perfection.
Abruptly the vision was reality. He smiled, moved forward. "You
shouldn't have told me."

Amenth saw the intent in his eyes and started to beg. Vogel clipped
him behind the ear.

He put the helmet on, gingerly. The electrodes tingled against his
temple and his grin was wry as he thought of Alice. Then he depressed
the stud.

Vogel sobbed.

* * * * *

Color blinded him, rainbows blared in sweet, sparkling thunder. He
whimpered, covering his eyes. The music drowned him in a fugue of
weeping delight. Slowly he raised his head.

He stood ankle-deep in gold crystals that stretched out forever in a
splendid sea of flame. The crystals sang softly, achingly, to a silver
sun in an emerald sky. A grove of blue needle trees tinkled in ecstasy
on his left. And beyond those trees....

The city sang.

White spires foamed skyward in impossible cataracts of glory. A
glissando of joy burned his eardrums, and he could not face that
living splendor. It was the city beyond dreams, beyond legend, the
city where all dreams end. He strode toward it, raptly.

The crystals screamed. The blue needle forest lashed wildly, and
terror shivered through the air in shrieking dissonance.

From the blue forest, people ran. Beautiful people, with great golden
eyes and scarlet tunics. They could have been Amenth's brothers and
sisters. They stared, horror and revulsion twisting their faces. They
started toward him.

Vogel understood.

If destroying beauty on this world was a crime, then killing ugliness
must be a duty.

On this world, he was ugly--

--JAMES CAUSEY

* * * * *

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Felony, by James Causey

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