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Centauri, issue 2, Winter 1944
Page 19
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Centauri Page 19 - SECRET OF ATLANTIS - from the world; from reality; from all earthly madness and fickle human emotions. The alien designs. I would venture into the awesome emptiness of space. I would see so many new and terrible things that my hideous past would be forgotten. The following morning -- July 19th -- I had a plan. I would travel to a distant planet; I would rocket through space until my soul became a dead, lifeless thing. I would die millions of miles from the earth, leave behind its cold, inhuman life and rigid limitations. That would be my escape. Lying in bed, I held the strange design above my head, stared at it, and wished myself far, far away -- anywhere. The lines blurred, the room faded and a great darkness engulfed me. Immense forces gripped me. It seemed that I was unconscious for ages. Vision returned at last, and I saw, small in the distance, a tiny planet. I swept nearer and it grew tremendous. Vast seas and forests, jungles and deserts were spread out beneath me. A sight to stun the imagination! A disembodied spirit exploring a strange planet for the first time in recorded history. Had the men of Atlantis seen this marvel? Perhaps... Circling the globe, I beheld a city, and swiftly approached it. Stone towers and minarets climbed at puzzling angles above broad, tree-lined avenues. All was strange and alien and misshapen. The beings moving in those wide streets shocked me. They were flat and hairy and six-legged; had long beaks. They seemed to be terribly large, but I could judge their size only by their surroundings and my mind's eye. Some wore chained pendants around their long, ungainly necks, designating, no doubt, their social standing. I saw no mechanical means of transportation save huge carts, drawn by ugly alligator-looking things. The long-beaked monsters were not aware of me, and I was glad. Then occurred the most extraordinary happening of all. I was pressing slowly down a broad avenue, watching the curious beings, when I saw a cart, yanked along by two alligators and driven by a native. On the cart was a barred cage. Curiosity assailed me and I went very near the vehicle. Inside the cage was a human being. I cannot convey the awful shock of that discovery. Seeing a human, or near-human, in a setting so bizarre was the pinnacle of madness. And yet, there it was -- the wonder of my expedition. Coming closer yet, I saw that the figure was a woman; a beautiful woman. She wore a ragged tunic and a strip of dark cloth about her loins. She was sitting on the rough floor of the prison, staring at her leather sandals, seeing nothing. Suddenly she raised her head. A lovely face, blonde hair that caressed her shoulders. Her blue eyes gleamed so fiercely that her gaze stabbed my very soul. She seemed to be looking at me -- yet I knew that I was invisible. Her expression changed to one of amazement. Her curved lips parted. Her round eyes bored into me. Had she seen me? A spark of wild joy burned in her eyes; she stood up, her strong tanned fingers white upon the heavy metal bars. Then I seemed to hear a voice. Her lips had not mov-
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Centauri Page 19 - SECRET OF ATLANTIS - from the world; from reality; from all earthly madness and fickle human emotions. The alien designs. I would venture into the awesome emptiness of space. I would see so many new and terrible things that my hideous past would be forgotten. The following morning -- July 19th -- I had a plan. I would travel to a distant planet; I would rocket through space until my soul became a dead, lifeless thing. I would die millions of miles from the earth, leave behind its cold, inhuman life and rigid limitations. That would be my escape. Lying in bed, I held the strange design above my head, stared at it, and wished myself far, far away -- anywhere. The lines blurred, the room faded and a great darkness engulfed me. Immense forces gripped me. It seemed that I was unconscious for ages. Vision returned at last, and I saw, small in the distance, a tiny planet. I swept nearer and it grew tremendous. Vast seas and forests, jungles and deserts were spread out beneath me. A sight to stun the imagination! A disembodied spirit exploring a strange planet for the first time in recorded history. Had the men of Atlantis seen this marvel? Perhaps... Circling the globe, I beheld a city, and swiftly approached it. Stone towers and minarets climbed at puzzling angles above broad, tree-lined avenues. All was strange and alien and misshapen. The beings moving in those wide streets shocked me. They were flat and hairy and six-legged; had long beaks. They seemed to be terribly large, but I could judge their size only by their surroundings and my mind's eye. Some wore chained pendants around their long, ungainly necks, designating, no doubt, their social standing. I saw no mechanical means of transportation save huge carts, drawn by ugly alligator-looking things. The long-beaked monsters were not aware of me, and I was glad. Then occurred the most extraordinary happening of all. I was pressing slowly down a broad avenue, watching the curious beings, when I saw a cart, yanked along by two alligators and driven by a native. On the cart was a barred cage. Curiosity assailed me and I went very near the vehicle. Inside the cage was a human being. I cannot convey the awful shock of that discovery. Seeing a human, or near-human, in a setting so bizarre was the pinnacle of madness. And yet, there it was -- the wonder of my expedition. Coming closer yet, I saw that the figure was a woman; a beautiful woman. She wore a ragged tunic and a strip of dark cloth about her loins. She was sitting on the rough floor of the prison, staring at her leather sandals, seeing nothing. Suddenly she raised her head. A lovely face, blonde hair that caressed her shoulders. Her blue eyes gleamed so fiercely that her gaze stabbed my very soul. She seemed to be looking at me -- yet I knew that I was invisible. Her expression changed to one of amazement. Her curved lips parted. Her round eyes bored into me. Had she seen me? A spark of wild joy burned in her eyes; she stood up, her strong tanned fingers white upon the heavy metal bars. Then I seemed to hear a voice. Her lips had not mov-
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