A Mystery (from The Martian Invasion)
"A Mystery," chapter 11 of The Martian Invasion; in As They Were, ed. Kupferberg and Topp (Links, 1973) (73.47)
by Norman K. Mailer [age 10], in two parts.
Wanted for court martial and murder and hated by both sides, Captain Bob Porter and Private Ben Stein played their lone hand.
Chapter XI. A Mystery
The captives were placed in a prison for several days in which they were brutally treated by their captors. Bob had a hard time restraining his temper. It was lucky for him he didn’t as they might have killed him.
The next day they were chained onto the wall in the back part of a rocket boat. Bob knew in a hazy way that they were going towards the south in which there were the best places in the city. Among them was a huge castle that was crumbling to pieces.
Bob gave a sigh of relief that they were alone. The sigh turned into a groan as a painted piece of iron fell onto Bob’s arm. Bob saw that the edge was very sharp. Putting his teeth on it he started sawing at the chains. For a half hour he sawed at it before it broke.
Bob dropped the chains and took the piece of iron out of his sore and bleeding mouth. In an instant he was free. He then loosened the others bonds.
The captives then ranged on the front door. Bob then hit the metal door with a chain. The jailors came running over and opening the door rushed in. The Martians hadn’t a chance. As each one came in he was knocked over the head until not one was left. The captives then ran through the open door locking it behind them.
They then rushed up on the pilots who met the same fate—all except one who jumping out swam towards shore. In an instant the alarm was given and a dozen boats rushed over to easily capture the boat.
Two hours later they were again bound and guarded in a new rocket ship as the old one was demolished. They were rushed out and were herded into a small passage that led into a huge round ball building that had no windows. They were ushered into a room where they were blindfolded and taken through so many corridors and rooms that they hadn’t an inkling at the end of where they had went.
Finally they were made to descend eighty steps. Bob counted them. They then were bound on their hands and arms. The guard then took a rope rolling it over them, then he fastened them to the floor with ropes.
The captives waited half an hour before they heard a thing, but when they did they wished they hadn’t. A fearful laugh sounded all through the room. Then a part of the ceiling slowly began to move towards the floor. On it was a big Martian who with a big stick kept hitting it on his chair making an eerie sound. Then to the surprise of all he said, “Welcome friends to our country.”
Bob gasped in amazement and the thought ran through his mind how did he know English. The Martian reading his thoughts laughed and said, “My friend wants to know how I speak english.”
Bob noticed that he was purple with laughter. Bob had noticed that the man talked with a French accent. Bob had a smattering of French so he said, “Parlez vous Francaise.”
The Martian answered, “Oui, oui, mons-you dog,” he shouted, “the idea.”
Bob lay back choking his laughter back. The Martian sputtered in rage and threw his scepter at him. Bob dodged it and it fell on the ground after hitting the wall.
Then he continued, “You shall die a nice death, a very nice death.” The Martian again became purple. He then said, “Suffocation is nice isn’t it A slow long drawn out death, ho, ho, ha, ho, ho.” And again the monster laughed.
Bob felt an eerie chilling of his veins and his heart seemed dead. How he wished he was loose and had an electric pistol.
The Martian calmly continued, “Do not try to escape as you would never get away. You will be fed but don’t be happy, you haven’t a chance. As for you you silly dumbbell who thinks he is smarter than I, you shall not get anything to eat and the jailors will do so much that you will be sorry. Remember all of you that death comes five days from now.”
Saying these words he left the chamber letting the captives ponder over their fate.
Norman Mailer: born Jan. 31, 1923, in Long Branch, N.J.