A world-famed Earth scientist had disappeared on Venus.
When Johnson found him, he found too the secret to that
globe-shaking mystery—the fabulous Room of The Dreaming.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories November 1952.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The city dripped with rain. Crossing the street toward the dive,Johnson got rain in his eyes, his nose, and his ears. That was the waywith the rain here. It came at you from all directions. There had beenoccasions when Johnson had thought the rain was falling straight up.Otherwise, how had the insides of his pants gotten wet?
On Venus, everything came at you from all directions, it seemed toJohnson. Opening the door of the joint, it was noise instead of rainthat came at him, the wild frantic beat of a Venusian rhumba, thenotes pounding and jumping through the smoke and perfume clouded room.Feeling states came at him, intangible, but to his trained senses,perceptible emotional nuances of hate, love, fear, and rage. But mostlylove. Since this place had been designed to excite the senses of bothhumans and Venusians, the love feelings were heavily tinged withstraight sex. He sniffed at them, feeling them somewhere inside of him,aware of them but aware also that here was apprehension, and plain fear.
Caldwell, sitting in a booth next to the door, glanced up as Johnsonentered but neither Caldwell's facial expression or his eyes revealedthat he had ever seen this human before. Nor did Johnson seem torecognize Caldwell.
"Is the mighty human wanting liquor, a woman or dreams?" His voicewas all soft syllables of liquid sound. The Venusian equivalent of aheadwaiter was bowing to him.
"I'll have a tarmur to start," Johnson said. "How are the dreamstonight?"
"Ze vill be the most wonserful of all sonight. The great Unger hisselfwill be here to do ze dreaming. There is no ozzer one who has quitehis touch at dreaming, mighty one." The headwaiter spread his handsin a gesture indicating ecstasy. "It is my great regret that I must doze work tonight instead of being wiz ze dreamers. Ah, ze great Ungerhisself!" The headwaiter kissed the tips of his fingers.
"Um," Johnson said. "The great Unger!" His voice expressed surprise,just the right amount of it. "I'll have a tarmur to start but when doesthe dreaming commence?"
"In one zonar or maybe less. Shall I make ze reservations for ze mightyone?" As he was speaking, the headwaiter was deftly conducting Johnsonto the bar.
"Not just yet," Johnson said. "See me a little later."
"But certainly." The headwaiter was gone into the throng. Johnson wasat the bar. Behind it, a Venusian was bowing to him. "Tarmur," Johnsonsaid. The green drink was set before him. He held it up to the light,admiring the slow rise of the tiny golden bubbles in it. To him,watching the bubbles rise was perhaps more important than drinkingitself.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" a soft voice said. He glanced to his right.A girl had slid into the stool beside him. She wore a green dress cutvery low at the throat. Her skin had the pleasant tan recently onEarth. Her hair was a shade of abundant brown and her eyes were blue,the color of the skies of Earth. A necklace circled her throat andbelow the necklace ... Johnson felt his pulse quicken, for two reasons.Women such as this one had been quickening the pulse of men since thedays of Adam. The second reason concerned her presence here in thisplace where no woman in her right mind ever came unescorted. Her eyessmiled up at him unafraid. Didn't she know there were men present herein this