02388cam a22003493u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000230011324500200013626400510015630000470020733600260025433700260028033800360030649000530034250000310039550800960042652012490052253400760177165300200184765300180186765300380188583000530192385600430197699900190201972496UtSlPG20260610134657.0mcr n260607r20231953utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aHenderson, Gene L.14aThe small bears 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2023  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Fantastic Universe June-July 1953.  aRelease date is 2023-12-24  aGreg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Small Bears" by Gene L. Henderson is a science fiction novella that was likely written in the early 1950s. The narrative unfolds in a mysterious alien landscape, where a crew from Earth investigates a planet that has absorbed previous expeditions. The story delves into themes of alien intelligence and the hidden perils that come with first contact.  The plot centers around Dr. Dick Boyette and the crew of the space-cruiser "Assault", who land on a planet that has resulted in the disappearance of numerous ships. As they explore, they encounter small, teddy bear-like aliens that initially appear harmless but are later revealed to possess telepathic abilities capable of manipulating human thoughts. Dr. Boyette discovers that these creatures have led previous crews to their demise by compelling them to jump into a lake of molten rock. Utilizing a truth serum, he learns of the aliens' plan to infiltrate Earth through the guise of pets to incite destructive conflicts. Ultimately, Boyette advocates for an alternative approach, suggesting the introduction of fleas to disrupt the aliens' hypnotic control, proposing a potential avenue for peaceful coexistence rather than annihilation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  pOriginally published:cNew York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1953  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aHuman-alien encounters -- Fiction 0aProduced from Fantastic Universe June-July 1953.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72496  c113221d113221