Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas | Page 4

the
mountain that is called Sodom?"
"I know the place. It was caused by a large meteor."
"It was caused by one of these."

What he held up was the size of a grain of sand. Marshal could not see
it in detail.
"There was another city of you bug-eyed beasts there," said the small
martinet. "You wouldn't know about it. It's been a few hundred years.
We decided it was too close. Now I have decided that you are too
close."
"A thing that size couldn't crack a walnut."
"You floundering fop, it will blast this town flat!"
"What will happen to you?"
"Nothing. I don't even blink for things like that."
"How do you trigger it off."
"You gaping goof, I don't have time to explain that to you. I have to get
to Washington."
It may be that Marshal did not believe himself quite awake. He
certainly did not take the threat seriously enough. For the little man did
trigger it off.
When the final count was in, High Plains did not have the highest
percentage gain in population in the nation. Actually it showed the
sharpest decline, from 7313 to nothing.
They were going to make a forest preserve out of the place, except that
it has no trees worthy of the name. Now it is proposed to make it the
Sodom and Gomorrah State Park from the two mysterious scenes of
desolation there, just seven miles apart.
It is an interesting place, as wild a region as you will ever find, and is
recommended for the man who has seen everything.
--R. A. LAFFERTY

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