Arthur Feldman - The Mathematicians.pdf - po ang - Januszek66

The Mathematicians

Feldman, Arthur

Published: 1953

Type(s): Short Fiction, Science Fiction

Source: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/29140

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Amazing Stories Oct.-Nov. 1953. Extens-

ive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this

publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have

been corrected without note.

They were in the garden. "Now, Zoe," said Zenia Hawkins to her nine-

year-old daughter, "quit fluttering around, and papa will tell you a

story."

Zoe settled down in the hammock. "A true story, papa?"

"It all happened exactly like I'm going to tell you," said Drake

Hawkins, pinching Zoe's rosy cheek. "Now: two thousand and eleven

years ago in 1985, figuring by the earthly calendar of that time, a tribe of

beings from the Dog-star Sirius invaded the earth."

"And what did these beings look like, father?"

"Like humans in many, many respects. They each had two arms, two

legs and all the other organs that humans are endowed with."

"Wasn't there any difference at all between the Star-beings and the hu-

mans, papa?"

"There was. The newcomers, each and all, had a pair of wings covered

with green feathers growing from their shoulders, and long, purple

tails."

"How many of these beings were there, father?"

"Exactly three million and forty-one male adults and three female

adults. These creatures first appeared on Earth on the island of Sardinia.

In five weeks' time they were the masters of the entire globe."

"Didn't the Earth-lings fight back, papa?"

"The humans warred against the invaders, using bullets, ordinary

bombs, super-atom bombs and gases."

"What were those things like, father?"

"Oh, they've passed out of existence long ago. 'Ammunition' they were

called. The humans fought each other with such things."

"And not with ideas, like we do now, father?"

"No, with guns, just like I told you. But the invaders were immune to

the ammunition."

"What does 'immune' mean?"

"Proof

against

harm.

Then

the

humans

tried

germs

and

bacteria

against the star-beings."

"What were those things?"

"Tiny, tiny bugs that the humans tried to inject into the bodies of the

invaders to make them sicken and die. But the bugs had no effect at all

on the star-beings."

"Go on, papa. These beings over-ran all Earth. Go on from there."

"You must know, these newcomers were vastly more intelligent than

the Earth-lings. In fact, the invaders were the greatest mathematicians in

the System."

"What's the System? And what does mathematician mean?"

"The Milky Way. A mathematician is one who is good at figuring,

weighing, measuring, clever with numbers."

"Then, father, the invaders killed off all the Earth-lings?"

"Not all. They killed many, but many others were enslaved. Just as the

humans had used horses and cattle, the newcomers so used the humans.

They made workers out of some, others they slaughtered for food."

"Papa, what sort of language did these Star-beings talk?"

"A very simple language, but the humans were never able to master it.

So, the invaders, being so much smarter, mastered all the languages of

the globe."

"What did the Earth-lings call the invaders, father?"

"'An-vils'. Half angels, half devils."

"Then, papa, everything was peaceful on Earth after the An-vils en-

slaved the humans?"

"For a little while. Then, some of the most daring of the humans, led

by a man named Knowall, escaped into the interior of Greenland. This

Knowall was a psychiatrist, the foremost on Earth."

"What's a psychiatrist?"

"A dealer in ideas."

"Then, he was very rich?"

"He'd been the richest human on Earth. After some profound thought,

Knowall figured a way to rid the earth of the An-vils."

"How, papa?"

"He perfected a method, called the Knowall-Hughes, Ilinski technique,

of imbuing these An-vils with human emotions."

"What does 'imbuing' mean?"

"He filled them full of and made them aware of."

Zenia interrupted, "Aren't you talking a bit above the child's under-

standing, Drake?"

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