h his eyelashes he could see her outlined
in the soft light from the hall. She was coming in to see if he was
tucked in. In a moment he would jump up and startle her with a hug, as
she leaned over him. In a moment....

Screaming desperately, he was out of bed, backing heedlessly across the
room. He was still screaming as the low sill of the open window caught
him behind the knees and toppled him thirty stories to the street.

Alone in the silent room, Helen Benton stood dazed, staring blindly at
the empty window.

Tommy's parting gift from his father slid from her hand and lay on the
carpet, still ticking gently.

It was 9:23 on Mars.

The End

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from _Imagination Stories of Science and
Fantasy_ July 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence
that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor
spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.

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