Read The Cosmic Puppets for Free Online

Doctor Meade muttered.
    “No,” Barton answered. “Not a game.” And he meant it. “Let it go. Forget I said anything.”
    Miss James leaned toward him. “Mr Barton, I may be wrong, but I receive the distinct impression that you think there's something here. Something very important here in Millgate. Am I right?”
    Barton's lips twisted. “There's something going on. Beyond human awareness.”
    “Here? In Millgate?”
    Words forced their way between Barton's lips. “I've got to find out. I can't go on like this. Somebody in this town must know. You can't all sit around and pretend everything is perfectly ordinary! Somebody in this town knows the real story.”
    “Story about what?” Meade rumbled, perplexed.
    “About me.”
    They were both agitated. “How do you mean?” Miss James faltered. “Is there somebody here who knows you?”
    “There's somebody here who knows everything. The why and how. Something I don't understand. Something ominous and alien. And you all sit around and enjoy yourselves.” He got abruptly to his feet. “I'm sorry. I'm exhausted. I'll see you later.”
    “Where are you going?” Meade demanded.
    “Up to my room. To get some sleep.”
    “Look here, Barton. I'll give you a few phenobarbitals. They'll help calm you. And if you want, drop up to the hospital tomorrow. I'll give you a check-up. Seems to me you're under a hell of a strain. In a young man like you that's somewhat—”
    “Mr Barton,” Miss James said softly, but insistently, with a fixed smile on her face, “I assure you there's nothing strange about Millgate. I wish there were. It's the most ordinary town you could find. If I thought there was anything going on here of any interest whatsoever, I'd be the first to want to learn more.”
    Barton opened his mouth to answer. But the words never came. They were bitten off, lost forever. What he saw made even the memory of them dissolve into nothingness.
    Two shapes, faintly luminous, emerged from one end of the porch. A man and a woman, walking together, holding hands. They appeared to be talking, but no sound came. They moved silently, calmly, across the porch, toward the opposite wall. They passed within a foot of Barton; he could see their faces clearly. They were young. The woman had long blonde hair, heavy twisted braids that fell down her neck and shoulders. A thin, sharp face. Pale skin, smooth and perfect. Exquisite lips and teeth. And the young man beside her was equally handsome.
    Neither of them noticed Barton or the boarders sitting on their chairs. Their eyes were shut tight. They passed through the chairs, the couch, through the reclining boarders. Through Doctor Meade and Miss James, and then through the far wall. Abruptly, they were gone. The two half-luminous shapes had vanished as quickly as they had come. Without a sound.
    “Good God,” Barton managed at last. “Did you see them?” No one had stirred. Some of the boarders had stopped their conversation momentarily, but now they resumed their low murmurs as if nothing had happened. “Did you see them?” he demanded excitedly.
    Miss James seemed puzzled. “Of course,” she murmured. “We all saw them. They come through here about this time each evening. They're taking a walk. A nice couple, don't you think?”
    “But—who—what—” Barton gasped.
    “Is this the first time you've seen Wanderers?” Meade asked. His calm was suddenly shaken. “You mean you don't have Wanderers where you come from?”
    “No,” Barton said. Everyone was watching him in amazement. “What are they? They walked through the walls. Through the furniture. Through you!”
    “Of course,” Miss James said primly. “That's why they're called Wanderers. They can go anywhere. Through anything. Didn't you know that?”
    “How long has it been going on?” Barton demanded.
    The answer didn't really surprise him. But the calmness of it did. “Always,” Miss James said. “As long as I can recall.”
    “Seems to me