DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | The Thing, whole no. 2, Summer 1946

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The Thing, whole no. 2, Summer 1946

Page 9

The thing was over a foot long and about an inch thick--its outlines rather vague because it was nearly transparent.
This was tremendous. Living, liquid life.
Tremblingly, I sank into a chair and watched the thing move around inside the bowl, nuzzling the dead fish. I had created life unexpectedly, to say the least. I had hoped to develop new types of monkeys or rabbits--but my experiments had led to life from an inanimate matter.
Then, for some reason, perhaps because the excitement had been overwhelming,I suddenly cried: "Get away from me, you beastly little killer!"
There had been cold inhumanity about the destruction of those two amazed, innocent goldfish, and I suppose the outburst was a natural reaction.
Instantly the watery snake slithered up out of the bowl and moved across the table, toward the laboratory door! 
It crawled quickly down the leg of the table in a sort of fluid, inch-worm fashion, unlike any sane reptile I had ever seen; yet it seemed as vicious as the worst type of snake.
The door it headed for opened on the outside, and I leaped to my feet, ready to grab the thing, because I didn't want to lose it. No sooner had the thought of bringing it back entered my mind than it turned and came toward me!
I fell back in my chair, astounded.

Creeper was easy--so were the others. I enjoyed reading accounts of their strange deaths. All three strangled in bed, the papers said. smooth rope of some kind, in the opinion of the sheriff; but I k new better.
One detective called on me--it seemed someone had told him I visited all three men a few months before they died, and had been unable to get loans. They had talked, I suppose, the way they do in a small town. I let the detective see my laboratory, look at my rabbits and other specimens. He seemed impressed, and asked quite a few intelligent questions about my work.
Just before he left we had a little talk.
"Then you n ever have created life the way you planned, Mr. Stillson?"
"Not yet," I said easily. "But I will."
"Did you ever get a loan?" 
"Oh yes--from a friend back east. One no so stupid as others I could name." (Burglary is easy with a helper like my little slave--but he couldn't know about that.)
"I've been investigating these curious murders," he said absently. "Do you suppose you could have accidentally built something that would have caused so many deaths?"
I shook my head, emphatically. "Maybe you'd call it divine justice, though. All three prominent men laughed at my work--and now they are dead."
"Very odd," mused the detective.
Yes, it is odd, and lots of people have commented on it--but they can't prove anything. I was somewhere else at the time of the murders.
May 5---I let it out again this morning to go to the river, and it acted very strangely. It's been getting rather independent lately, and I wonder if I have it wholly under my control. Tampering with such a strange entity may prove dangerous. All it knows is death and destruction.
May 7---What I instinctively feared has happened. The being did not return this morning after going to the river, and I presume it will never come back. I must warn Edward to stay away from the slough. My experiments have collapsed; too much meddling with the accursed water being and getting revenge on people I hated. Now my revenge seems shallow, empty.

Saving...

The thing was over a foot long and about an inch thick--its outlines rather vague because it was nearly transparent. This was tremendous. Living, liquid life. Tremblingly, I sank into a chair and watched the thing move around inside the bowl, nuzzling the dead fish. I had created life unexpectedly, to say the least. I had hoped to develop new types of monkeys or rabbits--but my experiments had led to life from an inanimate matter. Then, for some reason, perhaps because the excitement had been overwhelming,I suddenly cried: "Get away from me, you beastly little killer!" There had been cold inhumanity about the destruction of those two amazed, innocent goldfish, and I suppose the outburst was a natural reaction. Instantly the watery snake slithered up out of the bowl and moved across the table, toward the laboratory door! It crawled quickly down the leg of the table in a sort of fluid, inch-worm fashion, unlike any sane reptile I had ever seen; yet it seemed as vicious as the worst type of snake. The door it headed for opened on the outside, and I leaped to my feet, ready to grab the thing, because I didn't want to lose it. No sooner had the thought of bringing it back entered my mind than it turned and came toward me! I fell back in my chair, astounded. Creeper was easy--so were the others. I enjoyed reading accounts of their strange deaths. All three strangled in bed, the papers said. smooth rope of some kind, in the opinion of the sheriff; but I k new better. One detective called on me--it seemed someone had told him I visited all three men a few months before they died, and had been unable to get loans. They had talked, I suppose, the way they do in a small town. I let the detective see my laboratory, look at my rabbits and other specimens. He seemed impressed, and asked quite a few intelligent questions about my work. Just before he left we had a little talk. "Then you n ever have created life the way you planned, Mr. Stillson?" "Not yet," I said easily. "But I will." "Did you ever get a loan?" "Oh yes--from a friend back east. One no so stupid as others I could name." (Burglary is easy with a helper like my little slave--but he couldn't know about that.) "I've been investigating these curious murders," he said absently. "Do you suppose you could have accidentally built something that would have caused so many deaths?" I shook my head, emphatically. "Maybe you'd call it divine justice, though. All three prominent men laughed at my work--and now they are dead." "Very odd," mused the detective. Yes, it is odd, and lots of people have commented on it--but they can't prove anything. I was somewhere else at the time of the murders. May 5---I let it out again this morning to go to the river, and it acted very strangely. It's been getting rather independent lately, and I wonder if I have it wholly under my control. Tampering with such a strange entity may prove dangerous. All it knows is death and destruction. May 7---What I instinctively feared has happened. The being did not return this morning after going to the river, and I presume it will never come back. I must warn Edward to stay away from the slough. My experiments have collapsed; too much meddling with the accursed water being and getting revenge on people I hated. Now my revenge seems shallow, empty.