I stood frozen with horror; but as my brain cleared--awake at last tofull rationality and consciousness--beneath the horror came a surgingjoy of the knowledge that at last Elza was near me. The scream wasrepeated; inactive no longer, I dashed the thicket branches apart withmy arms and plunged forward through the darkness.
Ahead of me the thickets opened into a sort of clearing. I saw the sky,the stars--paling stars with the first flush of dawn overpowering them.I stood at the edge of an open space in the dim, flat-grey illuminationof morning twilight.
Elza! She was there, standing near a huge isolated tree; Elza, pale,trembling, a hand pressed against her mouth in terror; disheveled, hergarments dirty and torn with her wanderings through the forest.
A swift glimpse as momentarily I paused; a second or two only, but thescene was impressed upon my brain as actinic light upon a photo-screen.Close by Elza, partially behind her, I saw something small, no tallerthan Elza's waist. A naked thing of sleek, glistening skin. Themonstrosity of a human child; a bulging head, wavering upon a neckincapable of supporting it; a thick round body; twisted, misshapenlimbs. A face ... human? It made my gorge rise with its gruesomesuggestion of humanity. Nostrils--no nose; a mouth, lipless, but redlike a curved gash with upturned corners to make the travesty of a grin;a triangle of watery eyes, goggling. Senselessly, it stood watching Elzawith a dull, vacant curiosity. Not human, this thing! Yet monstrouslyrepulsive in its hideous suggestion of an idiot child.
Elza was not facing it; my gaze instinctively followed hers to the tree.Crowning horror! The adult of this thing upon the ground hung swaying bya thick hand and arm from a low limb; hung, then dropped. Growling,mouthing as though it would try and form human words of menace, itpicked itself up and shambled toward Elza.
I leaped for them. Elza seemed too terrified to run. The thing reachedher, towered over her; seized her in its arms. She screamed--the agonyof revolt and terror; but over her voice rose my own shout of rage, andabruptly the thing dropped her and turned to confront me. Snarling,glaring with its three hideous blood-shot eyes; waving its thick, bentarms.
I had no weapons save those with which nature had endowed me. The regretof that came as a fleeting thought; and then I crashed into the thing;my fist, passing its awkward guard, struck it full in the face. Isickened. Even in the heat of combat a nausea swept me. For no solidflesh and bone met my blow, like the shell of an egg, my fist crashedinto and through its face.
Warm, sticky moisture ... a stench ...
The thing had toppled backward, with me sprawling upon its bloated bulk.It struggled, writhed ... Its arms gripped me, its huge fingers clutchedmy throat ... I caught a glimpse of its smashed face ... so close, Iturned away ... a face of yellow-white pulp ...
My fist cracked and sank into its chest. I pounded, smashed; broke theshell of its distended body ... noisome ... the revulsion, the nausea ofit all but overcame me.
At last the thing lay still; and from the wet, sticky foulness of it Irose and stood shuddering. Elza lay on the ground; but she had risenupon one elbow and I saw that she was unharmed save for the shock ofterror through which she had passed--a mitigated shock with theknowledge now that I was with her, and that I too was uninjured.
The infant thing had vanished. I hastened forward.
"Elza! Elza, dear--"
Joy lighted her face.
"Jac!"
I would have lifted her up; but the consciousness of my ownfoulness--the yellow-white slime streaked with red which smeared myarms, splattered my clothing--gave me pause. In the growing light,beyond the clearing, I caught the silver sheen of water. Without a wordI ran for it; a shimmering pool the existence of which no doubt haddrawn these grewsome beings of the forest into its vicinity. To thecleansing water I ran, plunged in, purged myself of that horriblefoulness which human senses could not endure.
When I returned, Elza was upon her feet. Recovered at last she flungherself into my arms. Impulsive; seeking protection as she clung to me;fear; the let-down of overwrought nerves as she stood and clung andsobbed upon my shoulder.
It was all of that; but oh! it was more than that as well. My Elza,raising her tear-stained face and kissing me. Murmuring, "Jac, I loveyou!" Murmuring her love: "Jac dear, you're safe! I've wanted so long tobe with you again--I've been so frightened--so frightened--"
Giving me back my kisses unreserved; holding me with eagerarms ... Tarrano? The memory of him came to me. How foolish my fears,my jealousy! That man of genius ... conqueror of worlds ...