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It could. But in It there was perhaps the spark of a humanity greater than our
own. Didn't Pootie say that It came to her rescue when the pack of savage
bears came after her at this very spot? Then, when
It followed after her possibly to find out if she was all right It was greeted
by gunfire from Dr.
Soderup. Possibly It was still trying to explain
Itself when you pumped It full of thiopental.
POOTIE
Why didn't that kill It right then, Uncle Joe?
JOE
It would have, sweetheart, if It hadn't been perme-
ated by the Aspirin-X It had used during Its an-
IT, OUT OF DARKEST JUNGLE 169
cient lifetime. As it was, the Aspirin-X slowed the action of the poison so
that It should have had time to make more Aspirin-X to cure itself com-
pletely. Which was what It was doing when, run-
ning away from us, It stumbled into the swamp here. But still, It passed me
the completed Aspirin-X
as It sank, that the secret might not be lost to the world, though it was too
late to save It, Itself.
SHERIFF
(To Joe) Taking a lot for granted, aren't you, son?
Might've been sheer chance that critter put the right stuff together to get
your Aspirin-X.
JOE
(In ringing tones) Chance? Never!
HOLDING THE BLACKBOARD IN ONE HAND, WITH THE OTHER, HE SWEEPS DIRT FROM THE
SURFACE OF THE BOARD, REVEAL-
ING THE SYMBOLS CHALKED UNDERNEATH. HE POINTS TO A
SYMBOL THAT HAS BEEN ERASED AND REPLACED WITH AN-
OTHER SYMBOL PLAINLY DRAWN BY A DIFFERENT HAND.
See there! There's where I went wrong in my cal-
culations. It corrected them for me, and Its last act was to pass me the
blackboard that the knowledge
would not be lost. Yes ...
HE PUTS THE ARM STILL HOLDING THE BLACKBOARD AROUND
NORA AND HIS OTHER ARM AROUND POOTIE. THEY ALL TURN
AND GAZE AT THE SWAMP WHERE IT HAS DISAPPEARED AS HE
SPEAKS THE CAMERA PANS DOWN AND AWAY FROM THEM OUT
OVER THE AREA OF MUCK IN WHICH IT WENT DOWN, . . . Aspirin-X has now become
available to the world of men, as it was available to the Earth populated by
Its people. Will we use it wisely, this time, 1 wonder? Only the future will
tell . . .
POOTIE
(Awed) Uncle Joe, is It really dead?
JOE
(Ponderingly) It should, indeed, be dead, Pootie
poisoned and sunk no ope knows how deep under the muskeg. But can we tell?
170 Gordon R. Dickson
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BACKGROUND MUSiC RISES OVER HIS VOICE.
Once before It was thought to be dead, even mum-
mified. But we do not yet know the full powers of Aspirin-X. It survived for
thousands of years before to walk the Earth again. Perhaps, who knows, down
under all that muskeg, a spark of life still lingers. . . .
THE RISING OF THE BACK-GROUND MUSIC DROWNS OUT HIS
VOICE. WE SEE ONLY THE LITTLE SQUARE OF MUSKEG IN THE
SCREEN, AS WE WATCH. A BUBBLE OOZES TO THE SURFACE, SWELLS UP AND POPS, THE
MUSKEG IS STILL AGAIN.
THE SCENE DARKENS. THE FINAL MUSIC FILLS OUR EARS.
SLOWLY, RISING UP OUT OF THE NOW DARKENED SWAMP COME
THE SHINING WORDS
THE END
FOLLOWED SLOWLY BY ONE MORE WORD IN A RUNNING
SCRIPT. . . .
Maybe. . . .
The Green Buildini
That new green building down there? Sorry, every-
thing behind the fence is government property, and I don't have anything to do
with ... A reporter, are you? Fancy that, now. No no sir, I do not be-
lieve in censorship of a free press. I happen to vote a straight ticket, and .
. . Well, that's mighty nice of you to say so. Of course, I know we depend on
our newspapers. You take a restaurant-owner like myself
. . . You don't say so! Those army fellers said that?
Well, I certainly sympathize and
Well now, I will sit down for a minute. The lunch rush is over now but these
waitresses . . . Yes, I was here from the beginning. In fact, I was here at
the beginning. You mean to say they've kept it a secret from you newspaper
fellers all this time? Well now, that's a shame now don't quote me as saying
that.
After all I'm in business here . . .
No, no, I didn't think you would, but I thought I'd better mention it, just to
make sure like . . . What do
I mean at the beginning? Why, I mean at the begin-
ning. I was here. right here on this very spot, when It landed.
Not in this restaurant building, of course. I had a
171
172 Gordon R. Dickson
... I should say I do know what it used to be like around here. Those old days
arc graven on my heart
yes sir, graven right on my heart. Like I say, I used to have a different sort
of business, a well, you might call it a sort of candy store right here on
this spot.
I'd sit here in the afternoon, waiting for school to let out and the kids to
come by, just tike I was the afternoon it happened, only that was Memorial Day
and no school.
But I used to sit right here and just look out the window beside you,
there and see right down across to the park and the little creek with the
teeter-totters the kids used to play on, alongside it. And then up the other
side of the hill to where the grade school itself was and the lops of Piper
Park just showing over the head of the hill beyond.
It was real green and pretty then. None of the concrete and smell and barbed
wire they got now.
Just a free, happy, little hollow, sort of. I used to say . . .
The day it happened? That's what I'm telling you about. There I was, sitting
and looking out, about two-twenty in the afternoon, thinking how peaceful it
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all was. Then I heard this sort of roaring overhead-
Them jet fighters again, I said to myself. But I didn't get up and go to the
window and look because, you know, by the time you go to look for them,
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