Darkly it thought: I must give them the message. I must tell them of the plague that destroyed all life on Venus. I must tell them of the virus, borne on the winds, against which there is no protection. Out of space, it came to Venus, spores that grew to flowers. And now, the flowers grow on Earth. In a month, the petals will fall, and from the blossoms the virus will develop. And then, all life on Earth will be destroyed, as it was on Venus, and nothing will exist on all the planet but bright flowers and the ruins of cities. I must warn them to destroy the blossoms now, before they pollinate. . . .
The mists were very thick now. The Beast shuddered convulsively, and lay still. It was dead.
On a rooftop, a man and a woman watched from the distance. The man said: "God, what a horrible thing! Look at it lying there, like the devil himself." He shuddered and glanced away.
The white-faced woman nodded. "It's hard to believe the world can hold so much horror, and yet can give us anything as beautiful as this. . . ." Her slim fingers stroked the velvety petals of the blossom that was pinned to her dress. Radiant, lovely, the flower from Venus glowed in the sunlight.
Already, pollen was forming within its cup.
