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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..919b3ce --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65876 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65876) diff --git a/old/65876-0.txt b/old/65876-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 191258f..0000000 --- a/old/65876-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,800 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Theft, by Bill Venable - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Theft - -Author: Bill Venable - -Release Date: July 19, 2021 [eBook #65876] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEFT *** - - - - - - THEFT - - By Bill Venable - - With little green men telling him what to - write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid. - His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy - September 1952 - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick -movement. He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and -applied a flaming match to the bowl. He puffed clouds of fragrant -smoke. He frowned deeply. It was a good frown because Thompson was an -expert in the art of frowning. This particular frown was a frown of -irritated exasperation, because Thompson was an author, and it was late -at night, and he'd drunk a quarter of a fifth of rye and smoked eleven -pipefuls of tobacco and played four LP records, and he still had no -ideas. His head swam from the effects of the whisky, and the tobacco, -and the records; but he persevered in his search for An Idea for a -Story. - -He searched among his records for _Le Coq d'Or_ and put it on the -phonograph, at bass tone and loud volume. After the first few bars he -got up and took it off, still a man without inspiration. He played -Hindemith's _Variations on a Theme by Russell_ next. Utterly useless. -He tried _The Age of Anxiety_ and followed it with Petrouchka; -intermittently he sat down and pondered passages from _Rubaiyat_. All -to no avail. - -About this time the little green men came out of the woodwork. They -didn't emerge from the woodwork in the manner one might expect--i.e. -squeezing through cracks and knotholes like mice and spiders. They just -sort of materialized out of it, rather like they had walked through it. -There were four of them. - -Thompson took his pipe from his mouth and looked at them. - -"Ah," he murmured. "Yes indeed." He knocked the ashes from his pipe and -got up from his chair. He put the whisky back in the cupboard and took -the record off. Then he sat down again and regarded the little green -men. He closed his eyes tightly and held them closed for a minute or -so. He opened them and looked at the green men again. Then he rubbed -his eyes and pounded his head with his hands. The green men sat in -mid-air and stared at him. Thompson regarded them as coldly as possible. - -"Well," said the nearest green man, "Aren't you going to say hello?" - -Thompson swallowed. "Hello," he managed after a moment. - -"Hello," rejoined the other. - - * * * * * - -Thompson nodded his head affably and remained silent. Presently he went -to the cupboard and got out the whisky; he poured a shot and downed it -in one quick movement. Then he filled his pipe and lit it. He puffed -clouds of smoke and stared at the green men through a blue haze. - -"Well," said the nearest green man again, "Aren't you glad?" - -Thompson nodded genially. - -"We're here to help you write a story, you know," pursued the other. - -"Oh." Thompson brightened. "Good. Got any ideas?" - -"Naturally. What would you like to write about? Romance? Adventure? -Mystery? Fantasy?" - -"Let's try--" Thompson pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling, "a -short mystery. Something with a surprise ending that lays you out." - -"Easy," said the other. "Try this." - -He began narrating. - -Thompson relaxed in his chair and puffed more clouds of smoke. -Presently his face lit up. His eyes dilated and his pupils diminished -to specks. - -"Ah!" He exclaimed. He pulled his chair up to the typewriter and -started typing notes, interspersing the green man's narrative with -muttered exclamations. - -The green man finished with an ending that sent Thompson over backwards -in his chair. Thompson extricated himself and set up the chair again. -"Terrific!" he said. "It'll make my fortune!" - -"It will," assented the green man. - -"What do you want for it?" inquired Thompson craftily. - -"Nothing," responded the vision. - -"Oh yes," said Thompson. "Nothing. Certainly. Well," he withdrew a -stack of typewriter paper from his cluttered desk, "I certainly thank -you fellows. Goodbye." He inserted a sheet in the typewriter. - -"Oh, we're not leaving," said the off-color gnome. - -"You will," said Thompson imperturbably. "In the morning. I'll have a -headache but you'll be gone." - -"Suit yourself," said the green man. He and his companions rose a foot -in the air and sat suspended again. Thompson began to type. Now and -then he looked at the green men and smiled, and turned back to his -click-clacking on the typewriter. - -Twenty double-spaced pages later he was done. He made a neat stack of -the sheets and shoved them into an envelope, handily pre-addressed to -the editorial offices of one of the more prominent magazines. He sealed -the envelope and slapped postage on it. Then he walked three flights -down from his apartment to the street, slipped the envelope into a -mailbox, and staggered back up to bed. - - * * * * * - -He awoke, true to his prediction, with a raging headache. He sat up -in bed and looked around the room for the little green men. They were -nowhere to be seen. His doubts assuaged, he rose stiffly from his bed -and careened off the chest-of-drawers into the bathroom, where he -swallowed three aspirins in a glass of water. He turned on the water -to see if it was hot, letting it run over his fingers. It was. He took -a steaming shower and followed it with an icy one. Then he rubbed -himself down with a Turkish towel and, the towel precariously wrapped -around his middle, went back into the bedroom. His eyes bugged out and -he tripped on the edge of the rug and fell heavily to the floor. When -he got up four green men were still sitting complacently on a shaft of -sunlight that poured in through the Venetian blind. - -Thompson's mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. - -"See," said the nearest green man. "I told you so. And don't take on -so," he added in alarm. "You'll dislocate your jaw." - -Thompson turned his back to the vision and went into the cupboard. He -poured a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement. The bottle in -his hand, he sat down on the edge of the bed, regaining his composure. - -"Why do you do that?" inquired the gnome with curiosity. - -"If I'm going to go on seeing you," Thompson explained, "I may as well -be drunk. It helps." - -"You mean you still attribute our existence to the effects of alcohol?" -inquired the other. - -"Oh no," Thompson denied vigorously. "To the bitters." - -"You jest," said the gnome in hurt tones. "Don't you want to become a -great author?" - -"Certainly," Thompson agreed hastily. "You mean you have more ideas?" - -"An infinite number," said the green man, waving a deprecatory hand. -"We thought of an excellent novel," he added, "while you slept last -night. Do you want to hear it?" - -"Of course!" Thompson jerked on his shorts. "Wait, though. I need -breakfast first." He writhed into a shirt. - -"Plenty of time," said the greenie. "While you're gone, we'll -assimilate some more ideas." - -"Good," said Thompson, pulling on his trousers. "Shall I bring you -something to eat?" - -"We don't eat," said the other airily. "You can bring a spotlight, -though. We can sit best on a beam of light." - -"Right," said Thompson. He opened the door. - -"Goodbye," remarked the gnome. - -"Goodbye," Thompson hurried from the room. - - * * * * * - -Thompson closed the door of the phone booth behind him. "Hello," he -said. "I'd like to make an appointment with Doctor Vossman. Today, if -possible." - -"Just a moment," said the secretary. He heard her riffle through some -papers. "What date did you say you wanted an appointment?" - -"Today!" Thompson repeated. His breathing into the mouthpiece came out -quite clearly in the receiver against his ear. - -"Doctor Vossman can see you today at three. What is the name, please?" - -"Thompson. Laurence Thompson." - -"Very well, sir. Today at three." - -"OK." Thompson hung up and emerged from the phone booth. His ham and -eggs were ready at the counter and he sat down and wolfed them. He -counted his money as he went out and decided to stop in the hardware -store down the street and buy a spotlight. - -When he got back to his apartment the sunlight was coming in the -window at a forty-five degree angle and the gnomes were almost sitting -on the floor. Thompson plugged in the spotlight and turned the beam -upward. "There," he told the green men. "That okay?" - -"Thank you," said the nearest gnome. The whole group rose in the air -and floated over to the spotlight beam, sitting rather comfortably on -the edge of it. "We thought of three excellent short stories while you -were away. Would you like to hear them?" - -"Yeah, sure," responded Thompson. Might as well take advantage of the -situation while it lasted. - -"Very well," said the nearest green man. "Here's the first one." - - * * * * * - -At two o'clock Thompson jerked the last sheet of the last story from -the typewriter. He went to the cupboard and got out a coat and tie. -"I'm going to lunch," he told the gnomes, knotting the tie as he -talked. "I'll be back pretty soon." - -"Fine," beamed the speaker for the little men. - -"Well," said Thompson uncomfortably, slipping into his coat. "You want -anything more?" - -"We're nicely comfortable, thank you," said the green man. "Goodbye." - -"Be seein' you." Thompson slammed the door behind him and added to -himself, "I hope not." - - * * * * * - -The sign on the door said: - - HERMAN VOSSMAN: - PSYCHIATRIST - Walk in - -Thompson walked in. There was nobody in the outer office so he walked -to the inner office door and knocked. - -"Come in," answered a German accent. - -Thompson entered and beheld a small, thin, bespectacled man seated -behind a modernistic steel desk. - -"Ah," said this apparition. "You are Laurence Thompson. Sit down. Sorry -no one was in the outer office but my secretary is out to lunch. What -can I do for you." - -"Well," said Thompson. "This is kind of hard to say, Doctor, but -I'm--seeing things. Hallucinations." - -"What are you seeing, Mr. Thompson?" - -Thompson fingered the end of his tie. "Little green men." - -"Ah," said the doctor. He leaned forward in his chair. "And what do -these little green men do?" - -"They give me ideas for stories. I'm an author." - -"That is all they do?" - -"They sit on a beam of light, too." - -"Oh yes." The doctor took off his spectacles and began to polish them. -"On a beam of light, of course. When and how did you first see these -little men?" - -"Well," Thompson ran nervous fingers through his hair, "Last night was -when I first saw them. They came out of the woodwork." - -"Last night--" began the doctor with a flash of intuition. - -"I was drunk," said Thompson. - -"Of course," agreed the doctor. He put his spectacles back on. "Then -you have nothing to worry about; at least not in my line of work. -Perhaps you should see a physician, delirium tremens is not in my line. -Unless you wish me to cure your alcoholism--" - -Thompson waved a hand. "Uh uh. Last night I didn't mind so much. But -they were there this morning too." He leaned forward toward the doctor. -"Would you say I am drunk now?" - -"Hard to tell," rejoined the doctor, fluttering his fingers. "Offhand, -I would say, no." - -"Well," Thompson, "the little green men were still there when I left my -apartment at two today." - -"I see," said the doctor. "That makes a difference, of course." - -"Haven't had but one shot of rye since last night, either." - -"Yes, of course," murmured the psychiatrist. "And do you think they are -still in your apartment now?" - -Thompson shrugged. "Hard to tell." - -"Then," said the doctor confidently, "there is only one thing to do. We -shall go to your apartment and see." He rose from his chair. - -"Good enough," replied Thompson. - - * * * * * - -"Now," said Thompson, "we will see if they've gone." He opened the door -and peered into the room. He shuddered and entered the apartment; the -doctor followed and closed the door. - -"Are they here?" inquired the doctor, glancing about the room. - -Thompson nodded and pointed. "Sitting on the beam of the spotlight." - -"Ah yes." The doctor gazed uncomfortably at the spotlight and gave a -sigh. He pushed Thompson over to the bed. "Lie down," he said. "Do you -have a medicine cabinet?" - -"In the bathroom, Doc." Thompson pointed. - -The doctor nodded and went into the bathroom and opened the cabinet. -He took out a bottle of antihistamine tablets and shook three into his -hand. He drew a glass of water and walked back to Thompson's bedside. - -"Sit up," he said. "Here, take these." - -Thompson downed the pills and took a swallow of water. The doctor -set the glass on the bedside table and went over and turned off the -spotlight. - -"Now," muttered the doctor. He turned on the lamp beside the bed and -wrapped a green shirt around the bulb, tying the sleeves together at -the top. He turned the lamp on Thompson's face. "You say the little men -give you ideas for stories. Eh?" - -Thompson shut his eyes and nodded. "On the desk. See?" - -"Oh!" The doctor exhaled. "You write the stories down?" - -"Naturally. They're great." - -The doctor walked around to the desk, picked up one of the manuscripts. -He whistled softly. "Just relax," he said, turning to Thompson. "I'm -going to read these over." - -"Sure, doc." Thompson stretched out comfortably on the bed. - - * * * * * - -An hour later the doctor was finishing the last story and humming -softly to himself. He laid down the manuscript and fluttered his -fingers airily. His face was a mask. - -"Now, Thompson," he said. "Look around the room. Are the little green -men still here?" - -Thompson opened his eyes and gazed about the room. "Yep," he said -finally. "Over there in the corner, up by the ceiling." - -The doctor didn't even look. He took off his spectacles and inserted -them carefully in his coat pocket. Then he fished a quarter from his -hip pocket and held it up between two fingers. - -"Thompson," he said softly. "Look." - -Thompson looked. The quarter spun. The lamp above his face cast a soft -green light. - -"The little green men aren't there, Thompson." - -"Yes, they are," remarked Thompson petulantly. - -"No, they're not," soothed the doctor. - -"Yes." - -"No," said the doctor firmly. - -"No?" inquired Thompson sleepily. - -"No. - -"You imagined them," breathed the doctor. "They aren't there. Not there -at all. Can you hear me, Thompson?" - -"Yes." - -"Now forget all about your little green men. You can forget about them. -You will forget about them." The doctor's voice was a monotone. -"They ... never were there. You will never see them again. Never, -Thompson. Never see them again. Never again. Thompson. Now go to sleep. -You've been dreaming." - -Thompson relaxed. - -"Thompson?" - -The sleeping man lay still, eyes shut, breathing even. The doctor -exhaled softly. - - * * * * * - -"Why did you do that?" queried the nearest green man. "He's convinced. -He'll never see us again." - -"Naturally," said the doctor. He didn't even turn around. He got his -spectacles out of his pocket and adjusted them on his nose. He turned -to face the little green men. - -"Come on," he said, waving a hand toward the door. "All my life I've -wanted to be a great author. You fellows are going to tell me what to -write!" - -The green men shifted several feet nearer to him. "Crime, weird, -mystery, adventure, or romance?" said the nearest gnome. - -"Fantasy," said the doctor, "Let's go!" - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEFT *** - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Theft</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Bill Venable</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 19, 2021 [eBook #65876]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEFT ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THEFT</h1> - -<h2>By Bill Venable</h2> - -<p>With little green men telling him what to<br /> -write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.<br /> -His psychiatrist agreed—until he read the stories!</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy<br /> -September 1952<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>Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick -movement. He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and -applied a flaming match to the bowl. He puffed clouds of fragrant -smoke. He frowned deeply. It was a good frown because Thompson was an -expert in the art of frowning. This particular frown was a frown of -irritated exasperation, because Thompson was an author, and it was late -at night, and he'd drunk a quarter of a fifth of rye and smoked eleven -pipefuls of tobacco and played four LP records, and he still had no -ideas. His head swam from the effects of the whisky, and the tobacco, -and the records; but he persevered in his search for An Idea for a -Story.</p> - -<p>He searched among his records for <i>Le Coq d'Or</i> and put it on the -phonograph, at bass tone and loud volume. After the first few bars he -got up and took it off, still a man without inspiration. He played -Hindemith's <i>Variations on a Theme by Russell</i> next. Utterly useless. -He tried <i>The Age of Anxiety</i> and followed it with Petrouchka; -intermittently he sat down and pondered passages from <i>Rubaiyat</i>. All -to no avail.</p> - -<p>About this time the little green men came out of the woodwork. They -didn't emerge from the woodwork in the manner one might expect—i.e. -squeezing through cracks and knotholes like mice and spiders. They just -sort of materialized out of it, rather like they had walked through it. -There were four of them.</p> - -<p>Thompson took his pipe from his mouth and looked at them.</p> - -<p>"Ah," he murmured. "Yes indeed." He knocked the ashes from his pipe and -got up from his chair. He put the whisky back in the cupboard and took -the record off. Then he sat down again and regarded the little green -men. He closed his eyes tightly and held them closed for a minute or -so. He opened them and looked at the green men again. Then he rubbed -his eyes and pounded his head with his hands. The green men sat in -mid-air and stared at him. Thompson regarded them as coldly as possible.</p> - -<p>"Well," said the nearest green man, "Aren't you going to say hello?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Thompson swallowed. "Hello," he managed after a moment.</p> - -<p>"Hello," rejoined the other.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thompson nodded his head affably and remained silent. Presently he went -to the cupboard and got out the whisky; he poured a shot and downed it -in one quick movement. Then he filled his pipe and lit it. He puffed -clouds of smoke and stared at the green men through a blue haze.</p> - -<p>"Well," said the nearest green man again, "Aren't you glad?"</p> - -<p>Thompson nodded genially.</p> - -<p>"We're here to help you write a story, you know," pursued the other.</p> - -<p>"Oh." Thompson brightened. "Good. Got any ideas?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally. What would you like to write about? Romance? Adventure? -Mystery? Fantasy?"</p> - -<p>"Let's try—" Thompson pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling, "a -short mystery. Something with a surprise ending that lays you out."</p> - -<p>"Easy," said the other. "Try this."</p> - -<p>He began narrating.</p> - -<p>Thompson relaxed in his chair and puffed more clouds of smoke. -Presently his face lit up. His eyes dilated and his pupils diminished -to specks.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" He exclaimed. He pulled his chair up to the typewriter and -started typing notes, interspersing the green man's narrative with -muttered exclamations.</p> - -<p>The green man finished with an ending that sent Thompson over backwards -in his chair. Thompson extricated himself and set up the chair again. -"Terrific!" he said. "It'll make my fortune!"</p> - -<p>"It will," assented the green man.</p> - -<p>"What do you want for it?" inquired Thompson craftily.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," responded the vision.</p> - -<p>"Oh yes," said Thompson. "Nothing. Certainly. Well," he withdrew a -stack of typewriter paper from his cluttered desk, "I certainly thank -you fellows. Goodbye." He inserted a sheet in the typewriter.</p> - -<p>"Oh, we're not leaving," said the off-color gnome.</p> - -<p>"You will," said Thompson imperturbably. "In the morning. I'll have a -headache but you'll be gone."</p> - -<p>"Suit yourself," said the green man. He and his companions rose a foot -in the air and sat suspended again. Thompson began to type. Now and -then he looked at the green men and smiled, and turned back to his -click-clacking on the typewriter.</p> - -<p>Twenty double-spaced pages later he was done. He made a neat stack of -the sheets and shoved them into an envelope, handily pre-addressed to -the editorial offices of one of the more prominent magazines. He sealed -the envelope and slapped postage on it. Then he walked three flights -down from his apartment to the street, slipped the envelope into a -mailbox, and staggered back up to bed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He awoke, true to his prediction, with a raging headache. He sat up -in bed and looked around the room for the little green men. They were -nowhere to be seen. His doubts assuaged, he rose stiffly from his bed -and careened off the chest-of-drawers into the bathroom, where he -swallowed three aspirins in a glass of water. He turned on the water -to see if it was hot, letting it run over his fingers. It was. He took -a steaming shower and followed it with an icy one. Then he rubbed -himself down with a Turkish towel and, the towel precariously wrapped -around his middle, went back into the bedroom. His eyes bugged out and -he tripped on the edge of the rug and fell heavily to the floor. When -he got up four green men were still sitting complacently on a shaft of -sunlight that poured in through the Venetian blind.</p> - -<p>Thompson's mouth opened and closed but nothing came out.</p> - -<p>"See," said the nearest green man. "I told you so. And don't take on -so," he added in alarm. "You'll dislocate your jaw."</p> - -<p>Thompson turned his back to the vision and went into the cupboard. He -poured a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement. The bottle in -his hand, he sat down on the edge of the bed, regaining his composure.</p> - -<p>"Why do you do that?" inquired the gnome with curiosity.</p> - -<p>"If I'm going to go on seeing you," Thompson explained, "I may as well -be drunk. It helps."</p> - -<p>"You mean you still attribute our existence to the effects of alcohol?" -inquired the other.</p> - -<p>"Oh no," Thompson denied vigorously. "To the bitters."</p> - -<p>"You jest," said the gnome in hurt tones. "Don't you want to become a -great author?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," Thompson agreed hastily. "You mean you have more ideas?"</p> - -<p>"An infinite number," said the green man, waving a deprecatory hand. -"We thought of an excellent novel," he added, "while you slept last -night. Do you want to hear it?"</p> - -<p>"Of course!" Thompson jerked on his shorts. "Wait, though. I need -breakfast first." He writhed into a shirt.</p> - -<p>"Plenty of time," said the greenie. "While you're gone, we'll -assimilate some more ideas."</p> - -<p>"Good," said Thompson, pulling on his trousers. "Shall I bring you -something to eat?"</p> - -<p>"We don't eat," said the other airily. "You can bring a spotlight, -though. We can sit best on a beam of light."</p> - -<p>"Right," said Thompson. He opened the door.</p> - -<p>"Goodbye," remarked the gnome.</p> - -<p>"Goodbye," Thompson hurried from the room.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thompson closed the door of the phone booth behind him. "Hello," he -said. "I'd like to make an appointment with Doctor Vossman. Today, if -possible."</p> - -<p>"Just a moment," said the secretary. He heard her riffle through some -papers. "What date did you say you wanted an appointment?"</p> - -<p>"Today!" Thompson repeated. His breathing into the mouthpiece came out -quite clearly in the receiver against his ear.</p> - -<p>"Doctor Vossman can see you today at three. What is the name, please?"</p> - -<p>"Thompson. Laurence Thompson."</p> - -<p>"Very well, sir. Today at three."</p> - -<p>"OK." Thompson hung up and emerged from the phone booth. His ham and -eggs were ready at the counter and he sat down and wolfed them. He -counted his money as he went out and decided to stop in the hardware -store down the street and buy a spotlight.</p> - -<p>When he got back to his apartment the sunlight was coming in the -window at a forty-five degree angle and the gnomes were almost sitting -on the floor. Thompson plugged in the spotlight and turned the beam -upward. "There," he told the green men. "That okay?"</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said the nearest gnome. The whole group rose in the air -and floated over to the spotlight beam, sitting rather comfortably on -the edge of it. "We thought of three excellent short stories while you -were away. Would you like to hear them?"</p> - -<p>"Yeah, sure," responded Thompson. Might as well take advantage of the -situation while it lasted.</p> - -<p>"Very well," said the nearest green man. "Here's the first one."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At two o'clock Thompson jerked the last sheet of the last story from -the typewriter. He went to the cupboard and got out a coat and tie. -"I'm going to lunch," he told the gnomes, knotting the tie as he -talked. "I'll be back pretty soon."</p> - -<p>"Fine," beamed the speaker for the little men.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Thompson uncomfortably, slipping into his coat. "You want -anything more?"</p> - -<p>"We're nicely comfortable, thank you," said the green man. "Goodbye."</p> - -<p>"Be seein' you." Thompson slammed the door behind him and added to -himself, "I hope not."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The sign on the door said:</p> - -<p class="ph1">HERMAN VOSSMAN:<br /> -PSYCHIATRIST<br /> -Walk in</p> - -<p>Thompson walked in. There was nobody in the outer office so he walked -to the inner office door and knocked.</p> - -<p>"Come in," answered a German accent.</p> - -<p>Thompson entered and beheld a small, thin, bespectacled man seated -behind a modernistic steel desk.</p> - -<p>"Ah," said this apparition. "You are Laurence Thompson. Sit down. Sorry -no one was in the outer office but my secretary is out to lunch. What -can I do for you."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Thompson. "This is kind of hard to say, Doctor, but -I'm—seeing things. Hallucinations."</p> - -<p>"What are you seeing, Mr. Thompson?"</p> - -<p>Thompson fingered the end of his tie. "Little green men."</p> - -<p>"Ah," said the doctor. He leaned forward in his chair. "And what do -these little green men do?"</p> - -<p>"They give me ideas for stories. I'm an author."</p> - -<p>"That is all they do?"</p> - -<p>"They sit on a beam of light, too."</p> - -<p>"Oh yes." The doctor took off his spectacles and began to polish them. -"On a beam of light, of course. When and how did you first see these -little men?"</p> - -<p>"Well," Thompson ran nervous fingers through his hair, "Last night was -when I first saw them. They came out of the woodwork."</p> - -<p>"Last night—" began the doctor with a flash of intuition.</p> - -<p>"I was drunk," said Thompson.</p> - -<p>"Of course," agreed the doctor. He put his spectacles back on. "Then -you have nothing to worry about; at least not in my line of work. -Perhaps you should see a physician, delirium tremens is not in my line. -Unless you wish me to cure your alcoholism—"</p> - -<p>Thompson waved a hand. "Uh uh. Last night I didn't mind so much. But -they were there this morning too." He leaned forward toward the doctor. -"Would you say I am drunk now?"</p> - -<p>"Hard to tell," rejoined the doctor, fluttering his fingers. "Offhand, -I would say, no."</p> - -<p>"Well," Thompson, "the little green men were still there when I left my -apartment at two today."</p> - -<p>"I see," said the doctor. "That makes a difference, of course."</p> - -<p>"Haven't had but one shot of rye since last night, either."</p> - -<p>"Yes, of course," murmured the psychiatrist. "And do you think they are -still in your apartment now?"</p> - -<p>Thompson shrugged. "Hard to tell."</p> - -<p>"Then," said the doctor confidently, "there is only one thing to do. We -shall go to your apartment and see." He rose from his chair.</p> - -<p>"Good enough," replied Thompson.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Now," said Thompson, "we will see if they've gone." He opened the door -and peered into the room. He shuddered and entered the apartment; the -doctor followed and closed the door.</p> - -<p>"Are they here?" inquired the doctor, glancing about the room.</p> - -<p>Thompson nodded and pointed. "Sitting on the beam of the spotlight."</p> - -<p>"Ah yes." The doctor gazed uncomfortably at the spotlight and gave a -sigh. He pushed Thompson over to the bed. "Lie down," he said. "Do you -have a medicine cabinet?"</p> - -<p>"In the bathroom, Doc." Thompson pointed.</p> - -<p>The doctor nodded and went into the bathroom and opened the cabinet. -He took out a bottle of antihistamine tablets and shook three into his -hand. He drew a glass of water and walked back to Thompson's bedside.</p> - -<p>"Sit up," he said. "Here, take these."</p> - -<p>Thompson downed the pills and took a swallow of water. The doctor -set the glass on the bedside table and went over and turned off the -spotlight.</p> - -<p>"Now," muttered the doctor. He turned on the lamp beside the bed and -wrapped a green shirt around the bulb, tying the sleeves together at -the top. He turned the lamp on Thompson's face. "You say the little men -give you ideas for stories. Eh?"</p> - -<p>Thompson shut his eyes and nodded. "On the desk. See?"</p> - -<p>"Oh!" The doctor exhaled. "You write the stories down?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally. They're great."</p> - -<p>The doctor walked around to the desk, picked up one of the manuscripts. -He whistled softly. "Just relax," he said, turning to Thompson. "I'm -going to read these over."</p> - -<p>"Sure, doc." Thompson stretched out comfortably on the bed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>An hour later the doctor was finishing the last story and humming -softly to himself. He laid down the manuscript and fluttered his -fingers airily. His face was a mask.</p> - -<p>"Now, Thompson," he said. "Look around the room. Are the little green -men still here?"</p> - -<p>Thompson opened his eyes and gazed about the room. "Yep," he said -finally. "Over there in the corner, up by the ceiling."</p> - -<p>The doctor didn't even look. He took off his spectacles and inserted -them carefully in his coat pocket. Then he fished a quarter from his -hip pocket and held it up between two fingers.</p> - -<p>"Thompson," he said softly. "Look."</p> - -<p>Thompson looked. The quarter spun. The lamp above his face cast a soft -green light.</p> - -<p>"The little green men aren't there, Thompson."</p> - -<p>"Yes, they are," remarked Thompson petulantly.</p> - -<p>"No, they're not," soothed the doctor.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"No," said the doctor firmly.</p> - -<p>"No?" inquired Thompson sleepily.</p> - -<p>"No.</p> - -<p>"You imagined them," breathed the doctor. "They aren't there. Not there -at all. Can you hear me, Thompson?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Now forget all about your little green men. You can forget about them. -You will forget about them." The doctor's voice was a monotone. -"They ... never were there. You will never see them again. Never, -Thompson. Never see them again. Never again. Thompson. Now go to sleep. -You've been dreaming."</p> - -<p>Thompson relaxed.</p> - -<p>"Thompson?"</p> - -<p>The sleeping man lay still, eyes shut, breathing even. The doctor -exhaled softly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Why did you do that?" queried the nearest green man. "He's convinced. -He'll never see us again."</p> - -<p>"Naturally," said the doctor. He didn't even turn around. He got his -spectacles out of his pocket and adjusted them on his nose. He turned -to face the little green men.</p> - -<p>"Come on," he said, waving a hand toward the door. "All my life I've -wanted to be a great author. You fellows are going to tell me what to -write!"</p> - -<p>The green men shifted several feet nearer to him. 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