The Light that Never Dies (short story)

The Light that Never Dies was the third story in the Bernice Summerfield anthology The Dead Men Diaries. It was written by Eddie Robson.

Summary
At loose ends, Benny is bored. She contacts Irving, and he suggests that she could help him catalogue some old films. Benny works for a while, but gets tired of writing copy. She decides to watch one of the films, one that she has always wanted to see. It is a documentary of a rebellion on Delcanto, in which rebels kill three ambassadors.

As Benny watches the executions, it seems as if one of the ambassadors is looking right at her. She replays the moment, but notices that there are tiny differences. After a third viewing, she informs Irving that this film changes each time she watches it. Irving watches it and the same thing happens.

Irving thinks he's seen the species of the ambassador before. They are the Brv'cllnz. Their culture has a taboo against allowing their images to be taken.

Benny and Irving watch the film again, and this time they pause it prior to the execution. Everything on the film stops, except for the one alien. He looks around and sees them. They introduce themselves and he gives his name as Mrrct'llz. He tells them that he died during the executions but that as he is an energy creature, the source of his image is trapped in this film. Benny suggests they keep the film paused, so he wouldn't have to die, but Mrrct'llz would be trapped in the "tiny square of light". He asks them to get rid of the film.

Irving cuts out the bit of film with Mrrct'llz' execution and splices the rest back together.

Characters

 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Irving Braxiatel
 * Mrrct'llz

Continuity

 * Benny still has the original of . It was a gift from the Martian invaders in PROSE: The Dying Days.
 * Living beings trapped in celluloid — albeit more sinister ones — were featured in TV: From Out of the Rain.