Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
The Dark Goddess
By Richard S. Shaver
[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Imagination Stories ofScience and Fantasy February 1953. Extensive research did not uncoverany evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
[Sidenote: Deep within her caverns the great mer-woman longed for deathto end her loneliness. But then came a voyager from space--a man--alsolonely....]
The black-emerald water swirled and broke in many silver gleamings. Fromthe misty center of the pool rose a vast but beautiful head. The longdripping hair was not hair, but had a rippling life of its own. Thegreat lonely eyes and wide scarlet mouth were far more lovely than anyhuman's. The gleaming green shoulders and shapely long arms ended ingraceful webbed fingers. The red tipped breasts were proud, naked mountswhere beauty lived forever. The pillaring waist--the strong-arched hipsthat did not divide into legs but into two great serpentinedrivers--ended in the wide tail fins of a fish.
The dark sea-scented lapping green water was circled by tiers of marbleseats, where many human people sat, their eyes upon the throne-seat intowhich the tremendous female figure vaulted in one powerful thrust fromthe water, as a tall wave uncurls effortlessly upon a golden beach.
The people bowed their heads and waited for her words, and she sat for along time looking on them sadly and somehow conveying that they had longdisappointed her. When her voice came, a great bell of meaning in thesea-cavern, the humans began to weep, for they knew now in their heartsthey had failed her.
"My people, when the first of you came here I welcomed you. I was glad,for I had been long alone. I never knew my own origin, my own race, andthe wisdom that I learned here in these caverns I was glad to give tothe young and ignorant voyagers that first came.
"An age ago, before any of you saw life, the work began. Today, thishome of ours is the fruit of long labor, of generations of men. We donot like to give up our home, built to house our genius, to provideeverlasting protection against the unstable elements."
Her people, of several shapes and sizes, sourcing from an amalgam ofmany human races of divergent strains from several near-forgottenplanets, all sighed together, like a little wind of sadness. Andsomething about that resignation of theirs seemed to anger the greatgreen mer-woman's eyes, but her voice did not reflect that anger. Allabout them, below and above and on and on around the ancient bedrock ofthe dark planet, tier on tier and level on level, their cavern citystretched, a myriad homes for a myriad individuals.
"Today we face a contingency long foreseen. One which we hoped timeitself would change, through some new force changing the motions ofthose bodies which circle ahead of us in space. It was foretold that intime this planet in its free course through space would be attracted toone or the other of two great suns which it will pass--or encounter. Itis most probable that our planet will find an orbit about one of thosesuns ahead.
"Today that fate is no longer a prediction from an astronomer peeringinto far space. It is a fact we face within short weeks, not in some farfuture time. Already the surface ice is melting, seas forming above.Already those who used to travel on the surface on their duties andobservations have been affected by the powerful radiations of thosesuns. Those radiations when we are caught and held close will shortenthe life span to a hundredth of what it is now. You must go, and go now.You must seek out a new home in the darkness of space where no sunshines to cut your lives short."
A low sob broke from the almost silent people; then another. For yearsthey had known this would occur, but now there was no time left. It washard to think of leaving their ancient home. A low and youthful voiceasked, a clear ringing voice:
"And what of you, Alfreya? How can you accompany us? There has been noship built to hold the water you must have, no ship great enough to holdyour weight or lift it. What will you do?"
Her laugh was somehow one of vast relief, of humor of some mysteriouskind they could not fathom, of loneliness glad once more to be alone. "Iremain. This is my home, and if my knowledge is not great enough tofight off the death the new sun brings then I will welcome death. Itcould be, dear people, that I am weary of life."
The people could not hear her inward thought--"and of other lives, too..."--but perhaps they felt it in their hearts.
The gigantic mer-creature dove then, from her throne into the green-darkwater, and left her people to their own devices. They saw her no more.
* * * * *
The evacuation under way, the great ships lanced upward, one afteranother. One every three seconds, for a month of earth time. And deep inthe water of her subterranean abode, it seemed to one great heart thatwith each blast of sound as another great ship lifted, some weightlifted from her heart.
The people of the Dark Goddess leaving their ancient home were verynumerous, and very sad. But few of them thought twice of their ancientbenefactress who had welcomed their ancestors, taught them, started themabuilding in the rock their vast cavern homes. If she wished to remainand die, that was her affair. She was not human. She was only a bit ofancient history that had somehow remained alive.
All of the people of the dark planet of ice were included in thatmigration. Not one remained to face death with their ancient Goddess.The dark planet moved on into its new orbit, empty of life. Empty, thatis, except for one dark lonely heart. The mer-creature was too vast ofbody for any ship to hold. Besides, she breathed water--and she did notwant to go. That was very strange. Very strange indeed. Of all thatmyriad of departing voyagers, not one understood why their Dark Goddessdid not wish to go along. Which perhaps explains the mystery.
* * * * *
An age passed. Or was it but a few years, a hundred or so? The mer-womandid not count the years. The once free planet now circled the angry redsun as a humble captive. On its now warm surface soil formed and plantsgrew. Trees and animals began to move about, grow larger. It was a newwild jungle planet, untouched by organized intelligence of any kind.
Deep down in the dim caverns, in her deepest lair, the mistress of anage of magic slept, and waked, and slept again. And what she thoughtabout, and what she waited for, and what she did with the endless timeon her hands, were mysteries. Mysteries, at times, even to herself. Buther heart was sometimes very light, and glad to be alone, and at othertimes, very sad, and very sure that mankind itself was not what shewould wish it to be. In searching her heart, Alfreya knew she was verywell rid of all that clutter in the caverns overhead.
* * * * *
From the outer darkness of space came a tiny shape, speeding on and ontoward this sun and captive planet. It was going from nowhere to nowhereat a terrific rate.
There are many shapes adrift in space, bits of rock, celestial debrisawash in the infinite oceans of ether. But this shape was not a rock. Itwas of metal, and within it was a man named Peter McCarthy.
He was a very hungry man, and a very thirsty man, and when the great redsun reached out and pulled his ship to itself, Pete in his fuel depletedcraft gave silent thanks that at last the end had come.
This would be a quick clean death in the flames, and Pete turned hisback on the sun and waited. But when he heard the air screaming abouthis hull, he turned back to the bow view panes again.
"Well, I'll be damned!" cried Peter McCarthy. For a huge green planethad pushed itself between him and the sun, and he did not like that atall. "It's another of cruel Fate's devices to lengthen my torments!"said Peter, and wept salt tears of weakness.
But his hands responded automatically. They thrust to the co
ntrols infront of him and fired the long unused jets. A bit of fuel had collectedin the bottom of his tanks, and the jets blasted out, the ship lifted,held itself upright on a pillar of sudden flame. Pete let it sink,swiftly but gently, so that it fell hissing into the rolling green seaswithout smashing to bits.
It sank down through the green waters like a stone, and McCarthy fellweakly across the controls, and did not move a finger to change herdownward course. In truth, he hoped the ship would never come up again.He was sick and tired of fighting against death.
Hours passed, and he slept, dreaming vague little dreams of eating anddrinking and flirting with the girls in the streets of Port Freedom. Nolight came through the single hemisphere of transparence in front of hisnose, and he finally switched on the search-beam on the ship's nose.
"Stuck in the mud, I hope, jade that she is, and good for her, making medie like this," Pete muttered, hating even the cracked crazy sound ofhis own voice.
But the bowlight shafted