text: The vagrant had always been a harmless nuisance, Dorothy Ballantyne thought. Old Roger, as he was known in her neighborhood, was lying in the alley between Hocksworthy's Books and Rupert's Delicatessen, his eyes glazed over in an alcoholic stupor and barely aware of his surroundings. Dorothy's mother, Evelyn, tightened her gloved hand and pulled her daughter closer as they walked past him, while her father stared straight ahead and pretended not to notice the pitiable man. The young girl looked up at her father and frowned. Ever since he had returned from the war her father's character had changed almost imperceptibly. Her mother hadn't seemed to notice it but she had, now and again, in little things. Her mother typically ignored Roger, but her father had always acted kindly towards him, giving him a coin or stopping to say hello. She caught a whiff of Roger's foul body odour, and moved with pity, was going to ask her mother if she could give him two pence when the homeless man came alive and shouted the first words Dorothy had ever heard. "Get away from them! GET AWAY YOU FIEND!!" Moving like lightning, Old Roger leapt to his feet and lunged towards them, his right hand clutching a jack knife. Evelyn screamed and pulled Dorothy away while Roger collided with Mr. Ballantyne and wrestled him to the ground. Despite being taken by surprise, Mr. Ballantyne was no slouch when it came to fighting. He still had his quick wits from the battlefield and effortlessly put Roger into a headlock, knocked the knife from his hand, flipped him on his stomach and pinned him there until a nearby bobby ran over and handcuffed him. By now the whole neighborhood was gawking at the commotion, totally out of place for this leafy London street on a quiet Sunday evening. "You're all going to die! you hear?", Roger bellowed at the top of his lungs. He looked at Arthur Ballantyne accusingly. "I see what you really are. You can't fool me! You're one of them! Before, you were few, but now *his* minions are everywhere. I have seen the Yellow Sign in the sky. The Scorpion from the stars! The one whom God did not create and the devil himself fears! The Hyades. *You're from the Hyades"*. Something alien flashed behind her father's eyes again, something she had noticed once or twice in the past few months when he was vulnerable, usually if he was tired or had a bit too much to drink. Roger trailed off in a croak, went mute and jerked his head back like he was hiccuping. Subdued at last, police reinforcements lead the homeless man away in a car. "Are you alright, sir?", the first bobby on the scene asked Arthur. "Yes, yes. He just scuffed me up a bit. Nothing to worry about. Though he did scare the living daylights out of my wife and daughter". Mr. Ballantyne pulled his family close and hugged them. "Do you want to press charges?" Mr. Ballantyne looked down at his wife's tender expression. "No. No. We're all right. It isn't necessary. That poor soul is in a world of punishment as it is. Just get him off the streets and get him the care he needs before he really hurts someone". "Don't worry about that. He's off to the Insane Asylum. I must say, I'm impressed at how you handled that kook. You made quick work of him!" "I've still got it, I guess. Helped me take care of a few of those Nazi bastards". "I don't doubt it. I was in the service myself. Royal Navy, in fact. Sad to say I never saw any action. Anyway, will that be all, sir?" "Yes, I think so. Good night, officer". The bobby tipped his hat and returned to his patrol. "Oh Arthur! Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you want to go to the hospital? Just to make sure you didn't hit your head?" "Evelyn, my dear, has anyone told you that you're becoming a terrific nag?", he teased, kissing her hand and rubbing it gently. "I'm fine, really". "What could've set Roger off like that? I couldn't imagine he'd ever hurt a fly". "Oh, he's mad. Absolutely mad. I couldn't make sense of a damned thing he said. That lunatic should have been locked up years ago if you ask me". "Did he think you were a bad man, daddy?", Dorothy squeaked, still shaken. "Yes, that's it my love. That old bat's a little kooky and must have mistaken me for one of his drinking buddies he's in a spat with", Arthur said with a smile as he ruffled his daughter's chestnut brown hair. "Come on then. It's getting dark. Let's head home before we find ourselves in the middle of any more excitement. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to my two favourite girls", Arthur said as he linked arms with his wife and daughter and started for home. But something bothered Evelyn. "Arthur, he mentioned the Hyades. Isn't that a distant star cluster?" Arthur looked at his wife with his easy, charming smile. "I haven't the foggiest idea, darling". ~ At the Royal Psychiatric Hospital for the Criminally Insane the evening wasn't concluding as pleasantly as it had for the Ballantynes. "Poor old codger", the doctor on duty that evening said to the attending nurse as Old Roger screamed himself hoarse on the other side of a thick, rusty iron door. "I heard he was a Great War vet. Probably went crazy from the fighting. Shell shock, the old timers called it. Oh well, the chap's lucky. He's got a room with a view. The night sky will help him relax", the middle age doctor said authoritatively, crossing his arms. "I heard he used to be a literature professor. Or was it history? He specialized in old and occult books, or so I heard when I was in school. Maybe he stumbled across something he shouldn't have", she said cheekily. "OoOoOohhh", the doctor made a ghostly sound. "Oh, that reminds me". The pretty nurse pulled a tattered book from her pocket and handed it to the doctor. "That fell out of his coat pocket when we searched his clothes". "Oh", the doctor took the ancient, dog eared copy of the King In Yellow and slid it under Old Roger's door with a sure smile. "I don't see the harm in him keeping it. It might make him feel better".