Page:Stirring Science Stories, March 1942.djvu/62

 not make anything truly complete. Were we to try, it would be only folly, for truly no man can make a thing so perfect as to pass the inspection of the All-Seeing Eye. And so to show our great respect and reverence for our God, we do not attempt it."

The man from Druun pondered this a minute. Then he voiced his thoughts.

"That is a most wonderful belief, oh man of Oo. I would fain see Noom, who alone is perfect. Can you direct me to his temple?"

The smiling native nodded and pointed out the way. He bade him go and see for himself the greatness and perfection of Noom. Woth bowed to him and passed away through the crowd to the place indicated. Down the crooked street of the wine merchants, he passed, and into the narrow way of the fur workers. Fnally he entered a great square.

N the center of the square stood a huge building. It was highly decorated and elaborately carved. Edges of gold and great diamonds which are quite common along the Zoon ornamented the white domed structure and made it truly beautiful. The four scarlet towers each ending in a fused mass of gold as if the tops had been burned by a bolt from the clouds made a remarkable fitting for it.

Woth crossed the square and went to the open doorway. As he entered through the carved golden archway his eyes caught for a moment those of a little man clad in a flowing purple robe squatting at one side of the entrance. The little man was fat and old and his eyes twinkled merrily as he looked into those of Woth. But Woth gave him scarce a glance as he passed inside.

There was a semi-darkness in the interior. He saw, lined all along the wall of the great circular chamber, hundreds of little statues each facing the center and each was an unfinished model of the great statue in the center.

The figure of Noom was carved out of a single colossal block of bluish white stone. It was a figure of a semi-manlike creature, squat, very bulky, and fat. On its broad face, resting on the bulky body, with no sign of a neck between was an expression of amusement. A grin split the features and the eyes almost twinkled as one looked at them.

It was truly perfect. After seeing the incompleteness of the outside city, one could almost believe in Noom's divinity. For every single bit of the great body was carved with a minuteness and perfection that defied detection. No matter how close you got to the image you would find it perfectly carved. Every pore and every, almost microscopic mark to be found on a living creature was there. Almost would one think that Noom was indeed alive.

But that was not what caught the eye of the thin visitor. What he noticed was the necklace that hung around Noom's neck. It was composed of hundreds of little miniatures of Noom carved out of innumerable rare and valuable stones. One in particular caught the experienced eye of Woth. That was a figure about an inch long carved out of a single flawless lynquar gem. Woth almost collapsed when he saw it. The lynquar, rarest stone in all Vesper. The beautiful gem that glowed with its varicolored inward eternal light that was unlike anything else in the universe. He saw instantly that it was worth a kingdom if he could secure it. Woth glanced around.

There was none about. Nobody was in sight. Woth could detect no secret peep-holes that might indicate an unseen watcher. And if Woth could not see any, there were none to be seen. Quickly he reached out a hand, snapped the chain that held the valuable bauble on its central band. Bringing his hand down in almost the same motion, he dropped the gorgeous jewel into a little hidden pocket made for such things.

Woth turned and strolled unconcernedly out. Although he was intensely excited, he showed not one sign of it. Leaving the temple, he advanced across the square and soon was lost to sight in the crowded streets.

But the little fat man crouched at the entrance smiled strangely and glanced inside with his curiously sharp eyes. He dropped back to his seat on the pavement with an enigmatic nod, and a soft chuckle.

Woth passed through the inhabited part of the city in the same easy manner he had arrived. But he made no stops or offered aid. He soon reached the back section where the great jungle slowly creeps its way in. He threaded his way stealthily now, for he did not want to be seen on that part of his trip. As he passed through the wall, he glanced once more at the topless towers of Oo and then carefully shut the wooden door behind him.

Through the steaming jungle he passed, swiftly threading his way through the hanging vines and thick boles of the strange fern-like trees. He travelled swiftly and silently over the thick carpet of fallen ferns. In a few hours it was dark. The pitchy blackness of a Vesperian night was upon him. In the sky, no star showed, no planet nor moon sent its rays to pierce the black. For the cloud belts hang eternal over the Evening Star and never clear.

High in the bole of a tree, Woth lay sound asleep. He feared not the darkness, for those who worship Swish are under his protection and are never harmed at night. And so he slept.

It was day again. What fearsome things had occured at night about him, Woth did not know or care. What terrible voices of lost souls might have muttered about his tree, did not interest him. Swiftly he made a meal of bat meat and fruit, and went on through the jungle paths towards his native city hidden deep in the unknown interior of Ild