On a humid Venusian hunting trip, wealthy outdoorsman Judd Whitney and his wife Lindy encounter a small glowing creature with black eyes that seems strangely fearless. When Lindy raises her rifle, both are suddenly washed over by an almost irresistible drowsiness, and the hunt dissolves in peaceful lethargy. Fascinated, Lindy brings the creature home and names it Black Eyes, unaware that her new pet carries an uncanny power. Back on Earth, Black Eyes appears quiet and statuesque, but its influence quickly becomes impossible to ignore. A customs official abandons quarantine with suspicious ease, and the creature's tears and whimpering seem to spread sleepiness through everyone nearby. Soon the effect reaches far beyond the Whitneys' home: business leaders lose interest in their companies, workers stop showing up, and even a jetcraft factory grinds to a halt. Blending science fiction with sly social satire, the story turns a tiny Venusian animal into a charmingly destructive force that softens the machinery of modern civilization. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.