Margaret St. Clair,
The stroller
(1947)
“ Marta said. "Goodness!""It feeds, like the Mocker, on both the flesh and the life force of human beings. Fortunately"—Kauss smiled—"it's very, very rare. There are probably only a few Strollers in the entire solar system, and they reproduce only at widely separated intervals." ”
Margaret St. Clair,
The stroller
(1947)
“ Kauss was looking at the debris on the floor. A peculiar expression, half satisfaction, half private insight, hovered around the corners of his lips."It was a Mocker, I think," he answered."A Mocker? What—?""Um-hum. You still find a few of them in the wilder parts of Venus. They're parasitic—ah—entities, that feed on the life force, as well as the flesh, of human beings. No doubt this one came aboard the ship at Aphrodition, in that consignment of Fyella corymbs. They're invisible most of the time, so of course we didn't suspect it.""But how did it get here?" George demanded. ”
Margaret St. Clair,
The stroller
(1947)
“ One of the first signs that a Mocker is taking hold is a spell of amnesia, and of course that's what happened to you, Saunders, when we were taking on cargo at Aphrodition, though I didn't realize it at the time."A Mocker doesn't usually kill its host directly, but it does draw on his life force to keep itself going, and he usually complains of feeling worn out and tired."Kauss halted. Marta looked down at her husband's brown suit and the ice cream slowly melting across it."Please, George, pick up that stuff before it ruins your suit completely," she said automatically. ”
