land. Sometimes he would raise his head andlook at them so long and steadily that icy chills ran along their spinesand their hands shook so that they could not sight their weapons andtherefore shot wild. Then the head would sink out of sight again.
Secure as they felt against his horrible presence it finally began tosap their courage. Besides, the lake fascinated Alpha, now but threeyears old but large and strong. He loved to wander by its shore anddabble in the water, but so long as the beast remained, an ever presentdanger was in this play. Besides there was the fear that he might escapethe watchfulness of his parents and come in contact with one of the hightension cables.
And then Omega determined to try another plan--he would electricallycharge the water of the lake. He hoped that this would reach the monsterin his watery lair and kill him instantly. So he constructed two giantmagnets and placed one on each end of the lake. Then harnessing all theelectrical energy at his command he sent a tremendous current throughthe water with high potential, alternating it at ten second intervalsfor an hour.
Two weeks later he watched for the carcass of the beast to rise. He feltnow that his problem was to get rid of it so that it would not pollutethe water, but it did not appear.
With fear and trembling Omega observed that the water of the lake wasreceding inch by inch. Then by chemical action on the coral beds and onthe rocks, he created a dense cloud and caused it to form over the lake,thus in a measure protecting it from the sun's rays. But day by day,despite the sheltering cloud, the water receded. Day after day Omegamoved his gauges hoping against hope that somehow and somewhere naturewould again awaken and bring water upon the earth.
During all these days and months the monster did not raise its headabove the surface of the lake--Omega was certain of this, for had thewater been disturbed ever so little his water seismograph, as well ashis cameras, would have recorded it. The monster was dead at last andthey were profoundly thankful. They were the undisputed masters of theearth's last water! Now Alpha could play about the shore and swim in theshallow water in peace and safety. So the dangerous fence was removed.
* * * * *
Omega knew that in the beginning the Creator had made man master of hisown destiny. He had endowed him with reason and given the earth into hiskeeping. Omega thoroughly understood the Ruling Power of the universe.He read aright His commands, blazoned across the breasts of billions ofworlds, and by the same token he knew that humanity on earth was doomed.Yet he was urged on by that unconquerable spirit which had made man kingof all. He set up his rain-making machinery with the smile of afatalist. For hundreds of miles its sinuous beams sprang into the sky,writhed about like great, hungry serpents with their tremendous suckingand receiving maws, then coiled back to earth bringing not a drop. Butone day the Mirror again showed small, faint clouds upon its surface.They were scattered over various parts of the world and their presencemade Omega wonder. There appeared to be no reason for them.
"I do not understand those clouds," he said to Thalma as he sat with herand Alpha in the shade of the coral tree. "Perhaps there are hiddenplaces of moisture, that have escaped the receiving rays of thismirror."
"Let us go and see," exclaimed Thalma, her eyes agleam with a new hope."Let us make another voyage around the world. Alpha has never been farfrom home."
"That is so," he agreed. "We will go at once."
So they entered the silver ship and sailed away over the hot, drywastes, on and on over the cities of antiquity. The ruins of New York,London, Paris and other marts of the ancients were visited in theirmelancholy quest for life. But even the sites of these cities were hardto find. Only the tops of the tallest structures, such as the tip of theWashington monument and the towers of office buildings stood above theashes and sands of centuries. But not even the shadow of a cloud wasseen. Still they sailed on--even skirted the dark wastes of the polesand stopped in deep valleys to test for water. Twice around theequatorial regions they voyaged in search of a new and better haven, butin vain. The insistent cry for water burned in their souls and led themback to the little lake--the last sop nature had to offer the remnant ofher children.
* * * * *
Although the days were still hot and blistering, the nights were cold,ice often forming on the lake near the shore and lingering until touchedby the advancing sun. Omega understood, and again a cold fear clutchedhis heart. Unless by some miracle of the heavens sufficient moistureshould come back to the earth, no human soul could long endure the heatof the day and the freezing temperature of night.
To still further conserve the precious water of the lake, Omega nowextended the folds of the cloud curtain down to its shores thuscompletely enclosing it. And as this further reduced the evaporation toa remarkable extent the hopes of Omega and Thalma took on new life. Herethey visioned Alpha and his children living and dying in peace, now thatthe monster was no more. With the help of additional safeguards Omegareckoned that the water might be made to last many more years, and,before it could become wholly exhausted, some whim of nature might againshower the earth with rain.
Now to pass the time--for there was nothing to do except to direct theappliances about them--this last trio of mortals loved to leave theshelter of the cottage, now that they had nothing further to fear fromthe sea-monster, when the westering sun was low, and ramble among theshadows of the cliffs and commune with the past, until the chill ofnight drove them indoors. Sometimes sitting there in the dusk Thalma andAlpha would listen to Omega's rich voice as he recounted an epic storyin the life of long ago. So to-day seated together on a cliff above theairship, they watched the sun descend. Thalma and Alpha had asked for astory, but Omega refused. For some time he had sat silent, his great,brilliant eyes on the flaming sun as it sank toward the rim of theearth. A great loneliness had suddenly seized him. He recognized it as apresentiment of disaster. It was beyond the analysis of reason, but forthe first time in his life he longed to hold back that sun. Somehow hefeared the advent of the night. It seemed to him that before the morninglight would again flood the earth a dire calamity would befall them.
"Why so sad?" asked Thalma fearfully, and Alpha, at his father's knees,looked up in wonder.
"It is nothing," replied Omega with forced composure as he caressed theboy. "Some foolish thoughts of mine. Now as it is getting chilly I thinkwe had better go down. Oh, how I dread this awful cold which is creepingsteadily and mercilessly over the world!" he added softly, his eyeslingering on the sun.
With her usual sweet smile Thalma agreed. So they rose and floated down.When they reached the floor of the valley they paused and regarded thecloud that screened the lake.
"It does well," remarked Omega. "It will make the water last into theyears."
"Yes, and all for our boy," said Thalma proudly. Alpha had left them andwas playing along the shore.
"It is now time that a mate for him be on the way," went on Omegawistfully. "He must have a sister, you know."
"It is true," she agreed with a glad smile.
Omega had spoken truly. Without a mate Alpha could not perpetuate therace. And so it was arranged that before the rising of the morrow's suna new life should begin.
Science had steadily advanced the span of life. When Alpha was bornOmega was two hundred years old, but that was only middle age. Thalmawas twenty-five years his junior. The human birth-rate had decreasedwith the passing of the centuries and nature now demanded the mostexacting conditions for the propagation of the human species. Thalma ather age could not afford to wait longer. Alpha's mate must be providedforthwith.
"Alpha wants to play a while before going in," Thalma continuedpresently. "I will remain with him."
"Very well, dear," said Omega. "I will go on and prepare dinner."
So saying he set his face toward the cottage, but before he had taken adozen steps he was startled by a piercing scream from Thalma. He turnedswiftly, then stood paralyzed with terror and amazement. Out of thecloud curtain surrounding the lake prot
ruded the ugly scale-covered headand neck of the monster he had believed dead! And the horrible, swayinghead was darting down toward the playing boy! The monster's jaws werespread wide, its black tongue was leaping out and in like lightning, thesickening saliva was dripping upon the sand, and its awful eyes wereblazing like coals. And then in a twinkling the huge jaws seized thechild, the head reared back, the jaws closed, stifling the lad'sscreams, and it started to draw back into the cloud.
* * * * *
But, after the first onrush of horror, life came again to Omega's numbedsenses. He darted forward with a mad cry, and as he swung through theair rather than ran, he seized a stone and hurled it at the brute'shead. His aim was true and the stone struck the great brute on the bonyhood above the right eye. It did not harm, but it maddened the monster.Hissing