The manuscript was placed in storage, thought lost by the author, and returned to him about thirty years later. It was published, without any alterations, in Astounding: The John W Campbell Memorial Anthology, in 1973.
Plot summary
The story is narrated by Pete Tronti, a struggling inventor. Whilst experimenting with a new form of glass, he is trying to perfect, Pete is astonished to hear a disembodied voice from within the bottle he is working with. The voice announces itself to be the soul of Wallace Gregory, who has just died in a road accident. He is hiding from Them, who search out and eat souls.
Gregory persuades Tronti to create a body for him and eventually he takes possession of the body of Helix, Tronti's pet cat. Between them, they modify Helix's body and increase his intelligence. But when Helix/Gregory start to take over Tronti's life, he decides he has no option but to kill the cat. Helix escapes and goes into business as a cat burglar.
