A high level of accidents at an atomic research facility calls in a trained hypnotist to relax the lab workers. During one of the accidents, a scorpion is bathed in radiation which makes it grow and gain sentience which it communicates hostile brain waves. The hypnotist attempts to soothe the creature's anger but fails. The scorpion goes about gathering its brothers in order to subject them to the same procedure so that they can assault humans everywhere and take over. Suddenly, it is doubled up in terrible pain, and the soldiers speculate that it is due to the radiation bombardment. The monster pleads for release, even if it means death. They subject it to a second dose which finishes it off and express relief that the creature developed pain. The hypnotist reveals that there never was any pain. He failed in his first attempt because the creature was on guard, but later he succeeded with the hypnosis in his second attempt to implant the suggestion of burning pain.
Appearing in "Won't You Step into My Parlor...???"
An aircraft manufacturer attempts to eliminate a business rival with a weak heart by building a mansion with giant rooms so as to give the man a shock. When he invites the rival over to dinner he drugs the wine, and then places the unconscious man in one of the giant rooms. When he revives, he feels that he must have shrunk and the shock does indeed prove too much for his heart and he collapses. The villain takes the opportunity to gloat and the dying man lays a gypsy curse upon him. The villain goes into the next room, which should not be a giant one, but finds all the furniture immense, so realizes that he has been shrunk by the gypsy curse. He ends up devoured by his own cat which displays the eyes of his rival.
A furniture maker gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to eliminate a rival chair producer and finds out he is an alien in disguise creating robotic spies on humans.
Notes
The Scorpion Strikes
story by Lee and/or Lieber
inks possibly by Reinman
Won't You Step into My Parlor...?? story by Lee and/or Lieber
