"The Virus Finds the Loopholes in His Armor, the Flaws in Each Organism"

HERE'S A VARIATION on the Mad Scientist trope, but the scientist in question isn't remotely mad; what he has concocted, however, most certainly is . . .

"The Mad Virus."

By Paul Edmonds (Henry Kuttner, 1915-58).

First appearance: Science Fiction, June 1940.

Reprints page (HERE).

Short story (13 pages as a PDF).

Online at Faded Page (HERE).

(Parental caution: Mild profanity and some violence.)

     "Kedrick and his mad band of gangsters seize Dr. Morgan and force him to reveal a great scientific secret that the criminal plans to use to bring horrible death to his enemies! Teague, the reporter, is about to inform the authorities and thus save a city from disaster—but Kedrick is too quick!"

Far too many have been the victim of extortion, but a go-getting newspaperman uncovers an extortion plot that just might be unique . . . .

Main characters:

~ Kedrick:

  ". . . a lean, well-dressed greyhound, with a handsome, expressionless face and very cold black eyes. He gripped a cane in bronzed, strong fingers."

~ Bill Teague:

  ". . . you’ve got a gun. Do me a favor. Use it on me."

~ Norma Morgan:

  "You can’t control the virus!"

~ Malley:

  "Take it! Don't hurt me—don't!"

~ The blond youth:

  "Holy smoke! He’s gone slap-happy. Are yours grand notes, too?"

~ The teller:

  ". . . didn’t look up. He leaned on the marble counter, slumped over, his shoulders sagging beneath a wrinkled coat. Teague noticed that the man’s clothes seemed much too large for him."

~ Stephen Morgan:

  ". . . looked older than his thirty-odd years. Grey hair frosted his temples. His thin, scholarly face was worn and haggard."

~ Baldy and Jevne:

  "One was a nervous, skinny, bucktoothed man with a tic under his left eye. The other was huge, stolid, dull-faced and quite bald."

References and resources:

- "virus": There are a lot more of them than there are of us: "A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1892 article describing a non-bacterial pathogen infecting tobacco plants and the discovery of the tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 6,000 virus species have been described in detail of the millions of types of viruses in the environment. Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth and are the most numerous type of biological entity." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Not even a shiv": You get the point: "The word is prison slang for an improvised knife. The word generally applies to both stabbing and edged weapons. A shiv can be anything from a glass shard with fabric wrapped around one end to form a handle, to a razor blade stuck in the end of a toothbrush, to a simple toothbrush handle, filed into a sharp point." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the protein molecule": The machinery of life itself: "Like other biological macromolecules such as polysaccharides and nucleic acids, proteins are essential parts of organisms and participate in virtually every process within cells. Many proteins are enzymes that catalyse biochemical reactions and are vital to metabolism." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "his parathyroid gland": We all need them: "Parathyroid glands are small endocrine glands in the neck of humans and other tetrapods. Humans usually have four parathyroid glands, located on the back of the thyroid gland in variable locations. The parathyroid gland produces and secretes parathyroid hormone in response to a low blood calcium, which plays a key role in regulating the amount of calcium in the blood and within the bones." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "There’s an antitoxin": It can save your life: "An antitoxin is an antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific toxin. Antitoxins are produced by certain animals, plants, and bacteria in response to toxin exposure. Although they are most effective in neutralizing toxins, they can also kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Antitoxins are made within organisms, and can be injected into other organisms, including humans, to treat an infectious disease" (Wikipedia HERE).

- "extortion": Its definition can vary depending on where you are: "Extortion is distinguished from robbery. In robbery, whether armed or not, the offender takes property from the victim by the immediate use of force or fear that force will be immediately used. Extortion, which is not limited to the taking of property, involves the verbal or written instillation of fear that something will happen to the victim if they do not comply with the extortionist's will. Another key distinction is that extortion always involves a verbal or written threat, whereas robbery may not. In United States federal law, extortion can be committed with or without the use of force and with or without the use of a weapon." (Wikipedia (HERE). Ian Fleming dreamed up what might be the ultimate extortion ring, SPECTRE. (Wikipedia HERE).

- Just the other day we featured Henry Kuttner's time travel tale, "The Transgressor" (HERE).

- It's surprising how many crime stories that we've featured on ONTOS involve news reporting, just a few of them being:

  . . . George Dilnot's "Silverdale of Brain Street" (HERE)

  . . . Stephen Leacock's "Who Do You Think Did It? or, The Mixed-Up Murder Mystery" (HERE)

  . . . Will F. Jenkins's "Headline" (HERE)

  . . . Those "Plucky Girl Reporters" (HERE)

  . . . David Goodis's "It's a Wise Cadaver" (HERE)

  . . . Carl Jacobi's "Enter the Nebula" (HERE)

  . . . and Robert R. Mill's "Mrs. Murder" (HERE).

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"I Saw Something I Shouldn't Have, Perhaps"

AS YOU WELL KNOW, there are all kinds of ways of telling a story, but point-of-view (POV) is unavoidably crucial in how the plot is developed. Essential information is given to the reader, oftimes in dribs and drabs, the idea being to reveal—while simultaneously withholding—facts appertaining to the story and the characters in order to enhance the impact of the tale. Poe, of course, was a master of this; today's author ingeniously adopts Poe's method to tell us a story of a crime told from the perspective of a . . .

"Loyal Companion."

By A. Rector.

First appearance: Daily Science Fiction, April 26, 2021.

Short short short story (2 pages as a PDF).

Online at Daily Science Fiction (HERE).

     "Why erase your friend of seven years?"

Does loyalty have an expiration date?

Principal characters:

~ The narrator:

  "I was reborn old, rife with years of scuff and scratches . . ."

~ James:

  "You were very upset about it, losing a dear friend of seven years. Your only friend."

Resources:

- "Loyal Companion" is told from a first-person-limited point-of-view, which powerfully impacts the denouement: "First-person narration presents the narrative through the perspective of a particular character. The reader or audience becomes aware of the events and characters of the story through the narrator's views and knowledge. As a participant in events, the conscious narrator is an imperfect witness by definition, unable to fully see and comprehend events in their entirety as they unfurl, not necessarily objective in their inner thoughts or sharing them fully, and furthermore may be pursuing some hidden agenda. In some cases, the narrator may give or withhold information based on their own experience." (Wikipedia HERE).

- Just last month we featured a robot story, Robert Bloch's "Comfort Me, My Robot" (HERE). For another tale about criminous human and robot interactions that you might enjoy see Dan Morgan's "Insecurity Risk," highlighted (HERE).

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"I Don't Know What's Going To Break Loose—or When"

IT'S LIKELY THAT Bartolomeo Cristofori had no idea just what nefarious uses his invention could be put to; centuries later such revelations would fall to a . . .

"Deep Sea Detective."

By Clarence Herbert New (1862-1933).

Illustrations by J.(ohn) Fleming Gould (1906-96; HERE).

First appearance: Blue Book, July 1933.

Short story (14 pages; 4 illos).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

     ". . . this damned unusual shipment of pianos—a hundred-and-three

of 'em . . ."

For Coffin there's just something not right about this situation, and he's willing to go a long, long way to prove it . . . .

Main characters:

~ Captain Hardinge:

  ". . . was contemptuously starting to say it would have to wait until morning—when he suddenly felt an automatic jammed against his stomach."

~ Sir Edward Coffin:

  "I'd rather look like a bally ass, any time, than be sorry I hadn't sense enough to look out for squalls in a dead calm!"

~ Francis Yelverton:

  "What do you imagine the mystery about those pianos may be?"

~ The Rajah of Bundlecore:

  ". . . not only had ordered them, but actually had an agent on the spot to pay the freight."

~ Alworthy:

  "I know perfectly well you'd not make such a request without good reason."

~ Innes:

  "'Tis a grrand idea!"

~ Cathie Ledyard:

  "He's very nice—nothing seems to worry him."

~ Bridges:

  "If we only 'ad a shootin'-iron or so—"

References and resources:

- "the Burmese border": Burma had a controversial name change in 1989, and last February a regime change as well: "Burma, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, is a country in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by Bangladesh and India to its northwest, China to its northeast, Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the Federated States": "The Federated States of Micronesia are located on the Caroline Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The history of the modern Federated States of Micronesia is one of settlement by Micronesians; colonization by Spain, Germany, and Japan; United Nations trusteeship under United States-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; and gradual independence beginning with the ratification of a sovereign constitution in 1979." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the coolie trade": "A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a low-wage laborer, typically of Asian descent. The term is considered outdated and offensive." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the purchasing agents": "Buying agents or purchasing agents are people or companies that offer to buy goods or property on behalf of another party. There are agents for all kinds of products, from raw material commodities through to specialized custom equipment." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "near the Lloyd's Buildings": In the insurance world Lloyd's is a strange duck: "Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, United Kingdom. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body governed by the Lloyd's Act 1871 and subsequent Acts of Parliament. It operates as a partially-mutualised marketplace within which multiple financial backers, grouped in syndicates, come together to pool and spread risk. These underwriters, or 'members,' are a collection of both corporations and private individuals, the latter being traditionally known as 'Names'." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the wharf at Penang": At the time of our story Penang was still part of the British Empire: "Penang's modern history began in 1786, upon the establishment of George Town by Francis Light. Penang formed part of the Straits Settlements in 1826, which became a British crown colony in 1867. Direct British rule was only briefly interrupted during World War II, when Japan occupied Penang; the British retook Penang in 1945. Penang was later merged with the Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia), which gained independence from the British in 1957. Following the decline of its entrepôt trade towards the 1970s, Penang's economy was reoriented towards hi-tech manufacturing." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "taken from German prisoners during the war": "World War I or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI or WW1, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously known as the Great War or 'the war to end all wars', it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It also was one of the deadliest conflicts in history . . ." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the coaming of the boat-deck": "Coaming is any vertical surface on a ship designed to deflect or prevent entry of water. It usually consists of a raised section of deck plating around an opening, such as a cargo hatch. Coamings also provide a frame onto which to fit a hatch cover." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "a Marconi employee": At the time telegraph operators aboard ships were not directly employed by the shipping line but by Marconi International Marine Communication Co. (M.I.M.C.Co.), which was founded in 1900 in London. (Wikipedia HERE).

- "a twelve-valve American set": In the U.S. they're commonly called something else:

  "A vacuum tube, an electron tube, valve (British usage) or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied." (Wikipedia HERE).

  "In manual radiotelegraphy the sending operator manipulates a switch called a telegraph key, which turns the radio transmitter on and off, producing pulses of unmodulated carrier wave of different lengths called 'dots' and 'dashes', which encode characters of text in Morse code." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the average D/F station ashore": "Direction finding (DF), or radio direction finding (RDF), is the measurement of the direction from which a received signal was transmitted." (Wikipedia HERE and HERE).

- "shove in the kris": "The kris or keris in Indonesian languages, is an Indonesian asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (pamor). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well, and is one of the weapons commonly used in then pencak silat martial art native to Indonesia." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "annoy British Raj": The Raj was "the rule by the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent from 1858 to 1947. The rule is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India. The region under British control was commonly called India in contemporaneous usage . . ." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "in the fo'c'stle": "The forecastle (contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase 'before the mast' which denotes anything related to ordinary sailors, as opposed to a ship's officers." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "after tiffin": "Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light tea-time meal at about 3pm, or to a light breakfast consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in some regions of the Indian subcontinent, a between-meal snack. When used in place of the word 'lunch,' however, it does not necessarily mean a light meal." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Bay of Bengal": "The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Malay pirates": Piracy in that region goes back centuries: "The Strait of Malacca's geography makes the region very susceptible to piracy. It was and still is an important passageway between China and India, used heavily for commercial trade. The strait is on the route between Europe, the Suez Canal, the oil-exporting countries of the Persian Gulf, and the busy ports of East Asia. It is narrow, contains thousands of islets, and is an outlet for many rivers, making it ideal for pirates to evade capture." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the lee gangway": "Leeward is the direction downwind (or downward) from the point of reference. The leeward region of mountains generally remains dry as compared to the windward. The side of a ship that is towards the leeward is its lee side." (Wikipedia HERE). "A gangway is a narrow passage that joins the quarterdeck to the forecastle of a sailing ship. The term is also extended to mean the narrow passages used to board or disembark ships." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "in the scuppers": "Ships have scuppers at deck level, to allow for ocean or rainwater drain-off." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "a capstan-bar": "A capstan is a vertical-axled rotating machine developed for use on sailing ships to multiply the pulling force of seamen when hauling ropes, cables, and hawsers." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Stateroom Number Thirty": "On board a ship, the term state room defines a superior first-class cabin." (Wikipedia HERE and HERE).

- "His Majesty's destroyer": "During the 1920s and 1930s, destroyers were often deployed to areas of diplomatic tension or humanitarian disaster. British and American destroyers were common on the Chinese coast and rivers, even supplying landing parties to protect colonial interests." (Wikipedia HERE). "His Majesty" at the time was King George V. (Wikipedia (HERE).

- Coffin, our main character, was featured in four short stories for Blue Book (FictionMags data):

  (1) "Deep Sea Detective," The Blue Book Magazine, July 1933 (above)

  (2) "The Evendean Affair," The Blue Book Magazine, January 1934

  (3) "The Innocent Bystander," The Blue Book Magazine, February 1934

  (4) "Mr. Jennis Disappears," The Blue Book Magazine, March 1934.

- Our only previous meeting with Clarence New was a posting just over six years ago about his 1918 short story collection, The Unseen Hand: Stories of Diplomatic Adventure (HERE); at the moment all of the links are still hot.

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"A Terror Beyond Life and Beyond Death"

"The Transgressor."

By Henry Kuttner (1915-58).

First appearance: Weird Tales, February 1939.

Reprints page (HERE).

Short short short story (4 pages as a PDF).

Online at Faded Page (HERE).

     "Yet somehow, far in the back of my mind, was a queer, small foreboding, knowledge of the fact that I had forgotten something—something that had happened just before I had entered the laboratory—something vitally important. . . ."

"I can't think of everything, okay?" is a common excuse for not allowing for unanticipated consequences; in everyday life the results are usually harmless, but be assured there will come a time for our protagonist when not thinking of everything will prove fatal . . . .

Principal characters:

~ Thor:

  ". . . my Great Dane, was panting in a corner, and occasionally growling to himself."

~ Jim Harline:

  "Stop. You’ve forgotten something—something important."

~ The visitor:

  "Hit my head on the control lever."

Resources:

- A native Californian, Henry Kuttner caught the science fiction/fantasy bug early and never let go; see Wikipedia (HERE), the SFE (HERE), the IMDb (HERE; 13 writing credits), and the ISFDb (HERE).

- Faded Page has a healthy collection of Kuttner's short fiction (47 stories at the moment); go (HERE).

- Our last visit with Henry Kuttner and his wife C. L. Moore featured their team-up story "Two-Handed Engine" (HERE); we're unsure, though, how much input Catherine supplied for the classic "Private Eye" (HERE).

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"Pity I'm Not Dead, Eh?"

WITH HIS CHECKERED PAST and despite his great wealth, Jay Gatsby honestly yearned for a better life with Daisy; the protagonist in today's story is searching for the same release and imagines he can find it in things that he's seen hundreds of times . . .

"Sails."

By Rice Gaither (?-?).

First appearance: Ainslee's Magazine, October 1922.

Short story (11 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

     ". . . I will say in the beginning that this is not the story of a suicide."

When the truth finally becomes clear it isn't always pleasant; however, there are ways of dealing with it: "But, man, you're a fugitive!"

Main characters:

~ Walters:

  "No, I haven’t found a way. But I just remembered this insurance—this life insurance you took out in favor of the company. We can borrow something on it."

~ Jimmie:

  "Then the plan came to him full blown."

~ Madge:

  "I couldn't love any man unless—"

~ Freddy:

  ". . . a pleasant parasite, living by invitation only."

~ Beacham:

  ". . . Beacham’s face across from him, a polite poker face."

~ Elsa:

  "She would persist in kneeling on the seat behind him and looking over his shoulder."

~ Julie:

  ". . . whose slim hand rested on the sleeve of Jimmie’s blue yachting coat, sang a phrase in which the pronunciation of 'Alabama' was modified to the requirements of syncopation. Then she ran down to play it on the phonograph."

~ The captain:

  "And that island just beyond the light, that’s Dauphin Island."

Typo: "They wind blew".

References and resources:

- "that little island anchored there between the rivers": Referring, of course, to Manhattan: "The borough consists mostly of Manhattan Island, bounded by the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers; as well as several small adjacent islands"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "a slim, white fruiter": Commonly referred to as a "reefer ship": "A reefer ship is a refrigerated cargo ship, typically used to transport perishable commodities which require temperature-controlled transportation, such as fruit, meat, fish, vegetables, dairy products and other items"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "a liner from Southampton": "An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships)"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "an old brig": "A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and maneuverable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Brigs fell out of use with the arrival of the steam ship because they required a relatively large crew for their small size and were difficult to sail into the wind"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "merry syncopations": "Syncopation is used in many musical styles, especially dance music. According to music producer Rick Snoman, 'All dance music makes use of syncopation, and it's often a vital element that helps tie the whole track together.' In the form of a back beat, syncopation is used in virtually all contemporary popular music"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "away from bridge and jazz": This was, after all, well into the Jazz Age: "The Jazz Age was a period in the 1920s and 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles rapidly gained nationwide popularity in the United States. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New Orleans as mainly sourced from culture of the diaspora. Jazz played a significant part in wider cultural changes in this period, and its influence on popular culture continued long afterward. The Jazz Age is often referred to in conjunction with the Roaring Twenties . . ."; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "a long jade holder": Some famous people have used one: "A cigarette holder is a fashion accessory, a slender tube in which a cigarette is held for smoking. Most frequently made of silver, jade or bakelite (popular in the past but now wholly replaced by modern plastics), cigarette holders were considered an essential part of ladies' fashion from the early 1910s through early to the mid 1970s"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "do you Chicago?": Possibly a reference to a dance inspired by a tune: "'Chicago' is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and published in 1922. The original sheet music variously spelled the title 'Todd'ling' or 'Toddling.' The song has been recorded by many artists, but the best-known version is by Frank Sinatra"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "We're going to Dauphin Island": "The island is one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands, with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay to the north. The island's eastern end helps define the mouth of Mobile Bay. The eastern, wider portion of the island is shaded by thick stands of pine trees and saw palmettos, but the narrow, western part of the island features scrub growth and few trees"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "How far is it to Cuba?": Until the communists took over, Cuba benefitted economically but not politically by being so close to the United States: "Before Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was one of the most advanced and successful countries in Latin America. Cuba's capital, Havana, was a 'glittering and dynamic city' . . . According to Cuba historian Louis Perez of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 'Havana was then what Las Vegas has become'"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "the blue of a Maxfield Parrish color tube": "Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "Treasure Island": One of the most popular and frequently filmed novels: "'Treasure Island' (originally 'The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys') is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of 'buccaneers and buried gold.' Its influence is enormous on popular perceptions of pirates, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an 'X', schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "his Q.E.D.": "Q.E.D. or QED is an initialism of the Latin phrase 'quod erat demonstrandum', literally meaning 'what was to be shown'. Traditionally, the abbreviation is placed at the end of a mathematical proof or philosophical argument in print publications to indicate that the proof or the argument is complete, and hence is used with the meaning 'thus it has been demonstrated'"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "the Battery": "The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a 25-acre (10 ha) public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- "standing on her gunwale": It's pronounced "gunnel": "The gunwale is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat"; see Wikipedia (HERE).

- Nothing about Rice Gaither jumps out at us; it's even possible Gaither could have been a woman. FictionMags (HERE) lists 20 stories for our author (1921-26 and 1932).

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"I Have Died of Boredom"

"From an Unseen Censor."

By Rosel George Brown (1926-67).

Illustrations by Diane Dillon (born 1933; HERE) and Leo Dillon  (1933-2012; HERE) [as by Dillon].

First appearance: Galaxy, September 1958.

Reprints page (HERE).

Novelette (20 pages; 3 illos).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

     "You can't beat my Uncle Isadore—he's dead but he's quick—yet that is just what he was daring me to try and do!"

A handsome inheritance awaits Uncle Izzy's nephew, but there's a catch: "I bequeath you my entire fortune. Find it." It's there, all right, hidden among the words of "a ghastly poem" . . . .

Principal characters:

~ Rene:

  "It's out of character for anybody to die. But I've seen a lot of them dead."

~ Uncle Isadore:

  "I have hidden my body to avoid the banality of a decent burial."

~ Mr. Picks:

  ". . . shook his head sadly . . ."

~ The Cha'n of Betelgeuse, Lord of the Seven Planets and the Four Hundred Moons:

  "Call me Charlie."

~ Uncle Izzy's nephew:

  "Nevermore"

Typo: "Uncle Algernon".

References and resources:

- This story is saturated with allusions to Poe's "The Raven" (1845); go to the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore page (HERE).

- "why he radared": We can't find any sources that describe how radar can be used in message communications. (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Alphard kappa," "Procyon beta," "Sirius beta," and "Aldebaran kappa": These star names seem to be the author's inventions; we're guessing "kappa" and "beta" designate individual planets in these systems:

  "Alphard designated Alpha Hydrae (α Hydrae, abbreviated Alpha Hya, α Hya), is the brightest star in the constellation of Hydra. It is a single giant star, cooler than the sun but larger and more luminous. It is about 177 light years away." (Wikipedia HERE).

  "As determined by the European Space Agency Hipparcos astrometry satellite, this system [Procyon] lies at a distance of just 11.46 light-years (3.51 parsecs), and is therefore one of Earth's nearest stellar neighbours." (Wikipedia HERE).

  "Sirius appears bright because of its intrinsic luminosity and its proximity to the Solar System. At a distance of 2.64 parsecs (8.6 ly), the Sirius system is one of Earth's nearest neighbours. Sirius is gradually moving closer to the Solar System . . ." (Wikipedia HERE).

  "Aldebaran, designated α Tauri (Latinized to Alpha Tauri, abbreviated Alpha Tau, α Tau), is a giant star measured to be about 65 light-years from the Sun . . ." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the Cha'n of Betelgeuse": "Classified as a red supergiant of spectral type M1-2, Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye. If it were at the center of our Solar System, its surface would lie beyond the asteroid belt and it would engulf the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and possibly Jupiter." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Not like Edgar Guest": Well-known in his day: "Edgar Albert Guest (1881–1959) was a British-born American poet who became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the Footlooses I used to go to": From the context we infer that they were school dances.

- "the dodo": Although human stupidity caused its extinction, the dodo survives in a way: "The Dodo is a fictional character appearing in Chapters 2 and 3 of the 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). The Dodo is a caricature of the author." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "Nepenthe?": "Nepenthe is a fictional medicine for sorrow – a 'drug of forgetfulness' mentioned in ancient Greek literature and Greek mythology, depicted as originating in Egypt." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the slidewalks of Brooklyn": A mode of transportation that enjoyed a vogue in 1950s SFF: "A slidewalk is a fictional moving pavement structurally sound enough to support buildings and large populations of travelers. Adjacent slidewalks moving at different rates could let travelers accelerate to great speeds." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "From an Unseen Censor" was the first publication for Rosel George Brown, a talented author, who passed away at far too early an age; see Wikipedia (HERE), the SFE (HERE), The Future Is Female! (HERE), and the ISFDb (HERE).

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"The Therapy Was Complete"

"Comfort Me, My Robot."

By Robert Bloch (1917-94).

Illustration by W. E. Terry (1921-92; HERE).

First appearance: Imagination, January 1955.

Reprints page (HERE).

Short story (12 pages).

Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; scroll down to text page 62) and Archive.org (HERE).

(Note: Hat tip to dfordoom for alerting us to this story.)

     "I want a murder. Premeditated, and in the first degree."

Does jealousy ever justify murder? In the twenty-second century it might depend on who—or what—is being murdered . . . .

Main characters:

~ The Adjustor:

  "And your request is —?"

~ Henson:

  "Simple. I want to kill my wife."

~ Lita:

  "Kiss me first. A real kiss. I like real things."

Typo: "Hensen".

References and resources:

- "Psychotherapy was just like alchemy in those days": "There are over a thousand different psychotherapy techniques, some being minor variations, while others are based on very different conceptions of psychology, ethics (how to behave professionally), or techniques. Most involve one-to-one sessions, between the client and therapist, but some are conducted with groups, including families." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "The next crude step was something called the 'psychodrama'": "Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives." (Wikipedia HERE).

- Regarding robots in general, go to the Wikipedia pages (HERE) and (HERE). Regarding the robot types that crop up in our story, go to these TV Tropes pages: "Deceptively Human Robots" (HERE), "Fembot" (HERE), and "Robotic Spouse" (HERE).

- Our latest contact with Robert Bloch was his Cold War thriller "The Past Master" (HERE). Bloch seldom ventured into television, but when he did it could be memorable; see our posting about one of his Star Trek contributions, "Wolf in the Fold" (HERE).

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