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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..d7f844c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62244 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62244) diff --git a/old/62244-h.zip b/old/62244-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dac15f7..0000000 --- a/old/62244-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62244-h/62244-h.htm b/old/62244-h/62244-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index bb244bf..0000000 --- a/old/62244-h/62244-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,977 +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 Galactic Ghost, by Walter Kubilius. - </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;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -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 Galactic Ghost, by Walter Kubilius - -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: Galactic Ghost - -Author: Walter Kubilius - -Release Date: May 27, 2020 [EBook #62244] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GALACTIC GHOST *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="346" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>GALACTIC GHOST</h1> - -<h2>By WALTER KUBILIUS</h2> - -<p>The Flying Dutchman of space was a harbinger<br /> -of death. But Willard wasn't superstitions.<br /> -He had seen the phantom—and lived.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Winter 1942.<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>The only friend in space Willard had ever known was dying. Dobbin's -lips were parched and his breath came spasmodically. The tips of his -fingers that had so many times caressed the control board of the <i>Mary -Lou</i> were now black as meteor dust.</p> - -<p>"We'll never see Earth again," he whispered feebly, plucked weakly at -the cover.</p> - -<p>"Nonsense!" Willard broke in hurriedly, hoping that the dying man -would not see through the lie. "We've got the sun's gravity helping -us drift back to Earth! We'll be there soon! You'll get well soon and -we'll start to work again on a new idea of mine...." His voice trailed -helplessly away and the words were lost. It was no use.</p> - -<p>The sick man did not hear him. Two tears rolled down his cheeks. His -face contorted as he tried to withhold a sob.</p> - -<p>"To see Earth again!" he said weakly. "To walk on solid ground once -more!"</p> - -<p>"Four years!" Willard echoed faintly. He knew how his space mate felt. -No man can spend four years away from his home planet, and fail to be -anguished. A man could live without friends, without fortune, but no -man could live without Earth. He was like Anteus, for only the feel of -the solid ground under his feet could give him courage to go among the -stars.</p> - -<p>Willard also knew what he dared not admit to himself. He, too, like -Dobbin, would never see Earth again. Perhaps, some thousand years from -now, some lonely wanderers would find their battered hulk of a ship in -space and bring them home again.</p> - -<p>Dobbin motioned to him and, in answer to a last request, Willard lifted -him so he faced the port window for a final look at the panorama of the -stars.</p> - -<p>Dobbin's eyes, dimming and half closed, took in the vast play of the -heavens and in his mind he relived the days when in a frail craft he -first crossed interstellar space. But for Earth-loneliness Dobbin would -die a happy man, knowing that he had lived as much and as deeply as any -man could.</p> - -<p>Silently the two men watched. Dobbin's eyes opened suddenly and a -tremor seized his body. He turned painfully and looked at Willard.</p> - -<p>"I saw it!" his voice cracked, trembling.</p> - -<p>"Saw what?"</p> - -<p>"It's true! It's true! It comes whenever a space man dies! It's there!"</p> - -<p>"In heaven's name, Dobbin," Willard demanded, "What do you see? What is -it?"</p> - -<p>Dobbin lifted his dark bony arm and pointed out into star-studded -space.</p> - -<p>"The Ghost Ship!"</p> - -<p>Something clicked in Willard's memory. He had heard it spoken of in -whispers by drunken space men and professional tellers of fairy tales. -But he had never put any stock in them. In some forgotten corner of -Dobbin's mind the legend of the Ghost Ship must have lain, to come up -in this time of delirium.</p> - -<p>"There's nothing there," he said firmly.</p> - -<p>"It's come—for me!" Dobbin cried. He turned his head slowly toward -Willard, tried to say something and then fell back upon the pillow. His -mouth was open and his eyes stared unseeing ahead. Dobbin was now one -with the vanished pioneers of yesterday. Willard was alone.</p> - -<p>For two days, reckoned in Earth time, Willard kept vigil over the body -of his friend and space mate. When the time was up he did what was -necessary and nothing remained of Harry Dobbin, the best friend he had -ever had. The atoms of his body were now pure energy stored away in the -useless motors of the <i>Mary Lou</i>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The weeks that followed were like a blur in Willard's mind. Though the -ship was utterly incapable of motion, the chance meteor that damaged -it had spared the convertors and assimilators. Through constant care -and attention the frail balance that meant life or death could be kept. -The substance of waste and refuse was torn down and rebuilt as precious -food and air. It was even possible to create more than was needed.</p> - -<p>When this was done, Willard immediately regretted it. For it would be -then that the days and the weeks would roll by endlessly. Sometimes -he thought he would go mad when, sitting at the useless control -board, which was his habit, he would stare for hours and hours in -the direction of the Sun where he knew the Earth would be. A great -loneliness would then seize upon him and an agony that no man had ever -known would tear at his heart. He would then turn away, full of despair -and hopeless pain.</p> - -<p>Two years after Dobbin's death a strange thing happened. Willard was -sitting at his accustomed place facing the unmoving vista of the stars. -A chance glance at Orion's belt froze him still. A star had flickered! -Distinctly, as if a light veil had been placed over it and then lifted, -it dimmed and turned bright again. What strange phenomena was this? He -watched and then another star faded momentarily in the exact fashion. -And then a third! And a fourth! And a fifth!</p> - -<p>Willard's heart gave a leap and the lethargy of two years vanished -instantly. Here, at last, was something to do. It might be only a few -minutes before he would understand what it was, but those few minutes -would help while away the maddening long hours. Perhaps it was a mass -of fine meteorites or a pocket of gas that did not disperse, or even a -moving warp of space-light. Whatever it was, it was a phenomena worth -investigating and Willard seized upon it as a dying man seizes upon the -last flashing seconds of life.</p> - -<p>Willard traced its course by the flickering stars and gradually plotted -its semi-circular course. It was not from the solar system but, -instead, headed toward it. A rapid check-up on his calculations caused -his heart to beat in ever quickening excitement. Whatever it was, it -would reach the <i>Mary Lou</i>.</p> - -<p>Again he looked out the port. Unquestionably the faint mass was nearing -his ship. It was round in shape and almost invisible. The stars, -though dimmed, could still be seen through it. There was something -about its form that reminded him of an old-fashioned rocket ship. It -resembled one of those that had done pioneer service in the lanes forty -years ago or more. Resembled one? It was one! Unquestionably, though -half-invisible and like a piece of glass immersed in water, it was a -rocket ship.</p> - -<p>But the instruments on the control board could not lie. The presence of -any material body within a hundred thousand miles would be revealed. -But the needle on the gauge did not quiver. Nothing indicated the -presence of a ship. But the evidence of his eyes was incontestable.</p> - -<p>Or was it? Doubt gripped him. Did the loneliness of all these years -in space twist his mind till he was imagining the appearance of faint -ghost-like rocket ships?</p> - -<p>The thought shot through his mind like a thunder bolt. Ghost Ship! -Was this the thing that Dobbin had seen before he died? But that was -impossible. Ghost Ships existed nowhere but in legends and tall tales -told by men drunk with the liquors of Mars.</p> - -<p>"There is no ship there. There is no ship there," Willard told himself -over and over again as he looked at the vague outline of the ship, now -motionless a few hundred miles away.</p> - -<p>Deep within him a faint voice cried, "<i>It's come—for me!</i>" but Willard -stilled it. This was no fantasy. There was a scientific reason for it. -There must be! Or should there be? Throughout all Earth history there -had been Ghost Ships sailing the Seven Seas—ships doomed to roam -forever because their crew broke some unbreakable law. If this was true -for the ships of the seas, why not for the ships of empty space?</p> - -<p>He looked again at the strange ship. It was motionless. At least it was -not nearing him. Willard could see nothing but its vague outline. A -moment later he could discern a faint motion. It was turning! The Ghost -Ship was turning back! Unconsciously Willard reached out with his hand -as if to hold it back, for when it was gone he would be alone again.</p> - -<p>But the Ghost Ship went on. Its outline became smaller and smaller, -fainter and fainter.</p> - -<p>Trembling, Willard turned away from the window as he saw the rocket -recede and vanish into the emptiness of space. Once more the dreaded -loneliness of the stars descended upon him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Seven years passed and back on Earth in a small newspaper that Willard -would never see there was published a small item:</p> - -<p>"<i>Arden, Rocketport</i>—Thirteen years ago the Space Ship <i>Mary Lou</i> -under John Willard and Larry Dobbin left the Rocket Port for the -exploration of an alleged planetoid beyond Pluto. The ship has not been -seen or heard from since. J. Willard, II, son of the lost explorer, is -planning the manufacture of a super-size exploration ship to be called -<i>Mary Lou II</i>, in memory of his father."</p> - -<p>Memories die hard. A man who is alone in space with nothing but the -cold friendship of star-light looks back upon memories as the only -things both dear and precious to him.</p> - -<p>Willard, master and lone survivor of the <i>Mary Lou</i>, knew this well for -he had tried to rip the memories of Earth out of his heart to ease the -anguish of solitude within him. But it was a thing that could not be -done.</p> - -<p>And so it was that each night—for Willard did not give up the -Earth-habit of keeping time—Willard dreamed of the days he had known -on Earth.</p> - -<p>In his mind's eye, he saw himself walking the streets of Arden and -feeling the crunch of snow or the soft slap of rainwater under his -feet. He heard again, in his mind, the voices of friends he knew. -How beautiful and perfect was each voice! How filled with warmth and -friendship! There was the voice of his beautiful wife whom he would -never see again. There were the gruff and deep voices of his co-workers -and scientists.</p> - -<p>Above all there were the voices of the cities, and the fields and the -shops where he had worked. All these had their individual voices. Odd -that he had never realized it before, but things become clearer to a -man who is alone.</p> - -<p>Clearer? Perhaps not. Perhaps they become more clouded. How could he, -for example, explain the phenomena of the Ghost Ship? Was it really -only a product of his imagination? What of all the others who had -seen it? Was it possible for many different men under many different -situations to have the same exact illusion? Reason denied that. But -perhaps space itself denies reason.</p> - -<p>Grimly he retraced the legend of the Ghost Ship. A chance phrase here -and a story there put together all that he knew:</p> - -<p>Doomed for all eternity to wander in the empty star-lanes, the Ghost -Ship haunts the Solar System that gave it birth. And this is its -tragedy, for it is the home of spacemen who can never go home again. -When your last measure of fuel is burnt and your ship becomes a -lifeless hulk—the Ghost will come—for you!</p> - -<p>And this is all there was to the legend. Merely a tale of some fairy -ship told to amuse and to while away the days of a star-voyage. -Bitterly, Willard dismissed it from his mind.</p> - -<p>Another year of loneliness passed. And still another. Willard lost -track of the days. It was difficult to keep time for to what purpose -could time be kept. Here in space there was no time, nor was there -reason for clocks and records. Days and months and years became -meaningless words for things that once may have had meaning. About -three years must have passed since his last record in the log book -of the <i>Mary Lou</i>. At that time, he remembered, he suffered another -great disappointment. On the port side there suddenly appeared a -full-sized rocket ship. For many minutes Willard was half-mad with -joy thinking that a passing ship was ready to rescue him. But the joy -was short-lived, for the rocket ship abruptly turned away and slowly -disappeared. As Willard watched it go away he saw the light of a -distant star <i>through</i> the space ship. A heart-breaking agony fell upon -him. It was not a ship from Earth. It was the Ghost Ship, mocking him.</p> - -<p>Since then Willard did not look out the window of his craft. A vague -fear troubled him that perhaps the Ghost Ship might be here, waiting -and watching, and that he would go mad if he saw it.</p> - -<p>How many years passed he could not tell. But this he knew. He was no -longer a young man. Perhaps fifteen years has disappeared into nothing. -Perhaps twenty. He did not know and he did not care.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Willard awoke from a deep sleep and prepared his bed. He did it, not -because it was necessary, but because it was a habit that had long been -ingrained in him through the years.</p> - -<p>He checked and rechecked every part of the still functioning mechanism -of the ship. The radio, even though there was no one to call, was in -perfect order. The speed-recording dials, even though there was no -speed to record, were in perfect order. And so with every machine. All -was in perfect order. Perfect useless order, he thought bitterly, when -there was no way whatever to get sufficient power to get back to Earth, -long forgotten Earth.</p> - -<p>He was leaning back in his chair when a vague uneasiness seized him. -He arose and slowly walked over to the window, his age already being -marked in the ache of his bones. Looking out into the silent theater of -the stars, he suddenly froze.</p> - -<p>There was a ship, coming toward him!</p> - -<p>For a moment the reason in his mind tottered on a balance. Doubt -assailed him. Was this the Ghost Ship come to torment him again? But no -phantom this! It was a life and blood rocket ship from Earth! Starlight -shone on it and not through it! Its lines, window, vents were all solid -and had none of the ghost-like quality he remembered seeing in the -Ghost Ship in his youth.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="385" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>For another split second he thought that perhaps he, too, like Dobbin, -had gone mad and that the ship would vanish just as it approached him.</p> - -<p>The tapping of the space-telegrapher reassured him.</p> - -<p>"CALLING SPACE SHIP MARY LOU," the message rapped out, "CALLING SPACE -SHIP MARY LOU."</p> - -<p>With trembling fingers that he could scarcely control, old Willard sent -the answering message.</p> - -<p>"SPACE SHIP MARY LOU REPLYING. RECEIVED MESSAGE. THANK GOD!"</p> - -<p>He broke off, unable to continue. His heart was ready to burst within -him and the tears of joy were already welling in his eyes. He listened -to the happiest message he had ever heard:</p> - -<p>"NOTICE THAT SPACE SHIP MARY LOU IS DISABLED AND NOT SPACE WORTHY. YOU -ARE INVITED TO COME ABOARD. HAVE YOU SPACE SUIT AND—ARE YOU ABLE TO -COME?"</p> - -<p>Willard, already sobbing with joy, could send only two words.</p> - -<p>"YES! COMING!"</p> - -<p>The years of waiting were over. At last he was free of the <i>Mary Lou</i>. -In a dream like trance, he dressed in his space suit, pathetically -glad that he had already checked every detail of it a short time ago. -He realized suddenly that everything about the <i>Mary Lou</i> was hateful to -him. It was here that his best friend died, and it was here that twenty -years of his life were wasted completely in solitude and despair.</p> - -<p>He took one last look and stepped into the air-lock.</p> - -<p>The Earth-ship, he did not see its name, was only a hundred yards away -and a man was already at the air-lock waiting to help him. A rope was -tossed to him. He reached for it and made his way to the ship, leaving -the <i>Mary Lou</i> behind him forever.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the world dropped away from him. Willard could neither see nor -say anything. His heart was choked with emotion.</p> - -<p>"It's all right," a kindly voice assured him, "You're safe now."</p> - -<p>He had the sensation of being carried by several men and then placed in -bed. The quiet of deep sleep descended upon him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He woke many times in the following days, but the privations of the -passing years had drained his strength and his mind, had made him so -much of a hermit that the presence of other men frightened him to the -point of gibbering insanity.</p> - -<p>He knew that the food and drink were drugged, for after eating he -never remembered seeing the men enter the room to care for him and to -remove the dirty dishes. But there was enough sanity in his mind to -also realize that, without the gradual reawakening of his senses to the -value of human companionship, he might not be able to stand the mental -shock of moving about among his people back on Earth.</p> - -<p>During those passing days, he savored each new impression, comparing -it with what he remembered from that age-long past when he and his -friends had walked on Earth's great plains and ridden on the oceans' -sleek ships or flown with the wings of birds over the mountain ranges. -And each impression was doubly enjoyable, for his memory was hazy and -confused.</p> - -<p>Gradually, though, his mind cleared; he remembered the past, and he no -longer was afraid of the men who visited him from time to time. But -there was a strangeness about the men that he could not fathom; they -refused to talk about anything, any subject, other than the actual -running of the great ship. Always, when he asked his eager questions, -they mumbled and drifted away.</p> - -<p>And then in his third week on the rescue ship, he went to sleep one -night while peering from the port hole at the blue ball of Earth -swimming in the blackness of space. He slept and he dreamed of the -years he had spent by himself in the drifting, lifeless hulk of the -<i>Mary Lou</i>. His dreams were vivid, peopled with men and women he had -once known, and were horrible with the fantasies of terror that years -of solitary brooding had implanted deep in his mind.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He awoke with a start and a cry of alarm ran through him as he thought -that perhaps he might still be in the <i>Mary Lou</i>. The warm, smiling face -of a man quickly reassured him.</p> - -<p>"I'll call the captain," the space man said. "He said to let him know -when you came to."</p> - -<p>Willard could only nod in weak and grateful acceptance. It was true! He -pressed his head back against the bed's pillows. How soft! How warm! He -yawned and stretched his arms as a thrill of happiness shot through his -entire body.</p> - -<p>He would see Earth again! That single thought ran over and over in his -mind without stopping. He would see Earth again! Perhaps not this year -and perhaps not the next—for the ship might be on some extra-Plutonian -expedition. But even if it would take years before it returned to home -base Willard knew that those years would fly quickly if Earth was at -the end of the trail.</p> - -<p>Though he had aged, he still had many years before him. And those -years, he vowed, would be spent on Earth and nowhere else.</p> - -<p>The captain, a pleasant old fellow, came into the room as Willard stood -up and tried to walk. The gravity here was a bit different from that of -his ship, but he would manage.</p> - -<p>"How do you feel, Space Man Willard?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, you know me?" Willard looked at him in surprise, and then smiled, -"Of course, you looked through the log book of the <i>Mary Lou</i>."</p> - -<p>The captain nodded and Willard noticed with surprise that he was a very -old man.</p> - -<p>"You don't know how much I suffered there," Willard said slowly, -measuring each word. "Years in space—all alone! It's a horrible thing!"</p> - -<p>"Yes?" the old captain said.</p> - -<p>"Many times I thought I would go completely mad. It was only the -thought and hope that some day, somehow, an Earth-ship would find me -and help me get back to Earth. If it was not for that, I would have -died. I could think of nothing but of Earth, of blue green water, of -vast open spaces and the good brown earth. How beautiful it must be -now!"</p> - -<p>A note of sadness, matched only by that of Willard's, entered the -captain's eyes.</p> - -<p>"I want to walk on Earth just once—then I can die."</p> - -<p>Willard stopped. A happy dreamy smile touched his lips.</p> - -<p>"When will we go to Earth?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The Captain did not answer. Willard waited and a strange memory tugged -at him.</p> - -<p>"You don't know," the Captain said. It was not a question or a -statement. The Captain found it hard to say it. His lips moved slowly.</p> - -<p>Willard stepped back and before the Captain told him, <i>he knew</i>.</p> - -<p>"Matter is relative," he said, "the existent under one condition is -non-existent under another. The real here is the non-real there. All -things that wander alone in space are gradually drained of their mass -and energy until nothing is left but mere shells. That is what happened -to the <i>Mary Lou</i>. Your ship was real when we passed by twenty years -ago. It is now like ours, a vague outline in space. We cannot feel -the change ourselves, for change is relative. That is why we became -more and more solid to you, as you became more and more faint to any -Earth-ship that might have passed. We are real—to ourselves. But to -some ship from Earth which has not been in space for more than fifteen -years—to that ship, to all intents and purposes, we do not exist.</p> - -<p>"Then this ship," Willard said, stunned, "you and I and everything on -it..."</p> - -<p>"... are doomed," the Captain said. "We cannot go to Earth for the -simple reason that we would go <i>through</i> it!"</p> - -<p>The vision of Earth and green trees faded. He would never see Earth -again. He would never feel the crunch of ground under feet as he -walked. Never would listen to the voices of friends and the songs of -birds. Never. Never. Never....</p> - -<p>"Then this is the Ghost Ship and we are the Ghosts!"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Galactic Ghost, by Walter Kubilius - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GALACTIC GHOST *** - -***** This file should be named 62244-h.htm or 62244-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/2/4/62244/ - -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: Galactic Ghost - -Author: Walter Kubilius - -Release Date: May 27, 2020 [EBook #62244] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GALACTIC GHOST *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - GALACTIC GHOST - - By WALTER KUBILIUS - - The Flying Dutchman of space was a harbinger - of death. But Willard wasn't superstitions. - He had seen the phantom--and lived. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Winter 1942. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The only friend in space Willard had ever known was dying. Dobbin's -lips were parched and his breath came spasmodically. The tips of his -fingers that had so many times caressed the control board of the _Mary -Lou_ were now black as meteor dust. - -"We'll never see Earth again," he whispered feebly, plucked weakly at -the cover. - -"Nonsense!" Willard broke in hurriedly, hoping that the dying man -would not see through the lie. "We've got the sun's gravity helping -us drift back to Earth! We'll be there soon! You'll get well soon and -we'll start to work again on a new idea of mine...." His voice trailed -helplessly away and the words were lost. It was no use. - -The sick man did not hear him. Two tears rolled down his cheeks. His -face contorted as he tried to withhold a sob. - -"To see Earth again!" he said weakly. "To walk on solid ground once -more!" - -"Four years!" Willard echoed faintly. He knew how his space mate felt. -No man can spend four years away from his home planet, and fail to be -anguished. A man could live without friends, without fortune, but no -man could live without Earth. He was like Anteus, for only the feel of -the solid ground under his feet could give him courage to go among the -stars. - -Willard also knew what he dared not admit to himself. He, too, like -Dobbin, would never see Earth again. Perhaps, some thousand years from -now, some lonely wanderers would find their battered hulk of a ship in -space and bring them home again. - -Dobbin motioned to him and, in answer to a last request, Willard lifted -him so he faced the port window for a final look at the panorama of the -stars. - -Dobbin's eyes, dimming and half closed, took in the vast play of the -heavens and in his mind he relived the days when in a frail craft he -first crossed interstellar space. But for Earth-loneliness Dobbin would -die a happy man, knowing that he had lived as much and as deeply as any -man could. - -Silently the two men watched. Dobbin's eyes opened suddenly and a -tremor seized his body. He turned painfully and looked at Willard. - -"I saw it!" his voice cracked, trembling. - -"Saw what?" - -"It's true! It's true! It comes whenever a space man dies! It's there!" - -"In heaven's name, Dobbin," Willard demanded, "What do you see? What is -it?" - -Dobbin lifted his dark bony arm and pointed out into star-studded -space. - -"The Ghost Ship!" - -Something clicked in Willard's memory. He had heard it spoken of in -whispers by drunken space men and professional tellers of fairy tales. -But he had never put any stock in them. In some forgotten corner of -Dobbin's mind the legend of the Ghost Ship must have lain, to come up -in this time of delirium. - -"There's nothing there," he said firmly. - -"It's come--for me!" Dobbin cried. He turned his head slowly toward -Willard, tried to say something and then fell back upon the pillow. His -mouth was open and his eyes stared unseeing ahead. Dobbin was now one -with the vanished pioneers of yesterday. Willard was alone. - -For two days, reckoned in Earth time, Willard kept vigil over the body -of his friend and space mate. When the time was up he did what was -necessary and nothing remained of Harry Dobbin, the best friend he had -ever had. The atoms of his body were now pure energy stored away in the -useless motors of the _Mary Lou_. - - * * * * * - -The weeks that followed were like a blur in Willard's mind. Though the -ship was utterly incapable of motion, the chance meteor that damaged -it had spared the convertors and assimilators. Through constant care -and attention the frail balance that meant life or death could be kept. -The substance of waste and refuse was torn down and rebuilt as precious -food and air. It was even possible to create more than was needed. - -When this was done, Willard immediately regretted it. For it would be -then that the days and the weeks would roll by endlessly. Sometimes -he thought he would go mad when, sitting at the useless control -board, which was his habit, he would stare for hours and hours in -the direction of the Sun where he knew the Earth would be. A great -loneliness would then seize upon him and an agony that no man had ever -known would tear at his heart. He would then turn away, full of despair -and hopeless pain. - -Two years after Dobbin's death a strange thing happened. Willard was -sitting at his accustomed place facing the unmoving vista of the stars. -A chance glance at Orion's belt froze him still. A star had flickered! -Distinctly, as if a light veil had been placed over it and then lifted, -it dimmed and turned bright again. What strange phenomena was this? He -watched and then another star faded momentarily in the exact fashion. -And then a third! And a fourth! And a fifth! - -Willard's heart gave a leap and the lethargy of two years vanished -instantly. Here, at last, was something to do. It might be only a few -minutes before he would understand what it was, but those few minutes -would help while away the maddening long hours. Perhaps it was a mass -of fine meteorites or a pocket of gas that did not disperse, or even a -moving warp of space-light. Whatever it was, it was a phenomena worth -investigating and Willard seized upon it as a dying man seizes upon the -last flashing seconds of life. - -Willard traced its course by the flickering stars and gradually plotted -its semi-circular course. It was not from the solar system but, -instead, headed toward it. A rapid check-up on his calculations caused -his heart to beat in ever quickening excitement. Whatever it was, it -would reach the _Mary Lou_. - -Again he looked out the port. Unquestionably the faint mass was nearing -his ship. It was round in shape and almost invisible. The stars, -though dimmed, could still be seen through it. There was something -about its form that reminded him of an old-fashioned rocket ship. It -resembled one of those that had done pioneer service in the lanes forty -years ago or more. Resembled one? It was one! Unquestionably, though -half-invisible and like a piece of glass immersed in water, it was a -rocket ship. - -But the instruments on the control board could not lie. The presence of -any material body within a hundred thousand miles would be revealed. -But the needle on the gauge did not quiver. Nothing indicated the -presence of a ship. But the evidence of his eyes was incontestable. - -Or was it? Doubt gripped him. Did the loneliness of all these years -in space twist his mind till he was imagining the appearance of faint -ghost-like rocket ships? - -The thought shot through his mind like a thunder bolt. Ghost Ship! -Was this the thing that Dobbin had seen before he died? But that was -impossible. Ghost Ships existed nowhere but in legends and tall tales -told by men drunk with the liquors of Mars. - -"There is no ship there. There is no ship there," Willard told himself -over and over again as he looked at the vague outline of the ship, now -motionless a few hundred miles away. - -Deep within him a faint voice cried, "_It's come--for me!_" but Willard -stilled it. This was no fantasy. There was a scientific reason for it. -There must be! Or should there be? Throughout all Earth history there -had been Ghost Ships sailing the Seven Seas--ships doomed to roam -forever because their crew broke some unbreakable law. If this was true -for the ships of the seas, why not for the ships of empty space? - -He looked again at the strange ship. It was motionless. At least it was -not nearing him. Willard could see nothing but its vague outline. A -moment later he could discern a faint motion. It was turning! The Ghost -Ship was turning back! Unconsciously Willard reached out with his hand -as if to hold it back, for when it was gone he would be alone again. - -But the Ghost Ship went on. Its outline became smaller and smaller, -fainter and fainter. - -Trembling, Willard turned away from the window as he saw the rocket -recede and vanish into the emptiness of space. Once more the dreaded -loneliness of the stars descended upon him. - - * * * * * - -Seven years passed and back on Earth in a small newspaper that Willard -would never see there was published a small item: - -"_Arden, Rocketport_--Thirteen years ago the Space Ship _Mary Lou_ -under John Willard and Larry Dobbin left the Rocket Port for the -exploration of an alleged planetoid beyond Pluto. The ship has not been -seen or heard from since. J. Willard, II, son of the lost explorer, is -planning the manufacture of a super-size exploration ship to be called -_Mary Lou II_, in memory of his father." - -Memories die hard. A man who is alone in space with nothing but the -cold friendship of star-light looks back upon memories as the only -things both dear and precious to him. - -Willard, master and lone survivor of the _Mary Lou_, knew this well for -he had tried to rip the memories of Earth out of his heart to ease the -anguish of solitude within him. But it was a thing that could not be -done. - -And so it was that each night--for Willard did not give up the -Earth-habit of keeping time--Willard dreamed of the days he had known -on Earth. - -In his mind's eye, he saw himself walking the streets of Arden and -feeling the crunch of snow or the soft slap of rainwater under his -feet. He heard again, in his mind, the voices of friends he knew. -How beautiful and perfect was each voice! How filled with warmth and -friendship! There was the voice of his beautiful wife whom he would -never see again. There were the gruff and deep voices of his co-workers -and scientists. - -Above all there were the voices of the cities, and the fields and the -shops where he had worked. All these had their individual voices. Odd -that he had never realized it before, but things become clearer to a -man who is alone. - -Clearer? Perhaps not. Perhaps they become more clouded. How could he, -for example, explain the phenomena of the Ghost Ship? Was it really -only a product of his imagination? What of all the others who had -seen it? Was it possible for many different men under many different -situations to have the same exact illusion? Reason denied that. But -perhaps space itself denies reason. - -Grimly he retraced the legend of the Ghost Ship. A chance phrase here -and a story there put together all that he knew: - -Doomed for all eternity to wander in the empty star-lanes, the Ghost -Ship haunts the Solar System that gave it birth. And this is its -tragedy, for it is the home of spacemen who can never go home again. -When your last measure of fuel is burnt and your ship becomes a -lifeless hulk--the Ghost will come--for you! - -And this is all there was to the legend. Merely a tale of some fairy -ship told to amuse and to while away the days of a star-voyage. -Bitterly, Willard dismissed it from his mind. - -Another year of loneliness passed. And still another. Willard lost -track of the days. It was difficult to keep time for to what purpose -could time be kept. Here in space there was no time, nor was there -reason for clocks and records. Days and months and years became -meaningless words for things that once may have had meaning. About -three years must have passed since his last record in the log book -of the _Mary Lou_. At that time, he remembered, he suffered another -great disappointment. On the port side there suddenly appeared a -full-sized rocket ship. For many minutes Willard was half-mad with -joy thinking that a passing ship was ready to rescue him. But the joy -was short-lived, for the rocket ship abruptly turned away and slowly -disappeared. As Willard watched it go away he saw the light of a -distant star _through_ the space ship. A heart-breaking agony fell upon -him. It was not a ship from Earth. It was the Ghost Ship, mocking him. - -Since then Willard did not look out the window of his craft. A vague -fear troubled him that perhaps the Ghost Ship might be here, waiting -and watching, and that he would go mad if he saw it. - -How many years passed he could not tell. But this he knew. He was no -longer a young man. Perhaps fifteen years has disappeared into nothing. -Perhaps twenty. He did not know and he did not care. - - * * * * * - -Willard awoke from a deep sleep and prepared his bed. He did it, not -because it was necessary, but because it was a habit that had long been -ingrained in him through the years. - -He checked and rechecked every part of the still functioning mechanism -of the ship. The radio, even though there was no one to call, was in -perfect order. The speed-recording dials, even though there was no -speed to record, were in perfect order. And so with every machine. All -was in perfect order. Perfect useless order, he thought bitterly, when -there was no way whatever to get sufficient power to get back to Earth, -long forgotten Earth. - -He was leaning back in his chair when a vague uneasiness seized him. -He arose and slowly walked over to the window, his age already being -marked in the ache of his bones. Looking out into the silent theater of -the stars, he suddenly froze. - -There was a ship, coming toward him! - -For a moment the reason in his mind tottered on a balance. Doubt -assailed him. Was this the Ghost Ship come to torment him again? But no -phantom this! It was a life and blood rocket ship from Earth! Starlight -shone on it and not through it! Its lines, window, vents were all solid -and had none of the ghost-like quality he remembered seeing in the -Ghost Ship in his youth. - -For another split second he thought that perhaps he, too, like Dobbin, -had gone mad and that the ship would vanish just as it approached him. - -The tapping of the space-telegrapher reassured him. - -"CALLING SPACE SHIP MARY LOU," the message rapped out, "CALLING SPACE -SHIP MARY LOU." - -With trembling fingers that he could scarcely control, old Willard sent -the answering message. - -"SPACE SHIP MARY LOU REPLYING. RECEIVED MESSAGE. THANK GOD!" - -He broke off, unable to continue. His heart was ready to burst within -him and the tears of joy were already welling in his eyes. He listened -to the happiest message he had ever heard: - -"NOTICE THAT SPACE SHIP MARY LOU IS DISABLED AND NOT SPACE WORTHY. YOU -ARE INVITED TO COME ABOARD. HAVE YOU SPACE SUIT AND--ARE YOU ABLE TO -COME?" - -Willard, already sobbing with joy, could send only two words. - -"YES! COMING!" - -The years of waiting were over. At last he was free of the _Mary Lou_. -In a dream like trance, he dressed in his space suit, pathetically -glad that he had already checked every detail of it a short time ago. -He realized suddenly that everything about the _Mary Lou_ was hateful to -him. It was here that his best friend died, and it was here that twenty -years of his life were wasted completely in solitude and despair. - -He took one last look and stepped into the air-lock. - -The Earth-ship, he did not see its name, was only a hundred yards away -and a man was already at the air-lock waiting to help him. A rope was -tossed to him. He reached for it and made his way to the ship, leaving -the _Mary Lou_ behind him forever. - -Suddenly the world dropped away from him. Willard could neither see nor -say anything. His heart was choked with emotion. - -"It's all right," a kindly voice assured him, "You're safe now." - -He had the sensation of being carried by several men and then placed in -bed. The quiet of deep sleep descended upon him. - - * * * * * - -He woke many times in the following days, but the privations of the -passing years had drained his strength and his mind, had made him so -much of a hermit that the presence of other men frightened him to the -point of gibbering insanity. - -He knew that the food and drink were drugged, for after eating he -never remembered seeing the men enter the room to care for him and to -remove the dirty dishes. But there was enough sanity in his mind to -also realize that, without the gradual reawakening of his senses to the -value of human companionship, he might not be able to stand the mental -shock of moving about among his people back on Earth. - -During those passing days, he savored each new impression, comparing -it with what he remembered from that age-long past when he and his -friends had walked on Earth's great plains and ridden on the oceans' -sleek ships or flown with the wings of birds over the mountain ranges. -And each impression was doubly enjoyable, for his memory was hazy and -confused. - -Gradually, though, his mind cleared; he remembered the past, and he no -longer was afraid of the men who visited him from time to time. But -there was a strangeness about the men that he could not fathom; they -refused to talk about anything, any subject, other than the actual -running of the great ship. Always, when he asked his eager questions, -they mumbled and drifted away. - -And then in his third week on the rescue ship, he went to sleep one -night while peering from the port hole at the blue ball of Earth -swimming in the blackness of space. He slept and he dreamed of the -years he had spent by himself in the drifting, lifeless hulk of the -_Mary Lou_. His dreams were vivid, peopled with men and women he had -once known, and were horrible with the fantasies of terror that years -of solitary brooding had implanted deep in his mind. - - * * * * * - -He awoke with a start and a cry of alarm ran through him as he thought -that perhaps he might still be in the _Mary Lou_. The warm, smiling face -of a man quickly reassured him. - -"I'll call the captain," the space man said. "He said to let him know -when you came to." - -Willard could only nod in weak and grateful acceptance. It was true! He -pressed his head back against the bed's pillows. How soft! How warm! He -yawned and stretched his arms as a thrill of happiness shot through his -entire body. - -He would see Earth again! That single thought ran over and over in his -mind without stopping. He would see Earth again! Perhaps not this year -and perhaps not the next--for the ship might be on some extra-Plutonian -expedition. But even if it would take years before it returned to home -base Willard knew that those years would fly quickly if Earth was at -the end of the trail. - -Though he had aged, he still had many years before him. And those -years, he vowed, would be spent on Earth and nowhere else. - -The captain, a pleasant old fellow, came into the room as Willard stood -up and tried to walk. The gravity here was a bit different from that of -his ship, but he would manage. - -"How do you feel, Space Man Willard?" - -"Oh, you know me?" Willard looked at him in surprise, and then smiled, -"Of course, you looked through the log book of the _Mary Lou_." - -The captain nodded and Willard noticed with surprise that he was a very -old man. - -"You don't know how much I suffered there," Willard said slowly, -measuring each word. "Years in space--all alone! It's a horrible thing!" - -"Yes?" the old captain said. - -"Many times I thought I would go completely mad. It was only the -thought and hope that some day, somehow, an Earth-ship would find me -and help me get back to Earth. If it was not for that, I would have -died. I could think of nothing but of Earth, of blue green water, of -vast open spaces and the good brown earth. How beautiful it must be -now!" - -A note of sadness, matched only by that of Willard's, entered the -captain's eyes. - -"I want to walk on Earth just once--then I can die." - -Willard stopped. A happy dreamy smile touched his lips. - -"When will we go to Earth?" he asked. - -The Captain did not answer. Willard waited and a strange memory tugged -at him. - -"You don't know," the Captain said. It was not a question or a -statement. The Captain found it hard to say it. His lips moved slowly. - -Willard stepped back and before the Captain told him, _he knew_. - -"Matter is relative," he said, "the existent under one condition is -non-existent under another. The real here is the non-real there. All -things that wander alone in space are gradually drained of their mass -and energy until nothing is left but mere shells. That is what happened -to the _Mary Lou_. Your ship was real when we passed by twenty years -ago. It is now like ours, a vague outline in space. We cannot feel -the change ourselves, for change is relative. That is why we became -more and more solid to you, as you became more and more faint to any -Earth-ship that might have passed. We are real--to ourselves. But to -some ship from Earth which has not been in space for more than fifteen -years--to that ship, to all intents and purposes, we do not exist. - -"Then this ship," Willard said, stunned, "you and I and everything on -it..." - -"... are doomed," the Captain said. "We cannot go to Earth for the -simple reason that we would go _through_ it!" - -The vision of Earth and green trees faded. He would never see Earth -again. He would never feel the crunch of ground under feet as he -walked. Never would listen to the voices of friends and the songs of -birds. Never. Never. Never.... - -"Then this is the Ghost Ship and we are the Ghosts!" - -"Yes." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Galactic Ghost, by Walter Kubilius - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GALACTIC GHOST *** - -***** This file should be named 62244.txt or 62244.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/2/4/62244/ - -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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