warriors, massed here on the rocks, swarmed
slowly died. A puff of light here, then another
forward and engulfed them.
far away, dimmed by the smoke.
The confusion was passing. Men came
The throb of the condensers was gone.
and peered into the wrecked cone. Then they
The diabolical mechanism at last was stilled.
climbed down into it to get Taro’s gold—to
Darkness and silence came, with only the bring it up and transport it to Bhana, where all wind sucking and whining across the top of
the available engines, running full, would put
the giant cone.
it back as fast as they could into the polluted
atmosphere.
Normality to this realm. Taro’s
CHAPTER V
menace was past. Then Johnny and Anne
Johnny’s Treasure
disclosed themselves. They were taken to
Jeoh, and then to Johnny’s father, who had
come here with the Bhana forces.
FOR an interval Johnny and Anne crouched
The gold sand was strangely light,
dazed, huddled together in the smoke filled
almost weightless. There was only its bulk to
gloom at the bottom of the cone pit. Then they
handle. Johnny watched the men carrying and
became aware that the air was clearing; the
loading it. On Earth, it would be fabulous
normal breeze across the cone top brought a
wealth.
Thrilling Wonder Stories
18
stared at her now and thought he had never
back to Earth now—without it. Contact with
seen so quaintly beautiful a girl anywhere.
our Earth can bring nothing but harm here.”
She had been crying; the shock of
“You did magnificently, Johnny. Poor
losing her brother; and now, to lose Hall, her
Nido—he deserved to live to see all this master. Hall said gently: triumph.” Hall sighed. “I just want to get back
“It’s best for us to go, Neena. Our
to Earth now, Johnny. Destroy my damnable
Earth must never know of your little world. I
transition mechanisms.”
came here, but I brought you nothing but
He seemed like a man utterly tired, at
tragedy and death.”
the end of a task which abruptly was finished.
She just sat staring. Hall piloted the car
They stood watching while the gold
out over the golden lake. The light was
sand was loaded into a Bhana ship. All the
growing with the coming dawn. Johnny told
Bhana craft were still exuding golden streams,
himself he had never seen so beautiful a sight
circling off over the forests and back. Johnny
as this glorious golden landscape.
had secured the transition mechanisms from
Hall landed near the clump of giant
the cone pit. Anne had been wearing one of
ferns, a mile or so outside the golden glowing
them; Johnny and his father donned the others.
city.
The flight to Bhana was a few hours’ trip
down a steady wind. Triumphant, returning
said. “You’ll explain for me? Tell everyone I
fleet. Johnny did not see the main sections of
always knew they were my sincere friends.”
Bhana itself.
Neena gulped and nodded. “You—
won’t ever come back?”
THE city, damaged by the storm, was dark,
Hall suddenly said, “I won’t ever let
with all its lights cut off—its transportation
anyone else on Earth have the secret of the
system stilled by lack of gold fuel. The ships
transition. But maybe—sometime—we might
took some of the gold there now. The lights
come.”
winked on. The city emerged from darkness
Neena turned abruptly, and from the
and impending death. The thousands of car produced a small sack which she had stricken people were treated by small exhaust
hidden there. And under her arm was a rolled
jets, as on Earth, oxygen tents are used.
bundle of fabric. With a quaint, pathetic smile,
Hall, from his own home, had gathered
she gazed at Hall as she unrolled it.
just a few trinkets, mementoes of his years
“My brother Nido had planned with
here in this world. He felt that he could not
me to do this when you left. He—he is not
stand saying good by to his friends here. here, but I am doing it for him. These clothes Hastily, he, Johnny and Anne got into Hall’s
from your house—they are yours.”
little car, to go to that spot outside the city
She handed Hall two metallic robes,
where Johnny and Anne had landed. They
would leave from there.
Hall took them, surprised but smiling.
And in the car, they found Hall’s little
“Why yes, Neena, thank you.” He was
serving maid. Her name was Neena, Johnny
puzzled. He said, “I made them years ago,
had met her when he first came; he had hardly
Johnny, anticipating your coming. I was
noticed her. Nido’s sister. A feminine collecting a little gold fuel I had forgotten, and duplicate of the gentle Nido. The same I used all of it since, in rocket engines.”
bronzed glistening skin; the same patrician
But Neena was lifting the small white
aspect of delicately moulded features. Johnny
sack. “A present from our world; you were
Shadow Gold
19
very good to us always. Nido gathered it from
gold of all the realms in all the Universe.
the little engines. It is not much. Our world
“I thank you,” Hall was saying gently.
will not miss it—or need it.”
“We all thank you very much, Neena.”
Little golden treasure. Johnny was
Then presently they were ready to
standing with his arm around Anne. He start. Neena’s quaint little figure, waving glanced down and met her glowing misty farewell in the growing golden dawn light, eyes, shining with the happiness of her love.
was the last thing they saw as they swept away
Treasure so much more precious than all the
into the transition.