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Banshee, whole no. 5, June 1944

Page 13

The Ruler Is No More * * * 13

his right hand. The whole world held its breath as he pushed it into the young man's arm.
When he awoke--he was the Ruler.

Yes, he had liked it at first. Ruling through decades, centuries; ruling with utmost authority. It was pleasant to settle wars with a few spoken words, to build monuments, to furher science. It was a pleasure to be supreme. The Ruling Committee had almost gotten out of hand in the two hundredth year of his reight, 2204 A.D. But he had quelled that quickly. But afer a thousand years--the Ruler shrugged his shoulders and smiled as a blue light blinked over his door. He moved to the set of buttons beside his throne and pressed the one marked "Door."

The door opened with the same hissing sound, and the Scientist entered. His glasses hid the same brown, thoughtful eyes that his great ancestor, The First Scientist, had had. His horn-rimmed glasses made him appear grotesquely funny. His body was thin and he spoke in a high, squeaky voice.

"You sent for me, sire?" he asked.

"Certainly, certainly. I haven't examined the machine yet, but are you certain that everything has been done according to my specifications? Are you sure that every minute detail has been carried out? The machine must be built right. It must!" The Ruler's voice rang with anxiety.

The Scientist's face lighted with a half-grin. "Oh yes, sire, I am quite certain. I don't understand how the machine will function, but--I am not one to ask the Ruler."

"It will remake the world," the Ruler said without emotion. H e sighed and looked out at the sky through the large overhead windows. The stars shone brightly and they all twinkled with a new fire.

"And," the Ruler said, "you have summoned the Ruling Committee to meet on the morrow?"

"Yes, sire," the little Scientist answered as he nodded his head.

A deep sign, filled with centuries of emotion, escaped from the Ruler's lips. "That is all."

The Scientist half-trotted to the door and when the hissing sound began for them to open, he turned around and saw the Ruler standing with his hand fondling the machine as he looked out into space, staring at the stars.



The blue uniformed Guard stopped the Scientist in front of the Ruler's room.

The scientist greeted him cheerily and produced a slip of paper with the official seal on it. "I'm supposed to see the Ruler at ten o'clock this morning."

The Scientist twiddled his thumbs nonchalantly as the Guard read the order. He must tell the Ruler about the quarrel that the Economist and the Militarist had over the settlement of the trouble between 'Merica and Asiana. When the Guard finished, he glanced at his watch, grunted, and strode back to the cubbyhole that was his post. He motioned with his head toward the door and the Scientist moved forward with short, snappy steps. The doors opened and he strode in.

The Ruler was not in his room! He was gone, and he was never supposed to leave the room. His bed was untouched, and as the Scientist scurried toward the table he noticed a small piece of paper caught in the breeze that blew through the open window.

It was stamped with the official seal, and the Scientist gasped

Saving...

The Ruler Is No More * * * 13 his right hand. The whole world held its breath as he pushed it into the young man's arm. When he awoke--he was the Ruler. Yes, he had liked it at first. Ruling through decades, centuries; ruling with utmost authority. It was pleasant to settle wars with a few spoken words, to build monuments, to furher science. It was a pleasure to be supreme. The Ruling Committee had almost gotten out of hand in the two hundredth year of his reight, 2204 A.D. But he had quelled that quickly. But afer a thousand years--the Ruler shrugged his shoulders and smiled as a blue light blinked over his door. He moved to the set of buttons beside his throne and pressed the one marked "Door." The door opened with the same hissing sound, and the Scientist entered. His glasses hid the same brown, thoughtful eyes that his great ancestor, The First Scientist, had had. His horn-rimmed glasses made him appear grotesquely funny. His body was thin and he spoke in a high, squeaky voice. "You sent for me, sire?" he asked. "Certainly, certainly. I haven't examined the machine yet, but are you certain that everything has been done according to my specifications? Are you sure that every minute detail has been carried out? The machine must be built right. It must!" The Ruler's voice rang with anxiety. The Scientist's face lighted with a half-grin. "Oh yes, sire, I am quite certain. I don't understand how the machine will function, but--I am not one to ask the Ruler." "It will remake the world," the Ruler said without emotion. H e sighed and looked out at the sky through the large overhead windows. The stars shone brightly and they all twinkled with a new fire. "And," the Ruler said, "you have summoned the Ruling Committee to meet on the morrow?" "Yes, sire," the little Scientist answered as he nodded his head. A deep sign, filled with centuries of emotion, escaped from the Ruler's lips. "That is all." The Scientist half-trotted to the door and when the hissing sound began for them to open, he turned around and saw the Ruler standing with his hand fondling the machine as he looked out into space, staring at the stars. The blue uniformed Guard stopped the Scientist in front of the Ruler's room. The scientist greeted him cheerily and produced a slip of paper with the official seal on it. "I'm supposed to see the Ruler at ten o'clock this morning." The Scientist twiddled his thumbs nonchalantly as the Guard read the order. He must tell the Ruler about the quarrel that the Economist and the Militarist had over the settlement of the trouble between 'Merica and Asiana. When the Guard finished, he glanced at his watch, grunted, and strode back to the cubbyhole that was his post. He motioned with his head toward the door and the Scientist moved forward with short, snappy steps. The doors opened and he strode in. The Ruler was not in his room! He was gone, and he was never supposed to leave the room. His bed was untouched, and as the Scientist scurried toward the table he noticed a small piece of paper caught in the breeze that blew through the open window. It was stamped with the official seal, and the Scientist gasped