DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Acolyte, v. 2, issue 2, whole no. 6, Spring 1944

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Acolyte, v. 2, issue 2, whole no. 6, Spring 1944

31858063101376_025

He came up quite close to the porch. The girl was busy with a potted plant, slim fingers probing into the soil about tender roots. The plant was a delicate kind, and seemed to require gentle nurturing.
"I beg your pardon," Ward said, and the girl started to turn.

"I've told you a thousand times, Stan, to avoid excitement."
Doctor Harry Kenton appeared to be excited himself. His face was flushed, and his blond hair stood on end as if he had recently been hurried about something. Ward blinked at him, and there was a bitter taste on his tongue. He looked down and saw that he held a small glass, empty except for vile-smelling dregs in the bottom.
"I beg your pardon?" he said, futilely mocking his words to the unknown girl in his vision.
"You heard me," Kenton went on. He took Ward's wrist in a professional manner and studied the dial of his watch. "You're all right now, but that could have been the last spell for you. Put that car of yours away. Get rid of it. Another bit of excitement like that and you'll drop dead at the wheel. Probably kill a mess of innocent bystanders."
Ward slowly collected himself. Somehow, even while under the spell of that inexplicable vision, he had driven to Harry's office. He remembered the brief pain that had stabbed through his side.
"Harry, I want your opinion of something."
"you've just had it," replied the young doctor with brutal frankness.
"I mean about something else--something that might tie in with your hobby of psychiatry."
Kenton regarded him strangely. "You're not getting the wim-wams? Remember, I wanted to keep this business from you, but you insisted on knowing how bad off you are. Far better you really didn't know...."
Ward gestured his words aside.
"It isn't that. It's something like a dream..." He launched into a recital of the strange vision that troubled him.
"Odd," Kenton remarked when he had concluded, "but not entirely inexplicable. I guess I was wrong when I figured you could take it."
"Don't tell me," Ward put in ironically, "that I'm a candidate for the laughing academy, along with my other ills and tribulations."
Kenton smiled in a faintly harassed way. "No, there's nothing violent about you, Stan. But I'm afraid your condition has begun to work on your mind. You're plainly a victim of delusion. You say that this vision comes over you with the first pain of an attack. There's no need for me to tell you that every attack lately has been more severe than the last. Your subconscious self is rejecting the implication of those increasing pains, trying to escape in a world where - well, you know what I'm driving at."
Ward looked at him calmly. "You're wrong, Harry. I was hoping you'd say something about - well, about mental telepathy, or something like that. I have a feeling that somewhere this place actually exists, and..and..I want to find it."
A far away look crept into his eyes. Slumped in his chair, Ward looked suddenly boyish and wistful. Kenton coughed apologetically. "I understand how you feel."
ward smiled. "I wonder if you do? Harry, doggone it, I'm in love with that girl! Somehow, somewhere, she exists, just as sure as I'm talking to you now. I've got to find her."
Kenton looked pained, and regarded Ward askance.
"You're a fool, Stan. Suppose she does exist? Not that I think my explanation is incorrect, but let's take a commonsense view for once. You've just said you're in love with her. How do you know you are? That's beside the point. Suppose you did find this psychic love of yours and she could fall in love with you. Would it be fair to burden her with that..that corpse?"
Ward observed with a faint sense of shock that his friend was pointing directly at his own body.
"It isn't a corpse yet," he said defensively.
"I'm your doctor. What I tell you is straight. I've never kept anything from you and I don't intend to do so now. Even the shock of falling in love is liable to do you in. You can't risk excitement of any sort. If you don't start taking my advice.." he paused for emphasis, "..the Ward Institute of Medical Research is going to get underway long before I, personally, have any desire to see it started. Have I made myself clear?"

-- 21 --

Saving...

He came up quite close to the porch. The girl was busy with a potted plant, slim fingers probing into the soil about tender roots. The plant was a delicate kind, and seemed to require gentle nurturing. "I beg your pardon," Ward said, and the girl started to turn. "I've told you a thousand times, Stan, to avoid excitement." Doctor Harry Kenton appeared to be excited himself. His face was flushed, and his blond hair stood on end as if he had recently been hurried about something. Ward blinked at him, and there was a bitter taste on his tongue. He looked down and saw that he held a small glass, empty except for vile-smelling dregs in the bottom. "I beg your pardon?" he said, futilely mocking his words to the unknown girl in his vision. "You heard me," Kenton went on. He took Ward's wrist in a professional manner and studied the dial of his watch. "You're all right now, but that could have been the last spell for you. Put that car of yours away. Get rid of it. Another bit of excitement like that and you'll drop dead at the wheel. Probably kill a mess of innocent bystanders." Ward slowly collected himself. Somehow, even while under the spell of that inexplicable vision, he had driven to Harry's office. He remembered the brief pain that had stabbed through his side. "Harry, I want your opinion of something." "you've just had it," replied the young doctor with brutal frankness. "I mean about something else--something that might tie in with your hobby of psychiatry." Kenton regarded him strangely. "You're not getting the wim-wams? Remember, I wanted to keep this business from you, but you insisted on knowing how bad off you are. Far better you really didn't know...." Ward gestured his words aside. "It isn't that. It's something like a dream..." He launched into a recital of the strange vision that troubled him. "Odd," Kenton remarked when he had concluded, "but not entirely inexplicable. I guess I was wrong when I figured you could take it." "Don't tell me," Ward put in ironically, "that I'm a candidate for the laughing academy, along with my other ills and tribulations." Kenton smiled in a faintly harassed way. "No, there's nothing violent about you, Stan. But I'm afraid your condition has begun to work on your mind. You're plainly a victim of delusion. You say that this vision comes over you with the first pain of an attack. There's no need for me to tell you that every attack lately has been more severe than the last. Your subconscious self is rejecting the implication of those increasing pains, trying to escape in a world where - well, you know what I'm driving at." Ward looked at him calmly. "You're wrong, Harry. I was hoping you'd say something about - well, about mental telepathy, or something like that. I have a feeling that somewhere this place actually exists, and..and..I want to find it." A far away look crept into his eyes. Slumped in his chair, Ward looked suddenly boyish and wistful. Kenton coughed apologetically. "I understand how you feel." ward smiled. "I wonder if you do? Harry, doggone it, I'm in love with that girl! Somehow, somewhere, she exists, just as sure as I'm talking to you now. I've got to find her." Kenton looked pained, and regarded Ward askance. "You're a fool, Stan. Suppose she does exist? Not that I think my explanation is incorrect, but let's take a commonsense view for once. You've just said you're in love with her. How do you know you are? That's beside the point. Suppose you did find this psychic love of yours and she could fall in love with you. Would it be fair to burden her with that..that corpse?" Ward observed with a faint sense of shock that his friend was pointing directly at his own body. "It isn't a corpse yet," he said defensively. "I'm your doctor. What I tell you is straight. I've never kept anything from you and I don't intend to do so now. Even the shock of falling in love is liable to do you in. You can't risk excitement of any sort. If you don't start taking my advice.." he paused for emphasis, "..the Ward Institute of Medical Research is going to get underway long before I, personally, have any desire to see it started. Have I made myself clear?" -- 21 --