II

It says much for this organisation of disorganisation on Thexara that for over 800 years this machine lay in the Halls without more than an occasional shocked stare coming its way. Then, one warm rainy day, two students entered the room in which it lay, and subjected it to a close scrutiny. They studied this warning note and the machine itself for several days. Non one noticed them, but six weeks later, all the Thex knew of this happening, because an improved model of the machine had been built and the two delinquents, Lupan and Rodiq, transmitted their thoughts over the entire planet. They explained that their machine was a vast improvement on "the rudimentary equipment of our predecessors. This new machine was a boon to all Thex they claimed, as it was a "transceiver," so that now the Thex could receive the thoughts of inferior life-forms and appreciate fully the beauty of life.

This argument was accepted, more because the machine could not be located and was operating all day and night rather than because its "logic" was appealing. Soon every young Thex owned a K.L.R. transceiver, and spent much time thinking to plants, bacteria, and all kinds of arthropods. To facilitate localisation of reception, Lupan and Rodiq had added a mobile area to the machine, which enabled them to receive thoughts from areas of varying sizes; they also built a filter system to adjust the machine to the I.Q. of the mind they were studying.

Then Lupan made a strange discovery. If he set the area of reception to infinity and the I.Q. scale to infinity, he received strange thoughts, very strange thoughts indeed. He called Rodiq, and together they questioned this Intelligence. The mind they were in contact with was jumbled and incoherent, and they reported It like this:— Intelligence: "Gottim that time, dirty rotten E = mc2 space time food wanta drink wanna eat gimme gimme or I'll biff you blessed are they that ding-dong the witchisdead sessussle sossle google argle ardle cogito ergo some some somewhere over a reign . . ."

L. & R.: "Who are you?"

Intelligence: "My name is Ozymandias King of kings and Lord of Lords forever and ever Ahriman Shaitan Zeus Apollon Thor Loki . . ."

L. & R.: "Where are you?"

Intelligence: "On the M.T.A. in the Maginot line at the bottom of well in a dairy In a bayonet an A bomb poem star planet galaxy space space space electrons positions protons neurons fish grass Thex."

L. & R.: "Are you everywhere I then?"

Intelligence: "What is truth said jesting pilot and would not stay for a propellor rocket-ship submarine dark dark dark sky universe universal . . . universa univer . . ."

L & R.: "What do you do in this universe?"

Intelligence: "Create destroy play poker knit socks for heathens confound knavish tricks popish plots heretical slanders shake dice kill and be born again eat drink and be marry tomorrow I sell widow's whited sepulchres kill niggers and Jews brotherhood of men pious pies in skies ..."

L. & R.: "Do you do everything then?"

Intelligence: "Everything nothing anything something Sum look on me ye mighty and the hills tremble E = [m.v. v/2] velocity velocipede centipede gurgle garble doodle doodle Veronica 1+1 = faith e'en with losing his wits Right is Might is Right end justify means not by bread alone."

Lopan and Rodiq Immediately informed the rest of the Thex of this infantile being which appeared to its own satisfaction to be running the cosmos, and suggested that all the machines should be destroyed to avoid the risk of further contact with the amoral mind in space.

Here the Thex records close, and I am forced to draw my own conclusions from this story, which I feel should be published, in the interest of all mankind, nay all thinking animals. My own conclusions I intend to keep private, but I would like to say that I believe the story to be an accurate record of actual events, and to end my story with a quotation: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My way, saith the lord."

—art La Roche.