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ZERO HOUR h, ir was to be sa jolly! What a game! Such excitement they hadn't known in years. The children catapulted this way and that across the green lawns, shonting at each other, holding hands, Aying in circles, clirabing trees, laughing. Overhead the rockets few, and beetle cárs whispered by on the streets, but the children played on. Such fun, such tremulous joy, such tumbling and hearty screaming. Mink ran into the house, all dirt and swcat. For her seven years she was loud and strong and debinite. Her mother, Mrs Morris, hardly saw her as she yanked out drawers and rateled pans and tools into a large sack. “Heavens, Mink, what's going on? “The most exciting game ever” gasped Mink, pink-faced. “Stop and get your breath,? said the mother. lo, Pm al right, gasped Mink. “Okay I take these things, Mom? *But don't dent thern,' said Mrs Morris. “Thank you, thank you? cried Mink, and boom! she was gone, like a rocket. Mrs Morris surveycd the flccing tot. Whats the name of the game” “Invasion” said Miak. The door slammed, Tn every yard on the street children brought out knives and forks and pokers and old stovepipes and can-openers. Ir was an interesting fact rhar this fury and bustle occurred only among the younger children. The older ones, those ten years and more, disdaincd the affair and marched scornfully off on hikes or played a more dignificd version of hide-and-seek on their own. Mcanwhilc, parents came and wentin chromium beetles. Repair- men came ro repair the vacuun elevators in houses, to ix fluctering ; E h : ¿ ; Zero Hour n television sers or hammer upon stubborn food -delivery tubes. The adult civilization passed and repassed the busy youngsters, jealous of the fiercc energy of the wild tors, tolerantly amused at their Hourishings, longing to joín in themselves. *This and this and this, said Mink, inscructing the others with Their assorted spoons and wrenches. “Do that, and bring ¿hat over here. No! Here, ninny! Right. Now, ger back while I fixthis.? Tongue in teeth, face wrinkled in thought. Like that. Sec? *Vayyyy" shouted the kids. Twelve-year-oid Joseph Connors ran up. Go away, said Mink straight ac him. 41 wanna play,” said Joseph. “Can't! said Mink. “Why not? *Yowd just make fun af ns.” “Honest, I wouldn't.” “No. We know yor. Go away or we'll kick you.” Another twelve-year-old boy whirred by on little motor skates. “Hey, Joe! Come on! Let them sissies play? Joseph showed reluctance and a certain wistfuiness. T wart to play,' he said. “Yowre old? said Mink firmly, “Not that old, said Joe sensibly. *Yowd only langh and spoil the Invasion.” The boy on the motor skates made a rude lip noise. “Come on, Joe! Them and their fairies! Nuts?” Joseph walked off slowly. He kepr looking back, all down the block. Minlewas already busy again. She made a kind ofapparatus with her gathered equipment. She had appointed another little girl wich a pad and pencil to take down notes in painful slow scribbles. Their voices rose and fell in the warm sunlight. 2 A Window on the Universe corte Zero Hour All around them the city hummod. The streets werc lined with g00d green and peaceful reees. Only the wind made a conflict across rhecity, across the country, across the continent, In a thousand other cities there were trces and children and avenues, business men in their quiet offices taping their voices, or wa tching televisors, Rockets hovered like darning needles in the blue sky. There was the universal, quier conceit and easiness of men accustomed to peace, quite certaín there would never be trouble again. Arm in arm, men all over earth were a united lront. The perfect weapons were held in equal trust by al! nations. A situarion of incredibly beautiful balance had been brought about. There were 10 traitors among inen, no unhappy ones, no disgruntled ones; therefore the world was based upon a stable ground. Sunlight illumined half the world and the trees drowsed in a tide of warm air. Mink's mother, from her upstairs window, gazed down. The children. She looked upon them and shook her head. Well, they*l car well, sleep well, and be in school on Monday. Bless their vigorous litrle bodies. She listened. Mink ralked earnestly to someone near the rose bush - though there was no one there, These odd children. And the lirdegirl, what was hername? Anna? Anna took notes on a pad, First, Mink asked the rose bush aquestion, then called the answer to Anna. “Triangle, said Mink. “Whars a tri, said Anna with dificulry, “angle? “Never mind,” said Mink. “How you spell it? asked Anna. “Tor+ > spelled Minkeslowly, thensnapped, “Ob, spellit yourself! She went on to other words. Beam,” she said. TT haven't got tri,' said Anna, “angle down yen “Well, hurry, hurry? cried Mink. Mink's mother leaned out of the opstaies window. “A-n-9-L-e, PAR ADA LOA RO SU MN E caro A AN E on she spelled down at Anna. “Oh, thanks, Mrs Morris, said Anna: “Certainly,' said Mink's mother and withdrew, laughing, to dust the hall with an electro-duster magnet. The voices wavered on the shimmery air. “Beam, said Anna. Fading. Four-nine-seven-A-and-B-and-X,' said Mink, far away, seriously, “And a fork and a string and a — hex-hex-agony - hexagonal!” At lunch Mink gulped milk at one toss and was ar the door. Her mother slapped the table. “Y ou sit right back down,” commnanded Mrs Morris. Hor soup in a minnte.* She poked a red burton on the kitchen butler, and ten seconds later something landed with a bump in the rubber receiver. Mrs Morris opened it, toole out a can with a pair of aluminium holders, unsealed it with a fick, and poured hot soup into a bowl, During all this Mink fidgeted. Hurry, Mom! This is a marter of life and death! Aw—- Twas the same way at your age. Always life and death. Iknow.* Mink banged away at the Soup. “Slow down,” said Mom. “Can't, said Mink. “Drill's waiting for me.* “Who's Drill? What a peculiar name, said Mom. “You don't know him. said Mink. “A new boy in the neighbourhood” asked Mom. “He's new all right, said Mink. She started on her second bowl. “Which one is Drill” asked Mom. “He'sarouad? said Mink, cvasively. Yow'Il make fun. Everybody pokes fun. Gee, damn s Deill shy? “Yes, No. In a way. Gosh, Mom, I got to run if we want to have the Invasion!" 7 Who's invading what? 16 A Window on the Universe E o o Zero Hour 17 Tr took her a minure to say it. Why, it means . . .* Her mother looked at the floor, laughing gently. Ti means —to be a child, dear.* “Thanks for lunch!" Mink ran our, then stuck her head back in. “Mom, Pl be sure you won't be hurt much, really? “Well, thanks,” said Mom. Slam went the door. Ar four o'clock the audio-visor buzzed. Mrs Morris flipped the tab. “Hello, Helen” she said in welcome. “Hello, Mary. How are things in New York? “Fine. How are things in Scranton? You look tired? “So do you. The children. Underfoot,' said Helen. Mts Morris sighed. “My Mink too. The super-Invasion.* Helen langhed. "Are your kids playing that game too?" “Lord, yes. Tomorrow itll be geometrical jacks and mororized hopscotch. Were we this bad when we were kids in "487 3 “Worse. Japs and Nazis”. Dot know how my parents put up with me. Tomboy. “Parents learn to shut their ears.* A silence, “Whats wrong, Mary? asked Helen. Mrs Morris's cyes were half closed; her tongue slid slowly, thoughtfully, over her lower lip. “Eh? Shejerked. Ob, nothing. Just thought about that. Shutring ears and such. Never mind. Where Were we?” “My boy Tinr's got a crush on some guy named — Drill, T think ir was. “Must by a new password. Mink likes him too.* “Didr't kuow ir had got as far as New York. Word of mouth, 1 imagine. Looks like a scrap drivc*. 1 talked to Josephine and she said her kids —rhar's in Boston — are wild on this new game. T's sweeping the country. NO e z : A A A A Error At this moment Mink trotred into the kitchen to gulp a glass of water. Mrs Morris turned. “How"re things going? “Almost finished,' said Mink. “Swell' said Mrs Morris. Wha's that?” “A yo-yo,' said Mink. “Watch. She flung the yo-yo dowa ¡ts string. Reaching the end i— lt vanishcd. See?” said Mink. *Ope" Dibbling her Enger, she made the yo-yo reappear and zip up the string. “Do that again,” said her mother. “Can't, Zero hours five 0'clock. Bye!” Mink exited, zipping her yo-yo. On the audio-visor, Helen laughed. Tim brought one of those yo-yos in this morning, bur when 1 gor curious he said he wouldi't show tto me, and when Trried to workit, finally, itwoulda'i work.? “Yowre not impressionable,' said Mts Morris. “What? “Never mind. Something | thought of. Car 1 help you, Helen?” 1 wanted to ger that black-and-white cake recipe.... * “The hour drowsed by, The day waned. The sun lowered in the peaceful blue sky. Shadows lengthened on the green lawns. The laughter and excitement continued. One little girl ran away, crying. Mrs Morris came our the front door. “Mink, was thar Peggy Ann crying?" Mink was ben: over in the yard, near the rose bush. Yeah. She's a scarebaby”. We won'e let her play, now. She's getting too uld to play. T guess she grew up all of a sudden.” s that why she cried? Nonsense. Give me a civil answer, young lady, or inside you comet Mink whirled in consternation, mixed with icritation. T can't quit now. Íts almost time. Pl! be good, P'1n sorry? 13 A Window on the Universe Zero Hour 15 “Did you hit Peggy Ann? “No, honest. You ask her. Tr was something — well, she's just a scaredy pants”.' The ring of children drew in aronnd Mink where she scowled ar her work with spoons and a kind of square-shaped arrangement of hammers and pipes. “There and there,” murmured Mink. “Whats wrong? said Mrs Morris. “DrilPs sruck. Half-way. If we could only ger him all the way through tt'd be easier. Then all the others cunld come through after him.” “Can help? “No'm, thanks. PH fix ár,* “all right. Pl! call you for your barh in half an hour. Pim tired of watching you? She went in and sar in the electric relaxing chair, sipping a here beerírom a halfempry glass. The chair massaged her back. Ciildren, children. Children and love and hate, side by side. Sometimes children loved you, hated you — all in half a second. Strange children, did they cver forget or forgive the whippings and the harsh, strict words uf command? She wondered. How can you ever forger or forgive those over and above you, those tall and silly dicrarors? Time passed. A curious, waiting silence came Upon the street, decpening. Five O'cluck. A clock sang softly somewhere in the house in a quier musical voice: Five u%clock — five o*clock. Time”s a-wasting. Five o'elock, and purred away into silence, Zero hour. Mus Morris chuckled in her throat. Zero hour. A beetle car hummed into the driveway. Mr Morris. Mrs Morris smiled. Mr Morris got out uf the beetle, locked it, and called hello to Mink at her work. Mink ignored him. He laughed and srood for a moment warching the children. Then he walked up the front steps. ' t Í i ¿ $ j ¿ y 13 É | : i A ; j z E ¿ E z “Hello, darling." “Hello, Henry.* She straincd forward on the edge of the chair, listening. The children were silent. Foo silent. He empuied his pipe, refilled it. *Swell day. Makes you glad to be alive.? Buzz. Whats thar? asked Henry. Y don't know.' She got up suddenly, her eyes widening. She was going to say something. She stopped it. Ridiculous. Her nerves jumped. “Those children haven't anything dangerous our there, have they? she said. “Nothing but pipes and hammers, Why?” “Nothing electrical?” “Heck, nu, said Henry. 1 looked.? She walked to the kirchen. The buzzing continued. “Just he same, yow'd better go tell them to quit. Tes after five. Tell them—- Her eyes widened and narrowed. “Tell them to put off their Invasion until tomorrow.' She laughed, nervously. The buzzing grew louder, “What arc they up to? Td better go look, all right.* The explosion! The house shook with dull sound. There were other explosions in other yards on other streets. Involuntarily, Mrs Morris sereamed. Up this way! she cried senselessly, knowing no sense, no reason, Perhaps she saw something from the corners of her eyes; perhaps she smelled a new odour or heard a new nuise. There was no time to argue with Henry to convince him. Let him think her insane. Yes, insane! Shrieking, she ran upstaizs. He ran after her to see what she was up Lo, La the attic”” she sereamed. Thar's where it is!” It was only a poor excuse to get him in the attic in time. Ob, God - in time! 
