The Fredric Brown Megapack by Brown Fredric

Author:Brown, Fredric
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, short stories
ISBN: 9781434442802
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2013-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

“Dead? That means stopped. But nothing stopped them. Each was a-lone.”

Walter stared at the Zan. “Do you mean, George, you don’t know what natural death is?”

“Death is when a be-ing is killed, stopped from liv-ing.”

Walter Phelan blinked. “How old are you, George?” he asked.

“Six-teen—you would not know the word. Your pla-net went a-round your sun a-bout sev-en thou-sand times. I am still young.”

Walter whistled softly. “A babe in arms,” he said. He thought hard a moment. “Look, George,” he said, “you’ve got something to learn about this planet you’re on. There’s a guy here who doesn’t hang around where you come from. An old man with a beard and a scythe and an hour-glass. Your vibrations didn’t kill him.”

“What is he?”

“Call him the Grim Reaper, George. Old Man Death. Our people and animals live until somebody—Old Man Death stops them ticking.”

“He stopped the two crea-tures? He will stop more?”

Walter opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it again. Something in the Zan’s voice indicated that there would be a worried frown on his face, if he had had a face recognizable as such.

“How about taking me to these animals who won’t wake up?” Walter asked. “Is that against the rules?”

“Come,” said the Zan.

That had been the afternoon of the second day. It was the next morning that the Zan came back, several of them. They began to move Walter Phelan’s books and furniture. When they’d finished that, they moved him. He found himself in a much larger room a hundred yards away.

He sat and waited and this time, too, when there was a knock on the door, he knew what was coming and politely stood up. A Zan opened the door and stood aside. A woman entered.

Walter bowed slightly, “Walter Phelan,” he said, “in case George didn’t tell you my name. George tries to be polite, but he doesn’t know all of our ways.”

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