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1**NIGHTFALL**
2
3*by Isaac Asimov*
4
5*If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore, and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God!---Emerson*
6
7ATON 77, DIRECTOR OF SARD UNIVERSITY, THRUST OUT A BELLIGERENTlower lip and glared at the young newspaperman in a hot fury.
8
9Theremon 762 took that fury in his stride. In his earlier days, when his now widely syndicated column was only a mad idea in a cub re­porter's mind, he had specialized in "impossible" interviews. It had cost him bruises, black eyes, and broken bones; but it had given him an ample supply of coolness and self-confidence.
10
11So he lowered the outthrust hand that had been so pointedly ignored and calmly waited for the aged director to get over the worst. Astrono­mers were queer ducks, anyway, and if Aton's actions of the last two months meant anything, this same Aton was the queer-duckiest of the lot.
12
13Aton 77 found his voice, and though it trembled with restrained emo­tion, the careful, somewhat pedantic, phraseology, for which the famous astronomer was noted, did not abandon him.
14
15"Sir," he said, "you display an infernal gall in coming to me with that impudent proposition of yours."
16
17The husky telephotographer of the Observatory, Beenay 25, thrust a tongue's tip across dry lips and interposed nervously, "Now, sir, after all---"
18
19The director turned to him and lifted a white eyebrow. "Do not inter­fere, Beenay. I will credit you with good intentions in bringing this man here; but I will tolerate no insubordination now."
20
21Theremon decided it was time to take a part. "Director Aton, if you'll let me finish what I started saying I think---"
22
23"I don't believe, young man," retorted Aton, "that anything you could say now would count much as compared with your daily columns of these last two months. You have led a vast newspaper campaign against the efforts of myself and my colleagues to organize the world against the menace which it is now too late to avert. You have done your best with your highly personal attacks to make the staff of this Observatory objects of ridicule."
24
25The director lifted the copy of the Saro City *Chronicle* on the table and shook it at Theremon furiously. "Even a person of your well-known im­pudence should have hesitated before coming to me with a request that he be allowed to cover today's events for his paper. Of all newsmen, you!"
26
27Aton dashed the newspaper to the floor, strode to the window and clasped his arms behind his back.
28
29"You may leave," he snapped over his shoulder. He stared moodily out at the skyline where Gamma, the brightest of the planet's six suns, was setting. It had already faded and yellowed into the horizon mists, and Aton knew he would never see it again as a sane man.
30
31He whirled. "No, wait, come here!" He gestured peremptorily. "I'll give you your story."
32
33The newsman had made no motion to leave, and now he approached the old man slowly. Aton gestured outward, "Of the six suns, only Beta is left in the sky. Do you see it?"
34
35The question was rather unnecessary. Beta was almost at zenith; its ruddy light flooding the landscape to an unusual orange as the brilliant rays of setting Gamma died. Beta was at aphelion. It was small; smaller than Theremon had ever seen it before, and for the moment it was undisputed ruler of Lagash's sky.
36
37Lagash's own sun, Alpha, the one about which it revolved, was at the antipodes; as were the two distant companion pairs. The red dwarf Beta---Alpha's immediate companion---was alone, grimly alone.
38
39Aton's upturned face flushed redly in the sunlight. "In just under four hours," he said, "civilization, as we know it, comes to an end. It will do so because, as you see, Beta is the only sun in the sky." He smiled grimly. "Print that! There'll be no one to read it."
40
41"But if it turns out that four hours pass---and another four---and nothing happens?" asked Theremon softly.
42
43"Don't let that worry you. Enough will happen."
44
45"Granted! And *still*---if nothing happens?"
46
47For a second time, Beenay 25 spoke, "Sir, I think you ought to listen to him."
48
49Theremon said, "Put it to a vote, Director Aton."
50
51There was a stir among the remaining five members of the Observatory staff, who till now had maintained an attitude of wary neutrality.
52
53"That," stated Aton flatly, "is not necessary." He drew out his pocket watch. "Since your good friend, Beenay, insists so urgently, I will give you five minutes. Talk away."
54
55"Good! Now, just what difference would it make if you allowed me to take down an eyewitness account of what's to come? If your prediction comes true, my presence won't hurt; for in that case my column would never be written. On the other hand, if nothing comes of it, you will just have to expect ridicule or worse. It would be wise to leave that ridicule to friendly hands."
56
57Aton snorted. "Do you mean yours when you speak of friendly hands?"
58
59"Certainly!" Theremon sat down and crossed his legs. "My columns may have been a little rough at times, but I gave you people the benefit of the doubt every time. After all, this is not the century to preach 'the end of the world is at hand' to Lagash. You have to understand that peo­ple don't believe the 'Book of Revelations' any more, and it annoys them to have scientists turn about face and tell us the Cultists are right after all---"
60
61"No such thing, young man," interrupted Aton. "While a great deal of our data has been supplied us by the Cult, our results contain none of the Cult's mysticism. Facts are facts, and the Cult's so-called 'mythology' *has* certain facts behind it. We've exposed them and ripped away their mystery. I assure you that the Cult hates us now worse than you do."
62
63"I don't hate you. I'm just trying to tell you that the public is in an ugly humor. They're angry."
64
65Aton twisted his mouth in derision. "Let them be angry."
66
67"Yes, but what about tomorrow?"
68
69"There'll be no tomorrow!"
70
71"But if there is. Say that there is---just to see what happens. That anger might take shape into something serious. After all, you know, business has taken a nose dive these last two months. Investors don't really believe the world is coming to an end, but just the same they're being cagy with their money until it's all over. Johnny Public doesn't believe you, either, but the new spring furniture might as well wait a few months---just to make sure.
72
73"You see the point. Just as soon as this is all over, the business interests will be after your hide. They'll say that if crackpots---begging your pardon---can upset the country's prosperity any time they want simply by making some cockeyed prediction---it's up to the planet to prevent them. The sparks will fly, sir."
74
75The director regarded the columnist sternly. "And just what were you proposing to do to help the situation?"
76
77"Well," grinned Theremon, "I was proposing to take charge of the pub­licity. I can handle things so that only the ridiculous side will show. It would be hard to stand, I admit, because I'd have to make you all out to be a bunch of gibbering idiots, but if I can get people laughing at you, they might forget to be angry. In return for that, all my publisher asks is an exclusive story."
78
79Beenay nodded and burst out, "Sir, the rest of us think he's right. These last two months we've considered everything but the million-to-one chance that there is an error somewhere in our theory or in our calcu­lations. We ought to take care of that, too."
80
81There was a murmur of agreement from the men grouped about the table, and Aton's expression became that of one who found his mouth full of something bitter and couldn't get rid of it.
82
83"You may stay if you wish, then. You will kindly refrain, however, from hampering us in our duties in any way. You will also remember that I am in charge of all activities here, and in spite of your opinions as expressed in your columns, I will expect full co-operation and full re­spect---"
84
85His hands were behind his back, and his wrinkled face thrust forward determinedly as he spoke. He might have continued indefinitely but for the intrusion of a new voice.
86
87"Hello, hello, hello!" It came in a high tenor, and the plump cheeks of the newcomer expanded in a pleased smile. "What's this morgue-like atmosphere about here? No one's losing his nerve, I hope."
88
89Aton started in consternation and said peevishly, "Now what the devil are you doing here, Sheerin? I thought you were going to stay behind in the Hideout."
90
91Sheerin laughed and dropped his tubby figure into a chair. "Hideout be blowed! The place bored me. I wanted to be here, where things are getting hot. Don't you suppose I have my share of curiosity? I want to see these Stars the Cultists are forever speaking about." He rubbed his hands and added in a soberer tone, "It's freezing outside. The wind's enough to hang icicles on your nose. Beta doesn't seem to give any heat at all, at the distance it is."
92
93The white-haired director ground his teeth in sudden exasperation, "Why do you go out of your way to do crazy things, Sheerin? What kind of good are you around here?"
94
95"What kind of good am I around there?" Sheerin spread his palms in comical resignation. "A psychologist isn't worth his salt in the Hideout. They need men of action and strong, healthy women that can breed children. Me? I'm a hundred pounds too heavy for a man of action, and I wouldn't be a success at breeding children. So why bother them with an extra mouth to feed? I feel better over here."
96
97Theremon spoke briskly, "Just what is the Hideout, sir?"
98
99Sheerin seemed to see the columnist for the first time. He frowned and blew his ample cheeks out, "And just who in Lagash are you, redhead?"
100
101Aton compressed his lips and then muttered sullenly, "That's There­mon 762, the newspaper fellow. I suppose you've heard of him."
102
103The columnist offered his hand. "And, of course, you're Sheerin 501 of Saro University. I've heard of *you."* Then he repeated, "What is this Hideout, sir?"
104
105"Well," said Sheerin, "we have managed to convince a few people of the validity of our prophecy of---er---doom, to be spectacular about it, and those few have taken proper measures. They consist mainly of the im­mediate members of the families of the Observatory staff, certain of the faculty of Saro University and a few outsiders. Altogether, they number about three hundred, but three quarters are women and children."
106
107"I see! They're supposed to hide where the Darkness and the---er---Stars can't get at them, and then hold out when the rest of the world goes poof."
108
109"If they can. It won't be easy. With all of mankind insane; with the great cities going up in flames---environment will not be conducive to survival. But they have food, water, shelter, and weapons---"
110
111"They've got more," said Aton. "They've got all our records, except for what we will collect today. Those records will mean everything to the next cycle, and *that's* what must survive. The rest can go hang."
112
113Theremon whistled a long, low whistle and sat brooding for several minutes. The men about the table had brought out a multichess board and started a six-member game. Moves were made rapidly and in silence. All eyes bent in furious concentration on the board. Theremon watched them intently and then rose and approached Aton, who sat apart in whispered conversation with Sheerin.
114
115"Listen," he said, "let's go somewhere where we won't bother the rest of the fellows. I want to ask some questions."
116
117The aged astronomer frowned sourly at him, but Sheerin chirped up, "Certainly. It will do me good to talk. It always does. Aton was telling me about your ideas concerning world reaction to a failure of the prediction--- and I agree with you. I read your column pretty regularly, by the way, and as a general thing I like your views."
118
119"Please, Sheerin," growled Aton.
120
121"Eh? Oh, all right. We'll go into the next room. It has softer chairs, anyway."
122
123There *were* softer chairs in the next room. There were also thick red curtains on the windows and a maroon carpet on the floor. With the bricky light of Beta pouring in, the general effect was one of dried blood.
124
125Theremon shuddered, "Say, I'd give ten credits for a decent dose of white light for just a second. I wish Gamma or Delta were in the sky."
126
127"What are your questions?" asked Aton. "Please remember that our time is limited. In a little over an hour and a quarter we're going upstairs, and after that there will be no time for talk."
128
129"Well, here it is." Theremon leaned back and folded his hands on his chest. "You people seem so all-fired serious about this that I'm begin­ning to believe you. Would you mind explaining what it's all about?"
130
131Aton exploded, "Do you mean to sit there and tell me that you've been bombarding us with ridicule without even finding out what we've been trying to say?"
132
133The columnist grinned sheepishly. "It's not that bad, sir. I've got the general idea. You say that there is going to be a world-wide Darkness in a few hours and that all mankind will go violently insane. What I want now is the science behind it."
134
135"No, you don't. No, you don't," broke in Sheerin. "If you ask Aton for that---supposing him to be in the mood to answer at all---he'll trot out pages of figures and volumes of graphs. You won't make head or tail of it. Now if you were to ask *me,* I could give you the layman's standpoint."
136
137"All right; I ask you."
138
139"Then first I'd like a drink." He rubbed his hands and looked at Aton.
140
141"Water?" grunted Aton.
142
143"Don't be silly!"
144
145"Don't you be silly. No alcohol today. It would be too easy to get my men drunk. I can't afford to tempt them."
146
147The psychologist grumbled wordlessly. He turned to Theremon, im­paled him with his sharp eyes, and began.
148
149"You realize, of course, that the history of civilization on Lagash dis­plays a cyclic character---but I mean, *cyclic!"*
150
151"I know," replied Theremon cautiously, "that that is the current archæological theory. Has it been accepted as a fact?"
152
153"Just about. In this last century it's been generally agreed upon. This cyclic character is---or, rather, was---one of *the* great mysteries. We've located series of civilizations, nine of them definitely, and indications of others as well, all of which have reached heights comparable to our own, and all of which, without exception, were destroyed by fire at the very height of their culture.
154
155"And no one could tell why. All centers of culture were thoroughly gutted by fire, with nothing left behind to give a hint as to the cause."
156
157Theremon was following closely. "Wasn't there a Stone Age, too?"
158
159"Probably, but as yet, practically nothing is known of it, except that men of that age were little more than rather intelligent apes. We can for­get about that."
160
161"I see. Go on!"
162
163"There have been explanations of these recurrent catastrophes, all of a more or less fantastic nature. Some say that there are periodic rains of fire; some that Lagash passes through a sun every so often; some even wilder things. But there is one theory, quite different from all of these, that has been handed down over a period of centuries."
164
165"I know. You mean this myth of the 'Stars' that the Cultists have in their 'Book of Revelations.' "
166
167"Exactly," rejoined Sheerin with satisfaction. "The Cultists said that every two thousand and fifty years Lagash entered a huge cave, so that all the suns disappeared, and there came *total darkness all over the world!* And then, they say, things called Stars appeared, which robbed men of their souls and left them unreasoning brutes, so that they destroyed the civilization they themselves had built up. Of course, they mix all this up with a lot of religio-mystic notions, but that's the central idea."
168
169There was a short pause in which Sheerin drew a long breath. "And now we come to the Theory of Universal Gravitation." He pronounced the phrase so that the capital letters sounded---and at that point Aton turned from the window, snorted loudly, and stalked out of the room.
170
171The two stared after him, and Theremon said, "What's wrong?"
172
173"Nothing in particular," replied Sheerin. "Two of the men were due several hours ago and haven't shown up yet. He's terrifically short-handed, of course, because all but the really essential men have gone to the Hideout."
174
175"You don't think the two deserted, do you?"
176
177"Who? Faro and Yimot? Of course not. Still, if they're not back within the hour, things would be a little sticky." He got to his feet suddenly, and his eyes twinkled. "Anyway, as long as Aton is gone---"
178
179Tiptoeing to the nearest window, he squatted, and from the low win­dow box beneath withdrew a bottle of red liquid that gurgled suggestively when he shook it.
180
181"I *thought* Aton didn't know about this," he remarked as he trotted back to the table. "Here! We've only got one glass so, as the guest, you can have it. I'll keep the bottle." And he filled the tiny cup with judicious care.
182
183Theremon rose to protest, but Sheerin eyed him sternly. "Respect your elders, young man."
184
185The newsman seated himself with a look of pain and anguish on his face. "Go ahead, then, you old villain."
186
187The psychologist's Adam's apple wobbled as the bottle upended, and then, with a satisfied grunt and a smack of the lips, he began again.
188
189"But what do you know about gravitation?"
190
191"Nothing, except that it is a very recent development, not too well established, and that the math is so hard that only twelve men in Lagash are supposed to understand it."
192
193*"Tcha! *Nonsense! Boloney! I can give you all the essential math in a sentence. The Law of Universal Gravitation states that there exists a cohesive force among all bodies of the universe, such that the amount of this force between any two given bodies is proportional to the product of their masses divided by the square of the distance between them."
194
195"Is that all?"
196
197"That's enough! It took four hundred years to develop it."
198
199"Why that long? It sounded simple enough, the way you said it."
200
201"Because great laws are not divined by flashes of inspiration, whatever you may think. It usually takes the combined work of a world full of scientists over a period of centuries. After Genovi 41 discovered that Lagash rotated about the sun Alpha, rather than vice versa---and that was four hundred years ago---astronomers have been working. The complex motions of the six suns were recorded and analyzed and unwoven. Theory after theory was advanced and checked and counter-checked and modified and abandoned and revived and converted to something else. It was a devil of a job."
202
203Theremon nodded thoughtfully and held out his glass for more liquor. Sheerin grudgingly allowed a few ruby drops to leave the bottle.
204
205"It was twenty years ago," he continued after remoistening his own throat, "that it was finally demonstrated that the Law of Universal Gravi­tation accounted exactly for the orbital motions of the six suns. It was a great triumph."
206
207Sheerin stood up and walked to the window, still clutching his bottle, "And now we're getting to the point. In the last decade, the motions of Lagash about Alpha were computed according to gravity, and *it did not account for the orbit observed;* not even when all perturbations due to the other suns were included. Either the law was invalid, or there was another, as yet unknown, factor involved."
208
209Theremon joined Sheerin at the window and gazed out past the wooded slopes to where the spires of Saro City gleamed bloodily on the horizon. The newsman felt the tension of uncertainty grow within him as he cast a short glance at Beta. It glowered redly at zenith, dwarfed and evil.
210
211"Go ahead, sir," he said softly.
212
213Sheerin replied, "Astronomers stumbled about for years, each proposed theory more untenable than the one before---until Aton had the inspira­tion of calling in the Cult. The head of the Cult, Sor 5, had access to certain data that simplified the problem considerably. Aton set to work on a new track.
214
215"What if there were another nonluminous planetary body such as Lagash? If there were, you know, it would shine only by reflected light, and if it were composed of bluish rock, as Lagash itself largely is, then, in the redness of the sky, the eternal blaze of the suns would make it in­visible---drown it out completely."
216
217Theremon whistled, "What a screwy idea!"
218
219"You think *that's* screwy? Listen to this: Suppose this body rotated about Lagash at such a distance and in such an orbit and had such a mass that its attraction would exactly account for the deviations of Lagash's orbit from theory---do you know what would happen?"
220
221The columnist shook his head.
222
223"Well, sometimes this body would get in the way of a sun." And Sheerin emptied what remained in the bottle at a draft.
224
225"And it does, I suppose," said Theremon flatly.
226
227"Yes! But only one sun lies in its plane of revolutions." He jerked a thumb at the shrunken sun above. "Beta! And it has been shown that the eclipse will occur only when the arrangement of the suns is such that Beta is alone in its hemisphere and at maximum distance, at which time the moon is invariably at minimum distance. The eclipse that results, with the moon seven times the apparent diameter of Beta, covers all of Lagash and lasts well over half a day, so that no spot on the planet escapes the effects. *That eclipse comes once every two thousand and forty-nine years."*
228
229Theremon's face was drawn into an expressionless mask. "And that's my story?"
230
231The psychologist nodded. "That's all of it. First the eclipse---which will start in three quarters of an hour---then universal Darkness, and, maybe, these mysterious Stars---then madness, and end of the cycle."
232
233He brooded. "We had two months' leeway---we at the Observatory--- and that wasn't enough time to persuade Lagash of the danger. Two centuries might not have been enough. But our records are at the Hideout, and today we photograph the eclipse. The next cycle will *start off* with the truth, and when the *next* eclipse comes, mankind will at last be ready for it. Come to think of it, that's part of your story, too."
234
235A thin wind ruffled the curtains at the window as Theremon opened it and leaned out. It played coldly with his hair as he stared at the crimson sunlight on his hand. Then he turned in sudden rebellion.
236
237"What is there in Darkness to drive *me* mad?"
238
239Sheerin smiled to himself as he spun the empty liquor bottle with abstracted motions of his hand. "Have you ever experienced Darkness, young man?"
240
241The newsman leaned against the wall and considered. "No. Can't say I have. But I know what it is. Just---uh---" He made vague motions with his fingers, and then brightened. "Just no light. Like in caves."
242
243"Have you ever been in a cave?"
244
245"In a *cave!* Of course not!"
246
247"I thought not. *I* tried last week---just to see---but I got out in a hurry. I went in until the mouth of the cave was just visible as a blur of light, with black everywhere else. I never thought a person my weight could run that fast."
248
249Theremon's lip curled. "Well, if it comes to that, I guess I wouldn't have run, if I had been there."
250
251The psychologist studied the young man with an annoyed frown.
252
253"My, don't you talk big! I dare you to draw the curtain."
254
255Theremon looked his surprise and said, "What for? If we had four or five suns out there we might want to cut the light down a bit for comfort, but now we haven't enough light as it is."
256
257"That's the point. Just draw the curtain; then come here and sit down."
258
259"All right." Theremon reached for the tasseled string and jerked. The red curtain slid across the wide window, the brass rings hissing their way along the crossbar, and a dusk-red shadow clamped down on the room.
260
261Theremon's footsteps sounded hollowly in the silence as he made his way to the table, and then they stopped halfway. "I can't see you, sir," he whispered.
262
263"Feel your way," ordered Sheerin in a strained voice.
264
265"But I can't see you, sir." The newsman was breathing harshly. "I can't see anything."
266
267"What did you expect?" came the grim reply. "Come here and sit down!"
268
269The footsteps sounded again, waveringly, approaching slowly. There was the sound of someone fumbling with a chair. Theremon's voice came thinly, "Here I am. I feel. . . *ulp...* all right."
270
271"You like it, do you?"
272
273"N-no. It's pretty awful. The walls seem to be---" He paused. "They seem to be closing in on me. I keep wanting to push them away. But I'm not going *mad!* In fact, the feeling isn't as bad as it was."
274
275"All right. Draw the curtain back again."
276
277There were cautious footsteps through the dark, the rustle of There­mon's body against the curtain as he felt for the tassel, and then the triumphant *ro-o-o-osh* of the curtain slithering back. Red light flooded the room, and with a cry of joy Theremon looked up at the sun.
278
279Sheerin wiped the moistness off his forehead with the back of a hand and said shakily, "And that was just a dark room."
280
281"It can be stood," said Theremon lightly.
282
283"Yes, a dark room can. But were you at the Jonglor Centennial Exposi­tion two years ago?"
284
285"No, it so happens I never got around to it. Six thousand miles was just a bit too much to travel, even for the exposition."
286
287"Well, I was there. You remember hearing about the 'Tunnel of Mystery' that broke all records in the amusement area---for the first month or so, anyway?"
288
289"Yes. Wasn't there some fuss about it?"
290
291"Very little. It was hushed up. You see, that Tunnel of Mystery was just a mile-long tunnel---with no lights. You got into a little open car and jolted along through Darkness for fifteen minutes. It was very popular---while it lasted."
292
293"Popular?"
294
295"Certainly. There's a fascination in being frightened *when it's part of a game.* A baby is born with three instinctive fears: of loud noises, of falling, and of the absence of light. That's why it's considered so funny to jump at someone and shout 'Boo!' That's why it's such fun to ride a roller coaster. And that's why that Tunnel of Mystery started cleaning up. People came out of that Darkness shaking, breathless, half dead with fear, but they kept on paying to get in."
296
297"Wait a while, I remember now. Some people came out dead, didn't they? There were rumors of that after it shut down."
298
299The psychologist snorted. "Bah! Two or three died. That was nothing! They paid off the families of the dead ones and argued the Jonglor City Council into forgetting it. After all, they said, if people with weak hearts want to go through the tunnel, it was at their own risk---and besides, it wouldn't happen again. So they put a doctor in the front office and had every customer go through a physical examination before getting into the car. That actually *boosted* ticket sales."
300
301"Well, then?"
302
303"But, you see, there was something else. People sometimes came out in perfect order, except that they refused to go into buildings---any build­ings; including palaces, mansions, apartment houses, tenements, cottages, huts, shacks, lean-tos, and tents."
304
305Theremon looked shocked. "You mean they refused to come in out of the open. Where'd they sleep?"
306
307"In the open."
308
309"They should have *forced* them inside."
310
311"Oh, they did, they did. Whereupon these people went into violent hysterics and did their best to bat their brains out against the nearest wall. Once you got them inside, you couldn't keep them there without a strait jacket and a shot of morphine."
312
313"They must have been crazy."
314
315"Which is exactly what they were. One person out of every ten who went into that tunnel came out that way. They called in the psychologists, and we did the only thing possible. We closed down the exhibit." He spread his hands.
316
317"What was the matter with these people?" asked Theremon finally.
318
319"Essentially the same thing that was the matter with you when you thought the walls of the room were crushing in on you in the dark. There is a psychological term for mankind's instinctive fear of the absence of light. We call it 'claustrophobia,' because the lack of light is always tied up with enclosed places, so that fear of one is fear of the other. You see?"
320
321"And those people of the tunnel?"
322
323"Those people of the tunnel consisted of those unfortunates whose mentality did not quite possess the resiliency to overcome the claustro­phobia that overtook them in the Darkness. Fifteen minutes without light is a long time; you only had two or three minutes, and I believe you were fairly upset.
324
325"The people of the tunnel had what is called a 'claustrophobic fixation.' Their latent fear of Darkness and enclosed places had crystallized and become active, and, as far as we can tell, permanent. *That's* what fifteen minutes in the dark will do."
326
327There was a long silence, and Theremon's forehead wrinkled slowly into a frown. "I don't believe it's that bad."
328
329"You mean you don't want to believe," snapped Sheerin. "You're afraid to believe. Look out the window!"
330
331Theremon did so, and the psychologist continued without pausing, "Imagine Darkness---everywhere. No light, as far as you can see. The houses, the trees, the fields, the earth, the sky---*black!* And Stars thrown in, for all I know---whatever *they* are. Can you conceive it?"
332
333"Yes, I can," declared Theremon truculently.
334
335And Sheerin slammed his fist down upon the table in sudden passion. "You lie! You can't conceive that. Your brain wasn't built for the concep­tion any more than it was built for the conception of infinity or of eternity. You can only talk about it. A fraction of the reality upsets you, and when the real thing comes, your brain is going to be presented with a phenome­non outside its limits of comprehension. You will go mad, completely and permanently! There is no question of it!"
336
337He added sadly, "And another couple of millenniums of painful struggle comes to nothing. Tomorrow there won't be a city standing un­harmed in all Lagash."
338
339Theremon recovered part of his mental equilibrium. "That doesn't follow. I still don't see that I can go loony just because there isn't a Sun in the sky---but even if I did, and everyone else did, how does that harm the cities? Are we going to blow them down?"
340
341But Sheerin was angry, too. "If you were in Darkness, what would you want more than anything else; what would it be that every instinct would call for? Light, damn you, *light!"*
342
343"Well?"
344
345"And how would you get light?"
346
347"I don't know," said Theremon flatly.
348
349"What's the *only* way to get light, short of the sun?"
350
351"How should I know?"
352
353They were standing face to face and nose to nose.
354
355Sheerin said, "You burn something, mister. Ever see a forest fire? Ever go camping and cook a stew over a wood fire? Heat isn't the only thing burning wood gives off, you know. It gives off light, and people know that. And when it's dark they want light, and they're going to *get it."*
356
357"So they burn wood?"
358
359"So they burn whatever they can get. They've got to have light. They've got to burn something, and wood isn't handy---so they'll burn whatever is nearest. They'll have their light---and every center of habi­tation goes up in flames!"
360
361Eyes held each other as though the whole matter were a personal affair of respective will powers, and then Theremon broke away wordlessly. His breathing was harsh and ragged, and he scarcely noted the sudden hubbub that came from the adjoining room behind the closed door.
362
363Sheerin spoke, and it was with an effort that he made it sound matter-of-fact. "I think I heard Yimot's voice. He and Faro are probably back. Let's go in and see what kept them."
364
365"Might as well!" muttered Theremon. He drew a long breath and seemed to shake himself. The tension was broken.
366
367The room was in an uproar, with members of the staff clustering about two young men who were removing outer garments even as they parried the miscellany of questions being thrown at them.
368
369Aton bustled through the crowd and faced the newcomers angrily. "Do you realize that it's less than half an hour before deadline. Where have you two been?"
370
371Faro 24 seated himself and rubbed his hands. His cheeks were red with the outdoor chill. "Yimot and I have just finished carrying through a little crazy experiment of our own. We've been trying to see if we couldn't construct an arrangement by which we could simulate the ap­pearance of Darkness and Stars so as to get an advance notion as to how it looked."
372
373There was a confused murmur from the listeners, and a sudden look of interest entered Aton's eyes. "There wasn't anything said of this before. How did you go about it?"
374
375"Well," said Faro, "the idea came to Yimot and myself long ago, and we've been working it out in our spare time. Yimot knew of a low one-story house down in the city with a domed roof---it had once been used as a museum, I think. Anyway, we bought it---"
376
377"Where did you get the money?" interrupted Aton peremptorily.
378
379"Our bank accounts," grunted Yimot 70. "It cost two thousand credits." Then, defensively, "Well, what of it? Tomorrow, two thousand credits will be two thousand pieces of paper. That's all."
380
381"Sure," agreed Faro. "We bought the place and rigged it up with black velvet from top to bottom so as to get as perfect a Darkness as pos­sible. Then we punched tiny holes in the ceiling and through the roof and covered them with little metal caps, all of which could be shoved aside simultaneously at the close of a switch. At least, we didn't do that part ourselves; we got a carpenter and an electrician and some others---money didn't count. The point was that we could get the light to shine through those holes in the roof, so that we could get a starlike effect."
382
383Not a breath was drawn during the pause that followed. Aton said stiffly:
384
385"You had no right to make a private---"
386
387Faro seemed abashed. "I know, sir---but, frankly, Yimot and I thought the experiment was a little dangerous. If the effect really worked, we half expected to go mad---from what Sheerin says about all this, we thought that would be rather likely. We wanted to take the risk ourselves. Of course, if we found we could retain sanity, it occurred to us that we might develop immunity to the real thing, and then expose the rest of you to the same thing. But things didn't work out at all---"
388
389"Why, what happened?"
390
391It was Yimot who answered. "We shut ourselves in and allowed our eyes to get accustomed to the dark. It's an extremely creepy feeling be­cause the total Darkness makes you feel as if the walls and ceiling are crushing in on you. But we got over that and pulled the switch. The caps fell away and the roof glittered all over with little dots of light---"
392
393"Well?"
394
395"Well---nothing. That was the whacky part of it. Nothing happened. It was just a roof with holes in it, and that's just what it looked like. We tried it over and over again---that's what kept us so late---but there just isn't any effect at all."
396
397There followed a shocked silence, and all eyes turned to Sheerin, who sat motionless, mouth open.
398
399Theremon was the first to speak. "You know what this does to this whole theory you've built up, Sheerin, don't you?" He was grinning with relief.
400
401But Sheerin raised his hand. "Now wait a while. Just let me think this through." And then he snapped his fingers, and when he lifted his head there was neither surprise nor uncertainty in his eyes. "Of course---"
402
403He never finished. From somewhere up above there sounded a sharp clang, and Beenay, starting to his feet, dashed up the stairs with a "What the devil!"
404
405The rest followed after.
406
407Things happened quickly. Once up in the dome, Beenay cast one hor­rified glance at the shattered photographic plates and at the man bending over them; and then hurled himself fiercely at the intruder, getting a death grip on his throat. There was a wild threshing, and as others of the staff joined in, the stranger was swallowed up and smothered under the weight of half a dozen angry men.
408
409Aton came up last, breathing heavily. "Let him up!"
410
411There was a reluctant unscrambling and the stranger, panting harshly, with his clothes torn and his forehead bruised, was hauled to his feet. He had a short yellow beard curled elaborately in the style affected by the Cultists.
412
413Beenay shifted his hold to a collar grip and shook the man savagely. "All right, rat, what's the idea? These plates---"
414
415"I wasn't after *them,"* retorted the Cultist coldly. "That was an acci­dent."
416
417Beenay followed his glowering stare and snarled, "I see. You were after the cameras themselves. The accident with the plates was a stroke of luck for you, then. If you had touched Snapping Bertha or any of the others, you would have died by slow torture. As it is---" He drew his fist back.
418
419Aton grabbed his sleeve. "Stop that! Let him go!"
420
421The young technician wavered, and his arm dropped reluctantly. Aton pushed him aside and confronted the Cultist. "You're Latimer, aren't you?"
422
423The Cultist bowed stiffly and indicated the symbol upon his hip. "I am Latimer 25, adjutant of the third class to his serenity, Sor 5."
424
425"And"---Aton's white eyebrows lifted---"you were with his serenity when he visited me last week, weren't you?"
426
427Latimer bowed a second time.
428
429"Now, then, what do you want?"
430
431"Nothing that you would give me of your own free will."
432
433"Sor 5 sent you, I suppose---or is this your own idea?"
434
435"I won't answer that question."
436
437"Will there be any further visitors?"
438
439"I won't answer that, either."
440
441Aton glanced at his timepiece and scowled. "Now, man, what is it your master wants of me. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain."
442
443Latimer smiled faintly, but said nothing.
444
445"I asked him," continued Aton angrily, "for data only the Cult could supply, and it was given to me. For that, thank you. In return, I promised to prove the essential truth of the creed of the Cult."
446
447"There was no need to prove that," came die proud retort. "It stands proven by the 'Book of Revelations.' "
448
449"For the handful that constitute the Cult, yes. Don't pretend to mistake my meaning. I offered to present scientific backing for your beliefs. And I did!"
450
451The Cultist's eyes narrowed bitterly. "Yes, you did---with a fox's subtlety, for your pretended explanation backed our beliefs, and at the same time removed all necessity for them. You made of the Darkness and of the Stars a natural phenomenon, and removed all its real signifi­cance. That was blasphemy."
452
453"If so, the fault isn't mine. The facts exist. What can I do but state them?"
454
455"Your 'facts' are a fraud and a delusion."
456
457Aton stamped angrily. "How do *you* know?"
458
459And the answer came with the certainty of absolute faith. "I know!"
460
461The director purpled and Beenay whispered urgently. Aton waved him silent. "And what does Sor 5 want us to do. He still thinks, I sup­pose, that in trying to warn the world to take measures against the menace of madness, we are placing innumerable souls in jeopardy. We aren't succeeding, if that means anything to him."
462
463"The attempt itself has done harm enough, and your vicious effort to gain information by means of your devilish instruments must be stopped. We obey the will of the Stars, and I only regret that my clumsiness pre­vented me from wrecking your infernal devices."
464
465"It wouldn't have done you too much good," returned Aton. "All our data, except for the direct evidence, we intend collecting right now, is already safely cached and well beyond possibility of harm." He smiled grimly. "But that does not affect your present status as an attempted burglar and criminal."
466
467He turned to the men behind him. "Someone call the police at Saro City."
468
469There was a cry of distaste from Sheerin. "Damn it, Aton, what's wrong with you? There's no time for that. Here"---he bustled his way forward--- "let me handle this."
470
471Aton stared down his nose at the psychologist. "This is not the time for your monkeyshines, Sheerin. Will you please let me handle this my own way? Right now you are a complete outsider here, and don't forget it."
472
473Sheerin's mouth twisted eloquently. "Now why should we go to the impossible trouble of calling the police---with Beta's eclipse a matter of minutes from now---when this young man here is perfectly willing to pledge his word of honor to remain and cause no trouble whatsoever."
474
475The Cultist answered promptly, "I will do no such thing. You're free to do what you want, but it's only fair to warn you that just as soon as I get my chance I'm going to finish what I came out here to do. If it's my word of honor you're relying on, you'd better call the police."
476
477Sheerin smiled in a friendly fashion. "You're a determined cuss, aren't you? Well, I'll explain something. Do you see that young man at the window? He's a strong, husky fellow, quite handy with his fists, and he's an outsider besides. Once the eclipse starts there will be nothing for him to do except keep an eye on you. Besides him, there will be myself---a little too stout for active fisticuffs, but still able to help."
478
479"Well, what of it?" demanded Latimer frozenly.
480
481"Listen and I'll tell you," was the reply. "Just as soon as the eclipse starts, we're going to take you, Theremon and I, and deposit you in a little closet with one door, to which is attached one giant lock and no windows. You will remain there for the duration."
482
483"And afterward," breathed Latimer fiercely, "there'll be no one to let me out. I know as well as you do what the coming of the Stars means---I know it far better than you. With all your minds gone, you are not likely to free me. Suffocation or slow starvation, is it? About what I might have expected from a group of scientists. But I don't give my word. It's a matter of principle, and I won't discuss it further."
484
485Aton seemed perturbed. His faded eyes were troubled. "Really, Sheerin, locking him---"
486
487"Please!" Sheerin motioned him impatiently to silence. "I don't think for a moment things will go that far. Latimer has just tried a clever little bluff, but I'm not a psychologist just because I like the sound of the word." He grinned at the Cultist. "Come now, you don't really think I'm trying anything as crude as slow starvation. My dear Latimer, if I lock you in the closet, you are not going to see the Darkness, and you are not going to see the Stars. It does not take much of a knowledge of the fundamental creed of the Cult to realize that for you to be hidden from the Stars when they appear means the loss of your immortal soul. Now, I believe you to be an honorable man. I'll accept your word of honor to make no further effort to disrupt proceedings if you'll offer it."
488
489A vein throbbed in Latimer's temple, and he seemed to shrink within himself as he said thickly, "You have it!" And then he added with swift fury, "But it is my consolation that you will all be damned for your deeds of today." He turned on his heel and stalked to the high three-legged stool by the door.
490
491Sheerin nodded to the columnist. "Take a seat next to him, Theremon---just as a formality. Hey, Theremon!"
492
493But the newspaperman didn't move. He had gone pale to the lips.
494
495"Look at that!" The finger he pointed toward the sky shook, and his voice was dry and cracked.
496
497There was one simultaneous gasp as every eye followed the pointing finger and, for one breathless moment, stared frozenly.
498
499*Beta was chipped on one side!*
500
501The tiny bit of encroaching blackness was perhaps the width of a finger­nail, but to the staring watchers it magnified itself into the crack of doom.
502
503Only for a moment they watched, and after that there was a shrieking confusion that was even shorter of duration and which gave way to an orderly scurry of activity---each man at his prescribed job. At the crucial moment there was no time for emotion. The men were merely scientists with work to do. Even Aton had melted away.
504
505Sheerin said prosaically, "First contact must have been made fifteen minutes ago. A little early, but pretty good considering the uncertainties involved in the calculation." He looked about him and then tiptoed to Theremon, who still remained staring out the window, and dragged him away gently.
506
507"Aton is furious," he whispered, "so stay away. He missed first contact on account of this fuss with Latimer, and if you get in his way he'll have you thrown out the window."
508
509Theremon nodded shortly and sat down. Sheerin stared in surprise at him.
510
511"The devil, man," he exclaimed, "you're shaking."
512
513"Eh?" Theremon licked dry lips and then tried to smile. "I don't feel very well, and that's a fact."
514
515The psychologist's eyes hardened. "You're not losing your nerve?"
516
517"No!" cried Theremon in a flash of indignation. "Give me a chance, will you? I haven't really believed this rigmarole---not way down beneath, anyway---till just this minute. Give me a chance to get used to the idea. *You've* been preparing yourself for two months or more."
518
519"You're right, at that," replied Sheerin thoughtfully. "Listen! Have you got a family---parents, wife, children?"
520
521Theremon shook his head. "You mean the Hideout, I suppose. No, you don't have to worry about that. I have a sister, but she's two thousand miles away. I don't even know her exact address."
522
523"Well, then, what about yourself? You've got time to get there, and they're one short anyway, since I left. After all, you're not needed here, and you'd make a darned fine addition---"
524
525Theremon looked at the other wearily. "You think I'm scared stiff, don't you? Well, get this, mister, I'm a newspaperman and I've been assigned to cover a story. I intend covering it."
526
527There was a faint smile on the psychologist's face. "I see. Professional honor, is that it?"
528
529"You might call it that. But, man, I'd give my right arm for another bottle of that sockeroo juice even half the size of the one *you* hogged. If ever a fellow needed a drink, I do."
530
531He broke off. Sheerin was nudging him violently. "Do you hear that? Listen!"
532
533Theremon followed the motion of the other's chin and stared at the Cultist, who, oblivious to all about him, faced the window, a look of wild elation on his face, droning to himself the while in singsong fashion.
534
535"What's he saying?" whispered the columnist.
536
537"He's quoting 'Book of Revelations,' fifth chapter," replied Sheerin. Then, urgently, "Keep quiet and listen, I tell you."
538
539The Cultist's voice had risen in a sudden increase of fervor:
540
541" 'And it came to pass that in those days the Sun, Beta, held lone vigil in the sky for ever longer periods as the revolutions passed; until such time as for full half a revolution, it alone, shrunken and cold, shone down upon Lagash.
542
543" 'And men did assemble in the public squares and in the highways, there to debate and to marvel at the sight, for a strange depression had seized them. Their minds were troubled and their speech confused, for the souls of men awaited the coming of the Stars.
544
545" 'And in the city of Trigon, at high noon, Vendret 2 came forth and said unto the men of Trigon, "Lo, ye sinners! Though ye scorn the ways of righteousness, yet will the time of reckoning come. Even now the Cave approaches to swallow Lagash; yea, and all it contains."
546
547" 'And even as he spoke the lip of the Cave of Darkness passed the edge of Beta so that to all Lagash it was hidden from sight. Loud were the cries of men as it vanished, and great the fear of soul that fell upon them.
548
549" 'It came to pass that the Darkness of the Cave fell upon Lagash, and there was no light on all the surface of Lagash. Men were even as blinded, nor could one man see his neighbor, though he felt his breath upon his face.
550
551" 'And in this blackness there appeared the Stars, in countless numbers, and to the strains of ineffable music of a beauty so wondrous that the very leaves of the trees turned to tongues that cried out in wonder.
552
553" 'And in that moment the souls of men departed from them, and their abandoned bodies became even as beasts; yea, even as brutes of the wild; so that through the blackened streets of the cities of Lagash they prowled with wild cries.
554
555" 'From the Stars there then reached down the Heavenly Flame, and where it touched, the cities of Lagash flamed to utter destruction, so that of man and of the works of man nought remained.
556
557" 'Even then---' "
558
559There was a subtle change in Latimer's tone. His eyes had not shifted, but somehow he had become aware of the absorbed attention of the other two. Easily, without pausing for breath, the timber of his voice shifted and the syllables became more liquid.
560
561Theremon, caught by surprise, stared. The words seemed on the border of familiarity. There was an elusive shift in the accent, a tiny change in the vowel stress; nothing more---yet Latimer had become thor­oughly unintelligible.
562
563Sheerin smiled slyly. "He shifted to some old-cycle tongue, probably their traditional second cycle. That was the language in which the 'Book of Revelations' had originally been written, you know."
564
565"It doesn't matter; I've heard enough." Theremon shoved his chair back and brushed his hair back with hands that no longer shook. "I feel much better now."
566
567"You do?" Sheerin seemed mildly surprised.
568
569"I'll say I do. I had a bad case of jitters just a while back. Listening to you and your gravitation and seeing that eclipse start almost finished me. But this"---he jerked a contemptuous thumb at the yellow-bearded Cultist---*"this* is the sort of thing my nurse used to tell me. I've been laughing at that sort of thing all my life. I'm not going to let it scare me *now."*
570
571He drew a deep breath and said with a hectic gaiety, "But if I expect to keep on the good side of myself, I'm going to turn my chair away from the window."
572
573Sheerin said, "Yes, but you'd better talk lower. Aton just lifted his head out of that box he's got it stuck into and gave you a look that should have killed you."
574
575Theremon made a mouth. "I forgot about the old fellow." With elabo­rate care he turned the chair from the window, cast one distasteful look over his shoulder and said, "It has occurred to me that there must be con­siderable immunity against this Star madness."
576
577The psychologist did not answer immediately. Beta was past its zenith now, and the square of bloody sunlight that outlined the window upon the floor had lifted into Sheerin's lap. He stared at its dusky color thoughtfully and then bent and squinted into the sun itself.
578
579The chip in its side had grown to a black encroachment that covered a third of Beta. He shuddered, and when he straightened once more his florid cheeks did not contain quite as much color as they had had pre­viously.
580
581With a smile that was almost apologetic, he reversed his chair also. "There are probably two million people in Saro City that are all trying to join the Cult at once in one gigantic revival." Then, ironically, "The Cult is in for an hour of unexampled prosperity. I trust they'll make the most of it. Now, what was it you said?"
582
583"Just this. How do the Cultists manage to keep the 'Book of Revela­tions' going from cycle to cycle, and how on Lagash did it get written in the first place? There must have been some sort of immunity, for if everyone had gone mad, who would be left to write the book?"
584
585Sheerin stared at his questioner ruefully. "Well, now, young man, there isn't any eyewitness answer to that, but we've got a few damned good notions as to what happened. You see, there are three kinds of people who might remain relatively unaffected. First, the very few who don't see the Stars at all; the blind, those who drink themselves into a stupor at the beginning of the eclipse and remain so to the end. We leave them out---because they aren't really witnesses.
586
587"Then there are children below six, to whom the world as a whole is too new and strange for them to be *too* frightened at Stars and Darkness. They would be just another item in an already surprising world. You see that, don't you?"
588
589The other nodded doubtfully. "I suppose so."
590
591"Lastly, there are those whose minds are too coarsely grained to be entirely toppled. The very insensitive would be scarcely affected---oh, such people as some of our older, work-broken peasants. Well, the chil­dren would have fugitive memories, and that, combined with the con­fused, incoherent babblings of the half-mad morons, formed the basis for the 'Book of Revelations.'
592
593"Naturally, the book was based, in the first place, on the testimony of those least qualified to serve as historians; that is, children and morons; and was probably extensively edited and re-edited through the cycles."
594
595"Do you suppose," broke in Theremon, "that they carried the book through the cycles the way we're planning on handing on the secret of gravitation?"
596
597Sheerin shrugged. "Perhaps, but their exact method is unimportant. They do it, somehow. The point I was getting at was that the book can't help but be a mass of distortion, even if it is based on fact. For instance, do you remember the experiment with the holes in the roof that Faro and Yimot tried---the one that didn't work?"
598
599"Yes."
600
601"You know why it didn't w---" He stopped and rose in alarm, for Aton was approaching, his face a twisted mask of consternation. *"What's hap­pened?"*
602
603Aton drew him aside and Sheerin could feel the fingers on his elbow twitching.
604
605"Not so loud!" Aton's voice was low and tortured. "I've just gotten word from the Hideout on the private line."
606
607Sheerin broke in anxiously, "They are in trouble?"
608
609"Not *they."* Aton stressed the pronoun significantly. "They sealed themselves off just a while ago, and they're going to stay buried till day after tomorrow. They're safe. But the *city,* Sheerin---it's a shambles. You have no idea---" He was having difficulty in speaking.
610
611"Well?" snapped Sheerin impatiently. "What of it? It will get worse. What are you shaking about?" Then, suspiciously, "How do you feel?"
612
613Aton's eyes sparked angrily at the insinuation, and then faded to anxi­ety once more. "You don't understand. The Cultists are active. They're rousing the people to storm the Observatory---promising them immediate entrance into grace, promising them salvation, promising them anything. What are we to do, Sheerin?"
614
615Sheerin's head bent, and he stared in long abstraction at his toes. He tapped his chin with one knuckle, then looked up and said crisply, "Do? What is there to do? Nothing at all! Do the men know of this?"
616
617"No, of course not!"
618
619"Good! Keep it that way. How long till totality?"
620
621"Not quite an hour."
622
623"There's nothing to do but gamble. It will take time to organize any really formidable mob, and it will take more time to get them out here. We're a good five miles from the city---"
624
625He glared out the window, down the slopes to where the farmed patches gave way to clumps of white houses in the suburbs; down to where the metropolis itself was a blur on the horizon---a mist in the wan­ing blaze of Beta.
626
627He repeated without turning, "It will take time. Keep on working and pray that totality comes first."
628
629Beta was cut in half, the line of division pushing a slight concavity into the still-bright portion of the Sun. It was like a gigantic eyelid shut­ting slantwise over the light of a world.
630
631The faint clatter of the room in which he stood faded into oblivion, and he sensed only the thick silence of the fields outside. The very insects seemed frightened mute. And things were dim.
632
633He jumped at the voice in his ear. Theremon said, "Is something wrong?"
634
635"Eh? Er---no. Get back to the chair. We're in the way." They slipped back to their corner, but the psychologist did not speak for a time. He lifted a finger and loosened his collar. He twisted his neck back and forth but found no relief. He looked up suddenly.
636
637"Are you having any difficulty in breathing?"
638
639The newspaperman opened his eyes wide and drew two or three long breaths. "No. Why?"
640
641"I looked out the window too long, I suppose. The dimness got me. Difficulty in breathing is one of the first symptoms of a claustrophobic attack."
642
643Theremon drew another long breath. "Well, it hasn't got me yet. Say, here's another of the fellows."
644
645Beenay had interposed his bulk between the light and the pair in the corner, and Sheerin squinted up at him anxiously. "Hello, Beenay."
646
647The astronomer shifted his weight to the other foot and smiled feebly. "You won't mind if I sit down awhile and join in on the talk. My cameras are set, and there's nothing to do till totality." He paused and eyed the Cultist, who fifteen minutes earlier had drawn a small, skin-bound book from his sleeve and had been poring intently over it ever since. "That rat hasn't been making trouble, has he?"
648
649Sheerin shook his head. His shoulders were thrown back and he frowned his concentration as he forced himself to breathe regularly. He said, "Have you had any trouble breathing, Beenay?"
650
651Beenay sniffed the air in his turn. "It doesn't seem stuffy to me."
652
653"A touch of claustrophobia," explained Sheerin apologetically.
654
655"Oh-h-h! It worked itself differently with me. I get the impression that my eyes are going back on me. Things seem to blur and---well, nothing is clear. And it's cold, too."
656
657"Oh, it's cold, all right. That's no illusion." Theremon grimaced. "My toes feel as if I've been shipping them cross country in a refrigerating car."
658
659"What we need," put in Sheerin, "is to keep our minds busy with ex­traneous affairs. I was telling you a while ago, Theremon, why Faro's experiments with the holes in the roof came to nothing."
660
661"You were just beginning," replied Theremon. He encircled a knee with both arms and nuzzled his chin against it.
662
663"Well, as I started to say, they were misled by taking the 'Book of Revelations' literally. There probably wasn't any sense in attaching any physical significance to the Stars. It might be, you know, that in the pres­ence of total Darkness, the mind finds it absolutely necessary to create light. This illusion of light might be all the Stars there really are."
664
665"In other words," interposed Theremon, "you mean the Stars are the results of the madness and not one of the causes. Then, what good will Beenay's photographs be?"
666
667"To prove that it is an illusion, maybe; or to prove the opposite, for all I know. Then again---"
668
669But Beenay had drawn his chair closer, and there was an expression of sudden enthusiasm on his face. "Say, I'm glad you two got on to this subject." His eyes narrowed and he lifted one finger. "I've been thinking about these Stars and I've got a really cute notion. Of course, it's strictly ocean foam, and I'm not trying to advance it seriously, but I think it's interesting. Do you want to hear it?"
670
671He seemed half reluctant, but Sheerin leaned back and said, "Go ahead! I'm listening."
672
673"Well, then, supposing there were other suns in the universe." He broke off a little bashfully. "I mean suns that are so far away that they're too dim to see. It sounds as if I've been reading some of that fantastic fic­tion, I suppose."
674
675"Not necessarily. Still, isn't that possibility eliminated by the fact that, according to the Law of Gravitation, they would make themselves evi­dent, by their attractive forces?"
676
677"Not if they were far enough off," rejoined Beenay, "really far off---maybe as much as four light years, or even more. We'd never be able to detect perturbations then, because they'd be too small. Say that there were a lot of suns that far off; a dozen or two, maybe."
678
679Theremon whistled melodiously. "What an idea for a good Sunday supplement article. Two dozen suns in a universe eight light years across. Wow! That would shrink *our* universe into insignificance. The readers would eat it up."
680
681"Only an idea," said Beenay with a grin, "but you see the point. Dur­ing eclipse, these dozen suns would become visible, because there'd be no *real* sunlight to drown them out. Since they're so far off, they'd appear small, like so many little marbles. Of course, the Cultists talk of millions of Stars, but that's probably exaggeration. There just isn't any place in the universe you could put a million suns---unless they touch each other." Sheerin had listened with gradually increasing interest. "You've hit something there, Beenay. And exaggeration is just exactly what would happen. Our minds, as you probably know, can't grasp directly any num­ber higher than five; above that there is only the concept of 'many.' A dozen would become a million just like that. A damn good idea!"
682
683"And I've got another cute little notion," Beenay said. "Have you ever thought what a simple problem gravitation would be if only you had a sufficiently simple system? Supposing you had a universe in which there was a planet with only one sun. The planet would travel in a perfect ellipse and the exact nature of the gravitational force would be so evi­dent it could be accepted as an axiom. Astronomers on such a world would start off with gravity probably before they even invent the tele­scope. Naked-eye observation would be enough."
684
685"But would such a system be dynamically stable?" questioned Sheerin doubtfully.
686
687"Sure! They call it the 'one-and-one' case. It's been worked out mathe­matically, but it's the philosophical implications that interest me."
688
689"It's nice to think about," admitted Sheerin, "as a pretty abstraction---like a perfect gas or absolute zero."
690
691"Of course," continued Beenay, "there's the catch that life would be impossible on such a planet. It wouldn't get enough heat and light, and if it rotated there would be total Darkness half of each day. You couldn't expect life---which is fundamentally dependent upon light---to develop under those conditions. Besides---"
692
693Sheerin's chair went over backward as he sprang to his feet in a rude interruption. "Aton's brought out the lights."
694
695Beenay said, "Huh," turned to stare, and then grinned halfway around his head in open relief.
696
697There were half a dozen foot-long, inch-thick rods cradled in Aton's arms. He glared over them at the assembled staff members.
698
699"Get back to work, all of you. Sheerin, come here and help me!"
700
701Sheerin trotted to the older man's side and, one by one, in utter silence, die two adjusted the rods in makeshift metal holders suspended from the walls.
702
703With the air of one carrying through the most sacred item of a religious ritual, Sheerin scraped a large, clumsy match into spluttering life and passed it to Aton, who carried the flame to the upper end of one of the rods.
704
705It hesitated there a while, playing futilely about the tip, until a sud­den, crackling flare cast Aton's lined face into yellow highlights. He with­drew the match and a spontaneous cheer rattled the window.
706
707The rod was topped by six inches of wavering flame! Methodically, the other rods were lighted, until six independent fires turned the rear of the room yellow.
708
709The light was dim, dimmer even than the tenuous sunlight. The flames reeled crazily, giving birth to drunken, swaying shadows. The torches smoked devilishly and smelled like a bad day in the kitchen. But they emitted yellow light.
710
711There is something *to* yellow light---after four hours of somber, dim­ming Beta. Even Latimer had lifted his eyes from his book and stared in wonder.
712
713Sheerin warmed his hands at the nearest, regardless of the soot that gathered upon them in a fine, gray powder, and muttered ecstatically to himself. "Beautiful! Beautiful! I never realized before what a wonderful color yellow is."
714
715But Theremon regarded the torches suspiciously. He wrinkled his nose at the rancid odor, and said, "What are those things?"
716
717"Wood," said Sheerin shortly.
718
719"Oh, no, they're not. They aren't burning. The top inch is charred and the flame just keeps shooting up out of nothing."
720
721"That's the beauty of it. This is a really efficient artificial-light mecha­nism. We made a few hundred of them, but most went to the Hideout, of course. You see!"---he turned and wiped his blackened hands upon his handkerchief---"you take the pithy core of coarse water reeds, dry them thoroughly and soak them in animal grease. Then you set fire to it and the grease burns, little by little. These torches will burn for almost half an hour without stopping. Ingenious, isn't it? It was developed by one of our own young men at Saro University."
722
723After the momentary sensation, the dome had quieted. Latimer had carried his chair directly beneath a torch and continued reading, lips moving in the monotonous recital of invocations to the Stars. Beenay had drifted away to his cameras once more, and Theremon seized the opportunity to add to his notes on the article he was going to write for the Saro City *Chronicle* the next day---a procedure he had been following for the last two hours in a perfectly methodical, perfectly conscientious and, as he was well aware, perfectly meaningless fashion.
724
725But, as the gleam of amusement in Sheerin's eyes indicated, careful note taking occupied his mind with something other than the fact that the sky was gradually turning a horrible deep purple-red, as if it were one gigantic, freshly peeled beet; and so it fulfilled its purpose.
726
727The air grew, somehow, denser. Dusk, like a palpable entity, entered the room, and the dancing circle of yellow light about the torches etched itself into ever-sharper distinction against the gathering grayness beyond. There was the odor of smoke and the presence of little chuckling sounds that the torches made as they burned; the soft pad of one of the men circling the table at which he worked, on hesitant tiptoes; the occasional indrawn breath of someone trying to retain composure in a world that was retreating into the shadow.
728
729It was Theremon who first heard the extraneous noise. It was a vague, unorganized *impression* of sound that would have gone unnoticed but for the dead silence that prevailed within the dome.
730
731The newsman sat upright and replaced his notebook. He held his breath and listened; then, with considerable reluctance, threaded his way between the solaroscope and one of Beenay's cameras and stood before the window.
732
733The silence ripped to fragments at his startled shout:
734
735*"Sheerin!"*
736
737Work stopped! The psychologist was at his side in a moment. Aton joined him. Even Yimot 70, high in his little lean-back seat at the eye­piece of the gigantic solaroscope, paused and looked downward.
738
739Outside, Beta was a mere smoldering splinter, taking one last desper­ate look at Lagash. The eastern horizon, in the direction of the city, was lost in Darkness, and the road from Sara to the Observatory was a dull-red line bordered on both sides by wooded tracts, the trees of which had somehow lost individuality and merged into a continuous shadowy mass.
740
741But it was the highway itself that held attention, for along it there surged another, and infinitely menacing, shadowy mass.
742
743Aton cried in a cracked voice, "The madmen from the city! They've come!"
744
745"How long to totality?" demanded Sheerin.
746
747"Fifteen minutes, but. . . but they'll be here in five."
748
749"Never mind, keep the men working. We'll hold them off. This place is built like a fortress. Aton, keep an eye on our young Cultist just for luck. Theremon, come with me."
750
751Sheerin was out the door, and Theremon was at his heels. The stairs stretched below them in tight, circular sweeps about the central shaft, fading into a dank and dreary grayness.
752
753The first momentum of their rush had carried them fifty feet down, so that the dim, flickering yellow from the open door of the dome had dis­appeared and both up above and down below the same dusky shadow crushed in upon them.
754
755Sheerin paused, and his pudgy hand clutched at his chest. His eyes bulged and his voice was a dry cough. "I can't... breathe... go down... yourself. Close all doors---"
756
757Theremon took a few downward steps, then turned. "Wait! Can you hold out a minute?" He was panting himself. The air passed in and out his lungs like so much molasses, and there was a little germ of screeching panic in his mind at the thought of making his way into the mysterious Darkness below by himself.
758
759Theremon, after all, was afraid of the dark!
760
761"Stay here," he said. "I'll be back in a second." He dashed upward two steps at a time, heart pounding---not altogether from the exertion---tum­bled into the dome and snatched a torch from its holder. It was foul smell­ing, and the smoke smarted his eyes almost blind, but he clutched that torch as if he wanted to kiss it for joy, and its flame streamed backward as he hurtled down the stairs again.
762
763Sheerin opened his eyes and moaned as Theremon bent over him. Theremon shook him roughly. "All right, get a hold on yourself. We've got light."
764
765He held the torch at tiptoe height and, propping the tottering psy­chologist by an elbow, made his way downward in the middle of the protecting circle of illumination.
766
767The offices on the ground floor still possessed what light there was, and Theremon felt the horror about him relax.
768
769"Here," he said brusquely, and passed the torch to Sheerin. "You can hear *them* outside."
770
771And they could. Little scraps of hoarse, wordless shouts.
772
773But Sheerin was right; the Observatory was built like a fortress. Erected in the last century, when the neo-Gavottian style of architecture was at its ugly height, it had been designed for stability and durability, rather than for beauty.
774
775The windows were protected by the grillework of inch-thick iron bars sunk deep into the concrete sills. The walls were solid masonry that an earthquake couldn't have touched, and the main door was a huge oaken slab reinforced with iron at the strategic points. Theremon shot the bolts and they slid shut with a dull clang.
776
777At the other end of the corridor, Sheerin cursed weakly. He pointed to the lock of the back door which had been neatly jimmied into uselessness.
778
779"That must be how Latimer got in," he said.
780
781"Well, don't stand there," cried Theremon impatiently. "Help drag up the furniture---and keep that torch out of my eyes. The smoke's kill­ing me."
782
783He slammed the heavy table up against the door as he spoke, and in two minutes had built a barricade which made up for what it lacked in beauty and symmetry by the sheer inertia of its massiveness.
784
785Somewhere, dimly, far off, they could hear the battering of naked fists upon the door; and the screams and yells from outside had a sort of half reality.
786
787That mob had set off from Saro City with only two things in mind: the attainment of Cultist salvation by the destruction of the Observatory, and a maddening fear that all but paralyzed them. There was no time to think of ground cars, or of weapons, or of leadership, or even of or­ganization. They made for the Observatory on foot and assaulted it with bare hands.
788
789And now that they were there, the last flash of Beta, the last ruby-red drop of flame, flickered feebly over a humanity that had left only stark, universal fear!
790
791Theremon groaned, "Let's get back to the dome!"
792
793In the dome, only Yimot, at the solaroscope, had kept his place. The rest were clustered about the cameras, and Beenay was giving his in­structions in a hoarse, strained voice.
794
795"Get it straight, all of you. I'm snapping Beta just before totality and changing the plate. That will leave one of you to each camera. You all know about .. . about times of exposure---"
796
797There was a breathless murmur of agreement.
798
799Beenay passed a hand over his eyes. "Are the torches still burning? Never mind, I see them!" He was leaning hard against the back of a chair. "Now remember, don't. . . don't try to look for good shots. Don't waste time trying to get t-two stars at a time in the scope field. One is enough. And . . . and if you feel yourself going, *get away from the camera."*
800
801At the door, Sheerin whispered to Theremon, "Take me to Aton. I don't see him."
802
803The newsman did not answer immediately. The vague forms of the astronomers wavered and blurred, and the torches overhead had become only yellow splotches.
804
805"It's dark," he whimpered.
806
807Sheerin held out his hand, "Aton." He stumbled forward. "Aton!"
808
809Theremon stepped after and seized his arm. "Wait, I'll take you." Somehow he made his way across the room. He closed his eyes against the Darkness and his mind against the chaos within it.
810
811No one heard them or paid attention to them. Sheerin stumbled against the wall. "Aton!"
812
813The psychologist felt shaking hands touching him, then withdrawing, and a voice muttering, "Is that you, Sheerin?"
814
815"Aton!" He strove to breathe normally. "Don't worry about the mob. The place will hold them off."
816
817Latimer, the Cultist, rose to his feet, and his face twisted in despera­tion. His word was pledged, and to break it would mean placing his soul in mortal peril. Yet that word had been forced from him and had not been given freely. The Stars would come soon; he could not stand by and allow--- And yet his word was pledged.
818
819Beenay's face was dimly flushed as it looked upward at Beta's last ray, and Latimer, seeing him bend over his camera, made his decision. His nails cut the flesh of his palms as he tensed himself.
820
821He staggered crazily as he started his rush. There was nothing before him but shadows; the very floor beneath his feet lacked substance. And then someone was upon him and he went down with clutching fingers at his throat.
822
823He doubled his knee and drove it hard into his assailant. "Let me up or I'll kill you."
824
825Theremon cried out sharply and muttered through a blinding haze of pain, "You double-crossing rat!"
826
827The newsman seemed conscious of everything at once. He heard Beenay croak, "I've got it. At your cameras, men!" and then there was the strange awareness that the last thread of sunlight had thinned out and snapped.
828
829Simultaneously he heard one last choking gasp from Beenay, and a queer little cry from Sheerin, a hysterical giggle that cut off in a rasp--- and a sudden silence, a strange, deadly silence from outside.
830
831And Latimer had gone limp in his loosening grasp. Theremon peered into the Cultist's eyes and saw the blankness of them, staring upward, mirroring the feeble yellow of the torches. He saw the bubble of froth upon Latimer's lips and heard the low animal whimper in Latimer's throat.
832
833With the slow fascination of fear, he lifted himself on one arm and turned his eyes toward the blood-curdling blackness of the window.
834
835Through it shone the Stars!
836
837Not Earth's feeble thirty-six hundred Stars visible to the eye---Lagash was in the center of a giant cluster. Thirty thousand mighty suns shone down in a soul-searing splendor that was more frighteningly cold in its awful indifference than the bitter wind that shivered across the cold, hor­ribly bleak world.
838
839Theremon staggered to his feet,  his throat constricting him to breathlessness, all the muscles of his body writhing in a tensity of terror and sheer fear beyond bearing. He was going mad, and knew it, and some­where deep inside a bit of sanity was screaming, struggling to fight off the hopeless flood of black terror. It was very horrible to go mad and know that you were going mad---to know that in a little minute you would be here physically and yet all the real essence would be dead and drowned in the black madness. For this was the Dark---the Dark and the Cold and the Doom. The bright walls of the universe were shattered and their awful black fragments were falling down to crush and squeeze and ob­literate him.
840
841He jostled someone crawling on hands and knees, but stumbled some­how over him. Hands groping at his tortured throat, he limped toward the flame of the torches that filled all his mad vision.
842
843"Light!" he screamed.
844
845Aton, somewhere, was crying, whimpering horribly like a terribly frightened child. "Stars---all the Stars---we didn't know at all. We didn't know anything. We thought six stars is a universe is something the Stars didn't notice is Darkness forever and ever and ever and the walls are breaking in and we didn't know we couldn't know and anything---"
846
847Someone clawed at the torch, and it fell and snuffed out. In the in­stant, the awful splendor of the indifferent Stars leaped nearer to them.
848
849On the horizon outside the window, in the direction of Saro City, a crimson glow began growing, strengthening in brightness, that was not the glow of a sun.
850
851The long night had come again.
852
853* * *
854
855First Published in Astounding Science Fiction magazine, September 1941
856
857Scanned from *The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology,* Simon and Schuster, 1952
858
859Scanned & proofed by colonial boy, August 2008