On the planet called Loth, in the Seventh City, there lived a
semi-savage known as Hsuth. He had been captured in his youth by the
fearless raiders of Phargo, but popular demand later caused the release
of all the beings that once formed an interesting collection of the
larger animals. So it was that one might have had for a neighbor
anything from one of the reddish parrot-people from the far-away
isle of Hin to a pale blue octopus-thing from the dried sea-bed of
Innia. Hsuth, it is to be stated, was neither, being merely one of the
common-place brown tailed men from Leek. He was, as are most savages,
very inquisitive, and one day after returning from the ridna-zat works
(wherein were manufactured first class ornaments to be worn in the
nose) he espied a small black box in the window of a money-lender--a
box whose curious carvings and tightly closed lid brought up many
questions. When the dealer refused to open it for him his curiosity was
doubly whetted, so that he purchased it (after unavoidable delay and
expected haggling) thereby parting with the earnings of a week.
Returning home with his prize he managed to slip past a street-brawl
and get inside his house--a three-towered affair resembling an
ill-fitted layer cake, each successive story being smaller than the one
upon which it reposed.
Bolting the door he then tried to force the lid open. But it resented
this move on his part, and showed it by pinching his finger violently.
This caused him to fling it against the wall. It came to the floor
with a dull thud and the top fell off after a moment's silence. A
squeaky voice issued from the interior. "--press the control marked A
and the machine will come to him no matter where it is. I am making
three boxes similar to this and hope that someone will gain some
benefit, for I haven't. Anyone finding this is directed to press the
control marked A and the machine will come to him no matter where it
is iammakingthree-e-e-E-EEE Yah psuhutthush!" declared the little box.
As Hsuth did not understand what was said, it is to be feared the
directions were lost upon him, yet some demon directed his finger to
the control marked A. Perhaps it was because all the other buttons were
hopelessly jammed into the wood.
Nothing happened, and Hsuth disappointedly threw the box through the
window where it landed upon the head of a prominent citizen, causing
that worthy unwonted irritation.
And Hsuth forgot about the box and the fraudulent control marked A,
not knowing that ten million miles away the machine was battering
ceaselessly at its bonds, striving to escape and answer the
long-awaited call--which it never quite managed to do.
But the Leerians gathered round with frightened eyes to watch the
reanimation of the god of the forefathers on that far continent, and
offered up sacrifices in the form of decrepit inhabitants and those who
would have had them doubt their deity.
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