The Project Gutenberg EBook of Last Resort, by Stephen Bartholomew

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Title: Last Resort

Author: Stephen Bartholomew

Illustrator: George Schelling

Release Date: December 11, 2009 [EBook #30649]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction April 1963.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

LAST RESORT

The phenomenon of "hysterical strength" at the physical
level is well known. Wonder what the equivalent phenomenon
at the psychological level might do....

by STEPHEN BARTHOLOMEW

ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE SCHELLING

* * * * *

I inflated a rubber balloon and set it adrift. The idea was that in
free fall the balloon would drift slowly in the direction of the leak.
This was the first thing I did after I had discovered the trouble. I
mean it was the first action I took. I had been thinking about it for
some time. I had been thinking about what a great distance it was from
Pacific Grove, California to Mars, and how I would never breathe the
odor of eucalyptus again.

I watched the white balloon floating in the middle of the cabin. Light
reflected from a spot on its surface, and it made me think of a
Moonglobe I used to keep on my desk when I was in college. I had
turned off the fan, and tried to hold my breath to keep from
disturbing the air. The balloon drifted slowly a few feet aft, wobbled
there for a minute or two, then began to drift forward again. I
decided to indulge in the rare luxury of a cigarette. I lighted one,
reached over, and popped the balloon. The piece of rubber hung in the
air, limp and twisted. I had not expected that trick to work.

The rate of leakage was very low. It had been some thirty-six hours
since I'd first noticed it. This was one of thos