A City Near Centaurus

In Short

An Earth archaeologist named Michaelson explores an ancient, half-buried city on Alpha Centaurus II, disregarding the warnings of a web-footed native named Maota who considers the ruins sacred. Despite Maota's violent resistance and the destruction of a priceless talking book of poetry, Michaelson persists in studying the city's alien technology. He eventually discovers a machine that translates the mind into a disembodied state of existence beyond death. After experiencing this strange realm and clashing with Maota's spirit, Michaelson uses his own hidden teleportation device to return to his physical body.

The Story

Mr. Michaelson wanders through an ancient, silent city on Alpha Centaurus II, marveling at the preserved architecture, streets filled with blown sand, and buildings untouched for half a million years. He encounters Maota, an old native with webbed feet and long gray hair who demands that Michaelson leave immediately, warning him that the city is sacred ground and that his presence might anger returning spirits. Michaelson mocks the warnings, convinced that no spirits are coming back, and resolves to catalogue the site and preserve its artifacts for future generations.

Maota persistently follows and threatens the archaeologist. During one confrontation, Maota strikes Michaelson in the head with an ancient book, leaving him bleeding in the street. Michaelson uses a tiny, powerful teleportation cylinder buried behind his ear to visit a distant creek, washes his wound, and returns. When he touches the dropped book, he discovers it is a "talking book" that communicates poetry directly into his mind. Fascinated by this proof that the ancient inhabitants were human in thought and feeling, Michaelson becomes even more determined to preserve the city, dismissing Maota's furious protests.

The next morning, Maota confronts Michaelson with a deadly blowgun-style weapon, threatening to kill him to protect the ruins from package-and-shelf preservation. During a tense standoff, Maota reads poetry aloud from the book, observing how gently the invisible spirits drink in the words. A sudden struggle over the weapon results in an accidental blast that leaves a charred hole in the ground and obliterates the fragile book. Devastated by the loss, Maota weeps while Michaelson tries to comfort him, insisting that they are both human and should negotiate. Maota refuses, maintaining that mortals cannot step from star to star.

Maota leads Michaelson to a small dwelling where a strange, warm instrument resembling a clock hangs on the wall. Maota explains that the ancient race did not die out; instead, they used this machine to take an "unknown direction" and cheat death. Smiling, Maota presses the button on the device, emits a high-pitched whine, and falls dead across his bed. Feeling depressed and alone, Michaelson buries Maota on a desert knoll overlooking the spires.

Weeks later, after mastering the alien language and studying the books, Michaelson decides to test the machine himself. He presses the button, experiences a silent void of pure awareness, and finds himself disembodied alongside Maota's presence. Discovering a lingering thread connecting his consciousness to his physical body on the bed, Michaelson uses his mental force and his subcutaneous Earth cylinder to command his mind back into his flesh. When he stands up alive, Maota's spirit screams in rage and jealousy, realizing that Michaelson possesses a return ticket from the afterlife that the native can never share.

How It Unfolds

• The voyage begins: Michaelson explores a vast, half-buried dead city on Alpha Centaurus II and meets an old native named Maota who orders him to leave sacred ground.
• The talking book: After recovering from a head wound inflicted by Maota, Michaelson discovers an ancient book that speaks poetry directly into his mind.
• A tragic loss: During a struggle between the two men over a deadly weapon, an accidental blast destroys the priceless book of poetry, crushing Maota's heart.
• The unknown direction: Maota reveals a clock-like machine used by the ancient race to escape death, presses its button, and dies.
• The final return: Michaelson tests the death machine himself, enters a disembodied realm with Maota, and successfully uses his Earth cylinder to return to his living body.

The People

• Mr. Michaelson: An Earth archaeologist driven by insatiable curiosity and a desire to catalogue and preserve ancient history. He wants to save the dead city's artifacts for posterity, and his main obstacles are his own lack of common sense and Maota's fierce opposition. He ends up different by experiencing a brush with death and consciousness beyond the physical form, ultimately returning to his living body.
• Maota: An intelligent, weathered native who acts as the self-appointed keeper of the dead city. He wants to protect the ruins from desecration and preserve the sanctity of the ancient spirits, standing directly in the way of Michaelson's preservation plans. He ends up dead after using the alien machine to take the unknown direction, existing eternally as a disembodied spirit consumed by jealousy.

In Its Own Voice

The city was sacred, but not to its gods.

This opening line establishes the uncanny atmosphere and sets up the central conflict between the city's history and its modern visitors.

The old man shook his head like a waving palm frond and stamped his feet.

This vivid description captures Maota's distinct physical mannerisms and his deep agitation during his arguments with Michaelson.

A black, charred hole, two feet in diameter and--they could not see how deep--stared at them.

This moment highlights the dangerous power of the alien weapons and the destructive potential of the men's fierce quarrel.

What It's Really About

The story explores the tension between preservation and experience, asking whether ancient history belongs locked behind museum glass or left undisturbed to retain its living spirit. It examines the human drive to conquer time, understand foreign minds, and conquer mortality. Through the clash between Michaelson's scientific cataloguing and Maota's spiritual reverence, the narrative questions how we should approach the remnants of extinct civilizations—whether as cold data to be analyzed or as sacred art to be felt. It also touches on the nature of human consciousness, suggesting that curiosity and the desire to connect across eons run deeper than the boundaries of life and death.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love classic, contemplative science fiction that prioritizes ideas and atmosphere over space-battle action will find much to admire here. Reading it feels like walking through a quiet, sun-baked museum with a companion who is both eccentric and deeply passionate. The story offers a melancholy, haunting look at loneliness, cross-cultural misunderstanding, and the eerie permanence of art. While modern readers might notice mid-century pulp conventions in the dialogue and setup, the core philosophical questions about mortality and our relationship with the past remain striking and resonant. It is a thoughtful short piece that stays with you long after the final page is turned, leaving you to ponder what lies beyond the edges of human knowledge.