Anybody who wanted to escape death could, bypaying a very simple price—denial of life!
Illustrated by DAVID STONE
"Effie! What the devilare you up to?"
Her husband's voice,chopping through her mood ofterrified rapture, made her heartjump like a startled cat, yet bysome miracle of feminine self-controlher body did not showa tremor.
Dear God, she thought, hemustn't see it. It's so beautiful,and he always kills beauty.
"I'm just looking at the Moon,"she said listlessly. "It's green."
Mustn't, mustn't see it. Andnow, with luck, he wouldn't. Forthe face, as if it also heard andsensed the menace in the voice,was moving back from the window'sglow into the outside dark,but slowly, reluctantly, and stillfaunlike, pleading, cajoling,tempting, and incredibly beautiful.
"Close the shutters at once,you little fool, and come awayfrom the window!"
"Green as a beer bottle," shewent on dreamily, "green asemeralds, green as leaves withsunshine striking through themand green grass to lie on." Shecouldn't help saying those lastwords. They were her token tothe face, even though it couldn'thear.
"Effie!"
She knew what that last tonemeant. Wearily she swung shutthe ponderous lead inner shuttersand drove home the heavy bolts.That hurt her fingers; it alwaysdid, but he mustn't know that.
"You know that those shuttersare not to be touched! Not forfive more years at least!"
"I only wanted to look at theMoon," she said, turning around,and then it was all gone—theface, the night, the Moon, themagic—and she was back in thegrubby, stale little hole, facing anangry, stale little man. It wasthen that the eternal thud of theair-conditioning fans and thecrackle of the electrostatic precipitatorsthat sieved out the dustreached her consciousness againlike the bite of a dentist's drill.
"Only wanted to look at theMoon!" he mimicked her in falsetto."Only wanted to die like alittle fool and make me that muchmore ashamed of you!" Then hisvoice went gruff and professional."Here, count yourself."
She silently took the Geigercounter he held at arm's length,waited until it settled down to asteady ticking slower than aclock—due only to cosmic raysand indicating nothing dangerous—andthen began to comb herbody with the instrument. Firsther head and shoulders, then outalong her arms and back alongtheir under side. There was somethingoddly voluptuous about hermovements, although her featureswere gray and sagging.
The ticking did not change itstempo until she came to herwaist. Then it suddenly spurted,clicking faster and faster. Herhusband gave an excited grunt,took a quick step forward, froze.She goggled for a moment infear, then grinned foolishly, dugin the pocket of her grimy apronand guiltily pulled out a wristwatch.
He grabbed it as it dangledfrom her fingers, saw that it hada radium dial, cursed, heaved itup as if to smash it on the floor,but instead put it carefully onthe table.
"You imbecile, you incredibleimbecile," he softly chanted tohimself through clenched teeth,with eyes half closed.
She shrugged faintly, put theGeiger counter on the table, andstood there slumped.
He waited until the chantinghad soothed his anger, beforespeaking again. He said quietly,"I do suppose you still realizethe sort of world you're livingin?"
She nodded slowly, stari