“That Flynn and his damned imagination! Why did we have to talk about him? How do you get rid of it then?”
“I told you. You don’t. It just has to go away of its own accord.”
The Grumbler was full size now. Gregor and Arnold hurried into the tiny bunkroom and slammed their last door.
“Think, Gregor,” Arnold pleaded. “No kid invents a monster without a defense of some sort. Think!”
“The Grumbler cannot be killed,” Gregor said.
The red-spotted monster was taking shape again. Gregor thought back over all the midnight horrors he had ever known. He must have done something as a child to neutralize the power of the unknown.
And then—almost too late—he remembered.
Under autopilot controls, the ship flashed Earthward with the Grumbler as complete master. He marched up and down the empty corridors and floated through steel partitions into cabins and cargo compartments, moaning, groaning, and cursing because he could not get at any victim.
The ship reached the solar system and took up an automatic orbit around the moon.
Gregor peered out cautiously, ready to duck back if necessary. There was no sinister shuffling, no moaning or groaning, no hungry mist seeping under the door or through the walls.
“All clear,” he called out to Arnold. “The Grumbler’s gone.”
Safe within the ultimate defense against night horrors—wrapped in blankets that had covered their heads—they climbed out of their bunks.
“I told you the water pistol wouldn’t do any good,” Gregor said.
Arnold gave him a sick grin and put the pistol in his pocket. “I’m hanging onto it. If I ever get married and have a kid, it’s going to be his first present.”
“Not for any of mine,” said Gregor. He patted the bunk affectionately. “You can’t beat blankets over the head for protection.”
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
“The People Trap” copyright © 1968 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in The People Trap.
“The Victim from Space” copyright © 1952 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“Shall We Have a Little Talk?” copyright © 1965 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“Restricted Area” copyright © 1953 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Amazing Stories.
“The Odor of Thought” copyright © 1953 by Robert Sheckley.
“The Necessary Thing” copyright © 1954 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“Redfern’s Labyrinth” copyright © 1956 by Robert Sheckley.
“Proof of the Pudding” copyright © 1956 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“The Laxian Key” copyright © 1953 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“The Last Weapon” copyright © 1953 by Robert Sheckley.
“Fishing Season” copyright © 1953 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories.
“Dreamworld” copyright © 1956 by Robert Sheckley.
“Diplomatic Immunity” copyright © 1955 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
“Ghost V” copyright © 1957 by Robert Sheckley. First appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine.
Copyright © 1968 Robert Sheckley
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The People Trap Page 22