The Sky Is Falling

area where everything seemed calm. Only when Hanson looked over toward the ground was he fully conscious of the speed they were making. From the height, he could see where the sun had landed. It

nds, gloomy from the angry, glaring clouds above. Once, two

the egg's hatching," Bork commented. "It's spreading.

ad been watching above. By a frantic effort of the great wings, it missed the hurtling chunk. They dro

chanalia. As the roc swept over, the people stopped their frenzied pursuit of sensat

xplained. "They've been shooting at everything that flie

"We're not all cowards like you!

ng your eyes and seen the way we are traveling, you'd know I've rejoined the crew. I've made u

delight, but Hanson wasn't

now that his egg should not hatch. I had doubts before, unlike our friend Malok, who also heard the words but is doubly the fanatic now. Perhaps the hatching cannot be stopped-but I've decide

uld never trust the Sons of the Egg with Bork turned against them. He stared up at the sky, realizing that more than half of it had already fallen. Th

apital city-or what was left of it. They had left the sun

und. Probably the men below had lost even the strength to hate. It was hard to see, since there was no electric lighting system now. But it seemed to

th people. Most of them seemed to be dead or unconscious. Squat mandrakes were carrying off bodies toward

ong landing glide, and details below were easier to see. Along the beach beyond the city, a crowd had collected. They had a fire going

a few stars glowing inside it. There was a brighter glow beyond. Apparently one blob of material from the sun had been tossed all the way here and had landed

together of rocks and tree trunks, without the use of magic. It was more of an enormous lean-to than a true building, but it was the bes

tly, but his expression was unreadable. He seemed to have aged a thousand years. Finally he lifted his hand in faint greeting, sighed and dropped slowly to a

r desertion when time is so short? Fix the sky and claim what reward you will afterwards. We have few powers now that the basis of astrology is ruined. But repair our sky and we can reward you beyond your dreams. We can find ways to return you to your own world intact. You hav

ut if there was a chance with some story of having needed to study Menes's me

f the world dying and the decay of the old Sather's pride, even Hanson's own probable death with the

o work on the problem were to pool their knowledge, we might still fi

mustache was untrimmed, but he was uninjured. He shook his head sadly. "Most have disappeared with their projects. Two escaped us. Menes is dead. Cagliostro tricked u

y could of the tools from the camp and what magical instrume

ac and machinery they had assembled for him. He opened his mout

atter. "You wanted my uncle, David Arnold Hanson. But because his friends called him Dave and cut that name on his monument, and because I was christened by the name you called, you got me in

ld see no change on the old Sather's face. It seemed to stiffen sl

e should find omnipotence carved on stone in a pool of water, as we found your name. Therefore, by the laws of rational magic, it is you to whom nothin

onomania. "Just a tool. It's a little

then. What is a com

ut for some answer that could be phrased in their language, letting his mind

e heavenly body, then we can build cams that have shapes like the effect of the moon's orbit, and gear them together in the right order. If there are many factors, we have a cam for each factor, shaped like the periodic rise and fall of that factor. They're all geared to let the various f

in his own subject, certainly. Sather Karf pondered for a moment, and then nodded with apparent satisfaction. "Your world was more advanced in understanding than I had thought. This computer is

the idea that the results would apply to the original. Magic used some symbolic part of a thing in manipulations that were to be effective for the real thing. The essential difference was that science was predictive and magic was effective-though the end results were often the same. On

Then we could have obtained a computer for you and you could have simulated our sky as it should be within your computer and forced it t

imposs

orward. Nothing happened. He grimaced at the ruined sky. "Dave Hanson," he cried sharply, "by the un

free, but there was no escape. The old man mumbled, and the vise was gone, but something clawed at Hanso

," Sather Karf ordered. "A

a-knife and the lash of an overseer's whip. The agony could not be stopped, but he'd learned it could be endured. His fantastic body could heal itself against wha

l regret it. By the laws, you're dealing with a man t

xed. The clutching hands and the pain were gone from Han

" the old man

ork, I think a man has to fight against his fate, no matter how little chance he has. I'll do w

y name when the time comes. And whatever else you desire. Also what

. None at all. We hoped that the remaining pla

e bitterness. "Oh, hell!" he said at las

way. The others swarmed hungrily toward it. At their expressions of wonder, Hanson felt more confidence returning to him. He concentrated and went through the little ritual again. This

see. Unreliable generally. More of an art than a science. Bu

umed that it was completely outsi

h you also still resonate. It won't work for you with anything from this world, nor will anything work thus for us from yours. We had different sy

ntrol with too much tension or fatigue and began getting a bunch of assorted junk, such as old 201-A tubes, a transit, a crystal

ll not transfer," Sather Karf agreed

r spells could not be made to work now. Even if he could build a com

another piece fell, tearing downwards toward

has fallen. Now can ther

m his lips and faded away as he began rushing upwards with increasing spe