Yo, Lázaro

# "Yo, Lázaro" by Curtis Garland

This science-fiction serial, appearing in La Conquista del Espacio (issue 382), follows journalist Raines as he witnesses the execution of Janos Siodmak, a Hungarian-born convicted murderer at San Quentin. Siodmak killed a farmer who cheated him of wages and savings, claiming he simply "willed" the man dead—leaving no physical evidence. Before his execution in the gas chamber, Siodmak inexplicably requests a private five-minute meeting with Raines, claiming he could see through the supposedly one-way mirror. Siodmak speaks cryptically of possessing "time" and capabilities others lack. The narrative, framed as biblical resurrection imagery (opening with the raising of Lazarus), suggests Siodmak may be something other than human. The story combines crime procedural with speculative elements, exploring themes of justice, immortality, and supernatural power through a condemned man's final hours.