The Man Outside

By EVELYN E. SMITH
Illustrated by DILLON
No one, least of all Martin, could dispute that a man's life should be guarded by his kin—but by those who hadn't been born yet?
Nobody in the neighborhood was surprised when Martin's mother disappeared and Ninian came to take care of him. Mothers had a way of disappearing around those parts and the kids were often better off without them. Martin was no exception. He'd never had it this good while he was living with his old lady. As for his father, Martin had never had one. He'd been a war baby, born of one of the tides of soldiers—enemies and allies, both—that had engulfed the country in successive waves and bought or taken the women. So there was no trouble that way.
Sometimes he wondered who Ninian really was. Obviously that story about her coming from the future was just a gag. Besides, if she really was his great-great-grand-daughter, as she said, why would she tell him to call her Aunt Ninian ? Maybe he was only eleven, but he'd been around and he knew just what the score was. At first he'd thought maybe she was some new kind of social worker, but she acted a little too crazy for that.
He loved to bait her, as he had loved to bait his mother. It was safer with Ninian, though, because when he pushed her too far, she would cry instead of mopping up the floor with him.
But I can't understand, he would say, keeping his face straight. Why do you have to come from the future to protect me against your cousin Conrad?
Because he's coming to kill you.
Why should he kill me? I ain't done him nothing.
Ninian sighed. He's dissatisfied with the current social order and killing you is part of an elaborate plan he's formulated to change it. You wouldn't understand.
You're damn right. I don't understand. What's it all about in straight gas?
Oh, just don't ask any questions, Ninian said petulantly. When you get older, someone will explain the whole thing to you.