9:23
He was still screaming as the low sill of the open window caught him behind the knees and toppled him thirty stories to the street . Alone in the silent room , Helen Benton stood dazed , staring blindly at the empty window . Tommy 's parting gift from his father slid from her hand and lay on the carpet , still ticking gently . It was 9:23 on Mars . The End Transcriber 's Note : This etext was produced from _ Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy _ July 1953 . Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed . Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note .