Black Eyes and the Daily Grind
Page 4
it--
"I'm going to stay right here and let them bomb the place," he saidaloud. But as he spoke, he was running back the way he had come.
Fifteen minutes.
He sprinted part of the time, then rested, then sprinted again. He wassomewhat on the beefy side and he could not run fast, but he made it.Just.
He heard the jet streaking through the sky overhead, looked up once andsaw it circling. Two blocks from his house he was met by a policeman.The entire area had been roped off, and the officer shook his head whenJudd tried to get through.
"But I live there!"
"Can't help it, Mister. Orders is orders."
Judd hit him. Judd didn't want to, but nevertheless, he grunted withsatisfaction when he felt the blow to be a good one, catching the stockyofficer on the point of his chin and tumbling him over backwards. ThenJudd was ducking under the rope and running.
He reached his house, plummeted in through the front door. He foundBlack Eyes under the kitchen table, squatting on its haunches. Hescooped the animal up, ran outside. Then he was running again, andbefore he reached the barrier, something rocked him. A loud series ofexplosions ripped through his brain, and instinctively--Black Eyes'instincts, not his--he folded his arms over the animal, protecting it.Something shuddered and began to fall behind him, and debris scatteredin all directions. Something struck Judd's head and he felt the groundslapping up crazily at his face--
He was as good as new a few days later.
And so was Black Eyes.
"I have it," Judd said to his nurse.
"You have what, sir?"
"It's so simple, so ridiculously simple, maybe that's why no one everthought of it. Get me Dr. Jamison!"
Jamison came a few moments later, breathless. "Well?"
"I have the solution."
"You ... do?" Not much hope in the answer. Dr. Jamison was a tired,defeated man.
"Sure. Black Eyes doesn't like the city. Fine. Take him out. I can'ttake him to Venus. He doesn't like Venus and he won't go. No one cantake him anyplace he doesn't want to go, just as no one can hurt him inany way. But he doesn't like the city. It's too noisy. All right: havesomeone take him far from the city, far far away--where there's no noiseat all. Someplace out in the sticks where it won't matter much if BlackEyes puts a stop to any disturbing noises."
"Who will take him? You, Mr. Whitney?"
Judd shook his head. "That's your job, not mine. I've given you theanswer. Now use it."
Lindy had arrived, and Lindy said: "Judd, you're right. That _is_ theanswer. And you're wonderful--"
No one volunteered to spend his life in exile with Black Eyes, but thenDr. Jamison pointed out that while no one knew the creature's life-span,it certainly couldn't be expected to match man's. Just a few years andthe beast would die, and ... Dr. Jamison's arguments were so logicalthat he convinced himself. He took Black Eyes with him into the CanadianNorthwoods, and there they live.
* * * * *
Judd was right--almost.
This was the obvious answer which escaped everyone.
But scientists continued their examinations of Black Eyes, and theydiscovered something. Black Eyes' fears had not been for herself alone.She is going to have babies. The estimate is for thirty-five littletarsier-eyed creatures. No doctor in the world will be able to doanything but deliver the litter.
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _If Worlds of Science Fiction_ March 1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.