was unable to get -to him. Anthony wasted no time in pounding at the closed door. He -rushed to the hole the badgerine had dug and crawled down after it. - -The hole was dark, but fortunately fairly wide, as the badgerine was -a large animal. Anthony was able to pull himself along at a fair rate -of speed. While he was still a dozen feet from the concrete, he heard -the explosive gun go off. He almost felt the shock that must have hit -Alice, and tried to crawl faster, but only scraped his face against -the rock. Actually, it was only a few seconds before he reached the -concrete and dragged himself through, but it seemed like hours. - -Alice had turned on the brightest lights, and, thoroughly shaken by the -recoil, was now trying to aim with an unsteady gun at the badgerine, -which had pulled itself together as if gathering strength to spring at -her. The explosion had torn a hole in its side, and blood was staining -the floor--but it wasn't the wound that had saved Alice from its first -attempt to pounce upon her. It was the bright light, which dazzled the -eyes so well adjusted to the black of the tunnel. It had leaped by odor -and missed, and Alice had been cool enough to hold her fire until she -could aim. But this time the animal would not miss. - -It sprang, in fact, just as Anthony dragged his own gun to aiming -position, and its teeth were about to close on her throat when his -blast drilled it through the primary heart. Even as it fell, it knocked -her down. - - * * * * * - -Anthony kicked the animal aside and picked up his wife, who had -fainted. Outside, the man who had accompanied him was pounding on the -door. From behind the bolted door of the inner room, Small was wailing. - -Anthony deposited his wife gently on a sofa, and let his friend in. The -man said bitterly, "That Idiot Tapling." - -"Never mind Tapling. Let me have your flask." - -But Alice didn't need the whisky to revive. She opened her eyes just -as Anthony lifted her again, and then, as her gaze met his own, she -sighed. "What a wonderful man I married. Always just in time." - -"That Idiot Tapling," growled the newcomer. - -Alice looked at him questioningly, and Anthony said, "This is Carl -Dowley. From the mines. He came along when I told him that I might need -help. And look at what he has." - -"A new gun!" exclaimed Alice. - -"That's what it looks like," said Dowley. "From surplus, courtesy -of Regulation ND7-Z5. And that's exactly what it isn't." He said to -Anthony, "You saw me aim and fire. But you didn't see anything happen. -Because it didn't go off." - -"Let me take a look at it." Anthony opened it up, and stared. "No -loader, no radiation shield, no charge chamber--the guts are missing!" - -They looked at each other, and all three said, at the same moment, -almost as if they had rehearsed it, "That Idiot Tapling!" - -It was only then that Alice heard Small's wailing and opened the inner -door. - -They had thought that day was bad enough. The next day topped it. - -The hole the badgerine had dug had been filled with quick-setting -concrete and had no further attraction for animal visitors. Late in -the afternoon, however, something came to the door, and Alice tried -to phone the mine. But the line was dead, and she realized that some -animal, probably another badgerine, had cut through the concrete and -metal shield that protected the phone and visor wires. She was not -seriously upset, however--not then. She simply switched to the radio -sender, and tried to contact the mine along her private wave-length. It -was only when she realized that the power was not on that panic really -gripped her. - -The creature at the door kept working steadily, as if unaware that a -half hour after its arrival a competitor had arrived at one of the -shutters, and that a pretty race was on to see which would get Alice as -its prey. She stared at her watch and tried to guess when Anthony would -be coming home. Probably, as far as she could estimate, a half hour -after the first creature had reached her. She might stop it with the -explosive gun, and she might not. And then, if another showed up at the -same window or door, while she was still unsteady from the recoil.... - -Her only hope was that they would come after her one by one, not too -close together. She considered seriously the possibility of opening the -shutter to allow the entrance of the snaffle which she was sure was -tearing at it, getting rid of that, and then closing the shutter again -while she recovered her steadiness. But she knew that the thing might -come at her faster than she could handle it, and decided to leave the -shutter alone. - -For another half hour the animals worked away, each intent upon its -own means of arriving at the victim. Then, for the first time, Alice -heard the sound of a struggle between animals outside the house. The -scratching at the shutter stopped, there came a thin shriek, a crash -against the side, and then silence except for the vibration of the -shutter. - -The scratching at the door stopped next. This time there came the -howling of octerocap heads, and then a crash high up, as if the -creature had been hurled with great force against the house. The thing -that had hurled it next pounded on the door, and to her horror Alice -saw the door yield at the same time both at the bottom and at the top, -as if it had been hit by both head and foot at once. Never before had -any animal been large enough to accomplish such a feat. This must be a -predator of a new type, huger and stronger than the others. - -For the second time in two days, Alice fainted. - - * * * * * - -She was awakened a little later by a great pounding on the door. At -first she thought she would faint again, but the unexpected sound of -Anthony's voice reassured her. He was yelling to her to open up. - -She lifted the bolt, and Anthony stepped toward her. As she fell -forward to fling her arms around his neck, however, she caught sight of -something over his shoulder ... she closed her eyes and shrieked. - -"Take it easy," said Anthony. "He may look frightening, but he's of a -breed that's been trained to be gentle with humans." - -"It's--" - -"It's the thing that smashed the snaffle and trampled the octerocap. -It's the dog they sent us." - -She drew back, and a monster stepped into the room, its clumsy gait -almost knocking the door off its hinges. It gazed at her with saucer -eyes, and then, as Small came toward it, his own little eyes wide -with a puzzled sort of delight, the dog stretched out a tongue bigger -than Small's head and tried to lick Small's face. The boy fell over -backward, squalling in fright. - -"No, Rover!" said Anthony sternly. - -The dog hung its head in shame. - -"Down, Rover!" - -The dog stood motionless, Anthony smacked him on the rear. The dog -squatted down on his haunches, his head somewhere near the ceiling. - -"See how gentle he is? He may look like a monster, but he wouldn't lay -a paw or a tooth on a human being. They breed his kind for gentleness." - -"But--are you sure it's a dog? How--why didn't you--" - -"I tried to call you late this afternoon, when he arrived," said -Anthony reasonably, "but the wire was cut. And your radio wasn't -receiving. So I set out to walk him home. Had him on a leash. Not that -I could hold him if he really tried to pull away, but he won't exert -his full force against a human who has him on a leash." - -"Then how _did_ he get away? If he killed the octerocap and the -snaffle, he must have got here before you." - -"He did. Fact is, I was careless," confessed Anthony shamefacedly. "I -stopped to light a cigaret, and he tugged the leash out of my hand -before I could get a good grip on it. He headed for this place because -it was the only human-looking habitation in the neighborhood. Good -thing, too. He got here in time to take care of those creatures." - -Alice stared at the monster. "Good heavens, how big is he, anyway?" - -"Seven feet at the shoulder, and weighs 2000 pounds. No wonder he could -handle those animals, even though he is a pup." - -"_A pup!_" - -"Four months old. Two months when they shipped him out. It seems that -the catalogue That Idiot Tapling sent us is a little out of date. -In the past few centuries they've bred new kinds of dogs, entirely -different from those they used to have on Earth. They've got them small -enough to fit into a thimble, and big enough--well, as big as this -one will be. Naturally, when we wrote away and asked for a protector -type, one of the biggest they had, we didn't have any idea that they'd -developed this. If Tapling had only sent us a modern catalogue--" - -"I like him," announced Small suddenly. "Is his name Rover?" - -"Absolutely." - -"Will he knock me over again?" - -"Of course not. That was just an accident." - -"Are we going to keep him?" - -Anthony looked at Alice and grinned. "I don't think we have any choice -in the matter. It's a question of life and death." - -"But not in the house," said Alice. "There's no room for him in the -house. And he'll be quite safe outside." - -"I'm afraid not," said Anthony. "He's strong, but as a pup he's still -delicate. Very susceptible to virus infections." - -"That elephant?" exclaimed Alice incredulously. "Afraid of little -things like viruses?" - -Anthony nodded. "His kind catch cold very easily. After he grows older, -of course, he'll be different. He'll be able to sleep outside, if you -make him a chest protector. The chest has to stay warm. You used to -knit well, Alice." - -"I can't knit a chest protector for an elephant!" - -"You're exaggerating. Even full-grown, he probably won't top 4600 -pounds. Some elephants come a lot bigger than that." - -"I'll sew him a protector out of an old blanket. I won't knit it." - -"I guess that will do. Meanwhile, as I said, we'll have to keep him in -the house. And about food--" He coughed delicately. "Later on, he'll -be able to supply himself. Meanwhile, he's still a pup, as I must -keep on reminding you. We'll have to buy special dog food. And vitamin -concentrates. A few gallons a year, no more. He'll be mature at about -two." - -Alice groaned. "He probably saved my life, but I can't help it, -Anthony, I can't welcome him like the guest he should be. Either he'll -eat us out of house and home, or he'll crowd us out--" - -"I can take him back or give him to someone else," observed Anthony. "I -already have an offer." - -"No--I'm afraid we need him too much." She looked at the animal grimly, -and said, "You win, Rover. You're one of the family." - -Rover bent his head, and Anthony scratched it. Small said, "Daddy, -could he give me a ride?" and Anthony put the boy on the dog's back, -and watched him parade clumsily around the room, knocking over no more -than two chairs. A moment later, the boy slipped off, beaming. - -"I think it'll work out," said Anthony. - -As if in answer, Small's eyes seemed to pop out of his head, while -his finger pointed. Alice shrieked, and in her voice there was the -expression of stark tragedy such as Aristotle had never known, of -the ultimate outrage of a malignant and remorseless fate: "_He isn't -housebroken!_" - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Monster, by William Morrison - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONSTER *** - -***** This file should be named 63965.txt or 63965.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/6/63965/ - -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 print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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