SOURCE: "The Holes Around Mars" by Jerome Bixby (Galaxy Magazine, January 1954).

DESCRIPTION: "The Martians were runts--the tallest of them less than five feet tall--and skinny asa pencil. Dried up and brown, they wore lion-cloths of woven fiber. They stood among the dusty-looking inverted-bowl buildings of their village, and every one of them was looking straight up at us with unblinking brown eyes." ("The Holes Around Mars" by Jerome Bixby)

NOTES: The Martians are slender, furred creatures who possess a highly developed sense of hearing. This comes in handy when there is a miniature third moon blasting through the environment, leaving holes everywhere. They are peaceful and help the humans avoid injury.

HISTORY:  Bixby's puzzle story is mostly a bad pun strung out for 3000 wrds. but his Martians are different from the run-of-the-mill variety. No green skin, lasers or beautiful maidens needing rescue.

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