THE NIGHT OF THE TROLLS
BY KEITH LAUMER
ILLUSTRATED BY NODEL
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of Tomorrow October 1963
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The machine's job was to defend its place against
enemies—but it had forgotten it had friends!
I
It was different this time. There was a dry pain in my lungs, and a deep ache in my bones, and a fire in my stomach that made me want to curl into a ball and mew like a kitten. My mouth tasted as though mice had nested in it, and when I took a deep breath wooden knives twisted in my chest.