Distant Planet: SF Boxed Set (Illustrated Edition). Leigh Brackett

and pencil to take down notes in painful slow scribbles. Their voices rose and fell in the warm sunlight.

      All around them the city hummed. The streets were lined with good green and peaceful trees. Only the wind made a conflict across the city, across the country, across the continent. In a thousand other cities there were trees and children and avenues, business men in their quiet offices taping their voices, or watching televisors. Rockets hovered like darning needles in the blue sky. There was the universal, quiet conceit and easiness of men accustomed to peace, quite certain there would never be trouble again. Arm in arm, men all over earth were a united front. The perfect weapons were held in equal trust by all nations. A situation of incredibly beautiful balance had been brought about. There were no traitors among men, no unhappy ones, no disgruntled ones; therefore the world was based upon a stable ground. Sunlight illumined half the world and the trees drowsed in a tide of warm air.

      Mink's mother, from her upstairs window, gazed down.

      The children.

      She looked upon them and shook her head. Well, they'd eat well, sleep well, and be in school on Monday. Bless their vigorous little bodies. She listened.

      Mink talked earnestly to someone near the rose-bush—though there was no one there.

      These odd children. And the little girl, what was her name? Anna? Anna took notes on a pad. First, Mink asked the rose-bush a question, then called the answer to Anna.

      "Triangle," said Mink.

      "What's a tri," said Anna with difficulty, "angle?"

      "Never mind," said Mink.

      "How you spell it?" asked Anna.

      "T-R-I-" spelled Mink, slowly, then snapped, "Oh, spell it yourself!" She went on to other words. "Beam," she said.

      "I haven't got tri," said Anna, "angle down yet!"

      "Well, hurry, hurry!" cried Mink.

      Mink's mother leaned out the upstairs window. "A-N-G-L-E," she spelled down at Anna.

      "Oh, thanks, Mrs. Morris," said Anna.

      "Certainly," said Mink's mother and withdrew, laughing, to dust the hall with an electro-duster-magnet.

      The voices wavered on the shimmery air. "Beam," said Anna. Fading.

      "Four-nine-seven-A-and-B-and-X," said Mink, far away, seriously. "And a fork and a string and a—hex-hex-agony ... hexagonal!"

      * * * * *

      At lunch, Mink gulped milk at one toss and was at the door. Her mother slapped the table.

      "You sit right back down," commanded Mrs. Morris. "Hot soup in a minute." She poked a red button on the kitchen butler and ten seconds later something landed with a bump in the rubber receiver. Mrs. Morris opened it, took out a can with a pair of aluminum holders, unsealed it with a flick and poured hot soup into a bowl.

      During all this, Mink fidgeted. "Hurry, Mom! This is a matter of life and death! Aw—!"

      "I was the same way at your age. Always life and death. I know."

      Mink banged away at the soup.

      "Slow down," said Mom.

      "Can't," said Mink. "Drill's waiting for me."

      "Who's Drill? What a peculiar name," said Mom.

      "You don't know him," said Mink.

      "A new boy in the neighborhood?" asked Mom.

      "He's new all right," said Mink. She started on her second bowl.

      "Which one is Drill?" asked Mom.

      "He's around," said Mink, evasively. "You'll make fun. Everybody pokes fun. Gee, darn."

      "Is Drill shy?"

      "Yes. No. In a way. Gosh, Mom, I got to run if we want to have the Invasion!"

      "Who's invading what?"

      "Martians invading Earth—well, not exactly Martians. They're—I don't know. From up." She pointed with her spoon.

      "And inside," said Mom, touching Mink's feverish brow.

      Mink rebelled. "You're laughing! You'll kill Drill and everybody."

      "I didn't mean to," said Mom. "Drill's a Martian?"

      "No. He's—well—maybe from Jupiter or Saturn or Venus. Anyway, he's had a hard time."

      "I imagine." Mrs. Morris hid her mouth behind her hand.

      "They couldn't figure a way to attack earth."

      "We're impregnable," said Mom, in mock-seriousness.

      "That's the word Drill used! Impreg—That was the word, Mom."

      "My, my. Drill's a brilliant little boy. Two-bit words."

      "They couldn't figure a way to attack, Mom. Drill says—he says in order to make a good fight you got to have a new way of surprising people. That way you win. And he says also you got to have help from your enemy."

      "A fifth column," said Mom.

      "Yeah. That's what Drill said. And they couldn't figure a way to surprise Earth or get help."

      "No wonder. We're pretty darn strong," laughed Mom, cleaning up. Mink sat there, staring at the table, seeing what she was talking about.

      "Until, one day," whispered Mink, melodramatically, "they thought of children!"

      "Well!" said Mrs. Morris brightly.

      "And they thought of how grown-ups are so busy they never look under rose-bushes or on lawns!"

      "Only for snails and fungus."

      "And then there's something about dim-dims."

      "Dim-dims?"

      "Dimens-shuns."

      "Dimensions?"

      "Four of 'em! And there's something about kids under nine and imagination. It's real funny to hear Drill talk."

      Mrs. Morris was tired. "Well, it must be funny. You're keeping Drill waiting now. It's getting late in the day and, if you want to have your Invasion before your supper bath, you'd better jump."

      "Do I have to take a bath?" growled Mink.

      "You do. Why is it children hate water? No matter what age you live in children hate water behind the ears!"

      "Drill says I won't have to take baths," said Mink.

      "Oh, he does, does he?"

      "He told all the kids that. No more baths. And we can stay up till ten o'clock and go to two televisor shows on Saturday 'stead of one!"

      "Well, Mr. Drill better mind his p's and q's. I'll call up his mother and—"

      Mink went to the door. "We're having trouble with guys like Pete Britz and Dale Jerrick. They're growing up. They make fun. They're worse than parents. They just won't believe in Drill. They're so snooty, cause they're growing up. You'd think they'd know better. They were little only a coupla years ago. I hate them worst. We'll kill them first."

      "Your father and I, last?"

      "Drill says you're dangerous. Know why? Cause you don't believe in Martians! They're going to let us run the world. Well, not just us, but the kids over in the next block, too. I might be queen." She opened the door. "Mom?"

      "Yes?"

      "What's—lodge ... ick?"

      "Logic? Why, dear, logic is knowing what things are true and not true."

      "He mentioned that," said Mink. "And what's im—pres—sion—able?" It took her a minute to say it.

      "Why, it means—" Her mother looked at the floor, laughing gently. "It means—to be a child, dear."

      "Thanks