ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isaac Asimov, noted biochemist and professor at the Boston University School of
Medicine, is not only reconi!ed as one of the reatest science fiction "riters of o#r time
b#t has also been praised for the e$citement he brins to the "ritin of scientific fact%
In this collection &r% Asimov's probin imaination has created fifteen fascinatin
advent#res set in the not(too(distant f#t#re(advent#res that co#ld chane from fiction to
fact any day no"%
isaac asimov
Earth Is
Room Enough
Science Fiction Tales
of Our Own Planet
&E&I)ATIO*+
To Those Admirable and Amiable ,endlemen -ho .irst Occasioned the /#blication of
These Stories+ Anthony Bo#cher % % % Ho"ard Bro"ne % % % 0ohn )ampbell % % % Horace
,old % % % Robert 1o"ndes % % % 1eo Mar#lies % % % Ray /almer % % % 0ames 2#inn % % % 1arry
Sha" % % % R#ss -interbotham
THIS BOO3 )O*TAI*S THE )OM/1ETE TE4T O. THE ORI,I*A1
HAR&)O5ER E&ITIO*%
)opyriht 6 789: by Isaac Asimov
)O*TE*TS
The &ead /ast
The .o#ndation of S%.% S#ccess
.ranchise
,immic;s Three
3id St#ff
The -atery /lace
1ivin Space
The Messae
Satisfaction ,#aranteed
Hell(.ire
The 1ast Tr#mp
The .#n They Had
0o;ester
The Immortal Bard
Someday
The A#thor's Ordeal
&reamin Is a /rivate Thin
The Dead Past
Arnold /otterley, /h%&%, "as a /rofessor of Ancient History% That, in itself, "as not danero#s%
-hat chaned the "orld beyond all dreams "as the fact that he loo;ed li;e a /rofessor of Ancient History%
Thadde#s Araman, &epartment Head of the &ivision of )hronoscopy, miht have ta;en proper
action if &r% /otterley had been o"ner %of a lare, s<#are chin, flashin eyes, a<#iline nose and broad
sho#lders%
As it "as, Thadde#s Araman fo#nd himself starin over his des; at a mild(mannered individ#al,
"hose faded bl#e eyes loo;ed at him "istf#lly from either side of a lo"(brided b#tton nose= "hose small,
neatly dressed fi#re seemed stamped >mil;(and("ater? from thinnin bro"n hair to the neatly br#shed
shoes that completed a conservative middle(class cost#me%
Araman said pleasantly, >And no" "hat can I do for yo#, &r% /otterley@?
&r% /otterley said in a soft voice that "ent "ell "ith the rest of him, >Mr% Araman, I came to yo#
beca#se yo#'re top man in chronoscopy%?
Araman smiled% >*ot e$actly% Above me is the -orld )ommissioner of Research and above him
is the Secretary(,eneral of the United *ations% And above both of them, of co#rse, are the soverein
peoples of Earth%?
&r% /otterley shoo; his head% >They're not interested in chronoscopy% I've come to yo#, sir,
beca#se for t"o years I have been tryin to obtain permission to do some time vie"in(chronoscopy, that
is(in connection "ith my researches on ancient )arthae% I can't obtain s#ch permission% My research
rants are all proper% There is no irre#larity in any of my intellect#al endeavors and yet(?
>I'm s#re there is no <#estion of irre#larity,? said Araman soothinly% He flipped the thin
reprod#ction sheets in the folder to "hich /otterley's name had been attached% They had been prod#ced by
M#ltivac, "hose vast analoical mind ;ept all the department records% -hen this "as over, the sheets co#ld
be destroyed, then reprod#ced on demand in a matter of min#tes%
And "hile Araman t#rned the paes, &r% /otterley's voice contin#ed in a soft monotone%
The historian "as sayin, >I m#st e$plain that my problem is <#ite an important one% )arthae
"as ancient commercialism bro#ht to its !enith% /re(Roman )arthae "as the nearest ancient analo#e to
pre(atomic America, at least insofar as its attachment to trade, commerce and b#siness in eneral "as
concerned% They "ere the most darin seamen and e$plorers before the 5i;ins= m#ch better at it than the
overrated ,ree;s%
>To ;no" )arthae "o#ld be very re"ardin, yet the only ;no"lede "e have of it is derived
from the "ritins of its bitter enemies, the ,ree;s and Romans% )arthae itself never "rote in its o"n
defense or, if it did, the boo;s did not s#rvive% As a res#lt, the )arthainians have been one of the favorite
sets of villains of history and perhaps #nA#stly so% Time vie"in may set the record straiht%?
He said m#ch more%
Araman said, still t#rnin the reprod#ction sheets before him, >Bo# m#st reali!e, &r% /otterley,
that chronoscopy, or time vie"in, if yo# prefer, is a diffic#lt process%?
&r% /otterley, "ho had been interr#pted, fro"ned and said, >I am as;in for only certain selected
vie"s at times and places I "o#ld indicate%?
Araman sihed% >Even a fe" vie"s, even one %%% It is an #nbelievably delicate art% There is the
<#estion of foc#s, ettin the proper scene in vie" and holdin it% There is the synchroni!ation of so#nd,
"hich calls for completely independent circ#its%?
>S#rely my problem is important eno#h to A#stify considerable effort%?
>Bes, sir% Undo#btedly,? said Araman at once% To deny the importance of someone's research
problem "o#ld be #nforivably bad manners% >B#t yo# m#st #nderstand ho" lon(dra"n(o#t even the
simplest vie" is% And there is a lon "aitin line for the chronoscope and an even loner "aitin line for
the #se of M#ltivac "hich #ides #s in o#r #se of the controls%?
/otterley stirred #nhappily% >B#t can nothin be done@ .or t"o years(?
>A matter of priority, sir% I'm sorry% % % % )iarette@?
The historian started bac; at the s#estion, eyes s#ddenly "idenin as he stared at the pac; thr#st
o#t to"ard him% Araman loo;ed s#rprised, "ithdre" the pac;, made a motion as tho#h to ta;e a ciarette
for himself and tho#ht better of it%
/otterley dre" a sih of #nfeined relief as the pac; "as p#t o#t of siht%
He said, >Is there any "ay of revie"in matters, p#ttin me as far for"ard as possible% I don't
;no" ho" to e$plain(?
Araman smiled% Some had offered money #nder similar circ#mstances "hich, of co#rse, had
otten them no"here, either% He said, >The decisions on priority are comp#ter(processed% I co#ld in no "ay
alter those decisions arbitrarily%?
/otterley rose stiffly to his feet% He stood five and a half feet tall% >Then, ood day, sir%?
>,ood day, &r% /otterley% And my sincerest rerets%?
He offered his hand and /otterley to#ched it briefly%
The historian left, and a to#ch of the b#!!er bro#ht Araman's secretary into the room% He handed
her the folder%
>These,? he said, >may be disposed of%?
Alone aain, he smiled bitterly% Another item in his <#arter(cent#ry's service to the h#man race%
Service thro#h neation%
At least this fello" had been easy to dispose of% Sometimes academic press#re had to be applied
and even "ithdra"al of rants%
.ive min#tes later, he had forotten &r% /otterley% *or, thin;in bac; on it later, co#ld he
remember feelin any premonition of daner%
&#rin the first year of his fr#stration, Arnold /otterley had e$perienced only that(fr#stration%
&#rin the second year, tho#h, his fr#stration ave birth to an idea that first frihtened and then fascinated
him% T"o thins stopped him from tryin to translate the idea into action, and neither barrier "as the
#ndo#bted fact that his notion "as a rossly #nethical one%
The first "as merely the contin#in hope that the overnment "o#ld finally ive its permission
and ma;e it #nnecessary for him to do anythin more% That hope had perished finally in the intervie" "ith
Araman A#st completed%
The second barrier had been not a hope at all b#t a dreary reali!ation of his o"n incapacity% He
"as not a physicist and he ;ne" no physicists from "hom he miht obtain help% The &epartment of /hysics
at the #niversity consisted of men "ell stoc;ed "ith rants and "ell immersed in specialty% At best, they
"o#ld not listen to him% At "orst, they "o#ld report him for intellect#al anarchy and even his basic
)arthainian rant miht easily be "ithdra"n%
That he co#ld not ris;% And yet chronoscopy "as the only "ay to carry on his "or;% -itho#t it, he
"o#ld be no "orse off if his rant "ere lost%
The first hint that the second barrier miht be overcome had come a "ee; earlier than his
intervie" "ith Araman, and it had one #nreconi!ed at the time% It had been at one of the fac#lty teas%
/otterley attended these sessions #nfailinly beca#se he conceived attendance to be a d#ty, and he too; his
d#ties serio#sly% Once there, ho"ever, he conceived it to be no responsibility of his to ma;e liht
conversation or ne" friends% He sipped abstemio#sly at a drin; or t"o, e$chaned a polite "ord "ith the
dean or s#ch department heads as happened to be present, besto"ed a narro" smile on others and finally
left early%
Ordinarily, he "o#ld have paid no attention, at that most recent tea, to a yo#n man standin
<#ietly, even diffidently, in one corner% He "o#ld never have dreamed of spea;in to him% Bet a tanle of
circ#mstance pers#aded him this once to behave in a "ay contrary to his nat#re%
That mornin at brea;fast, Mrs% /otterley had anno#nced somberly that once aain she had
dreamed of 1a#rel= b#t this time a 1a#rel ro"n #p, yet retainin the three(year(old face that stamped her
as their child% /otterley had let her tal;% There had been a time "hen he fo#ht her too fre<#ent
preocc#pation "ith the past and death% 1a#rel "o#ld not come bac; to them, either thro#h dreams or
thro#h tal;% Bet if it appeased )aroline /otterley(let her dream and tal;%
B#t "hen /otterley "ent to school that mornin, he fo#nd himself for once affected by )aroline's
inanities% 1a#rel ro"n #pC She had died nearly t"enty years ao= their only child, then and ever% In all that
time, "hen he tho#ht of her, it "as as a three(year(old%
*o" he tho#ht+ B#t if she "ere alive no", she "o#ldn't be three, she'd be nearly t"enty(three%
Helplessly, he fo#nd himself tryin to thin; of 1a#rel as ro"in proressively older= as finally
becomin t"enty(three% He did not <#ite s#cceed%
Bet he tried% 1a#rel #sin ma;e(#p% 1a#rel oin o#t "ith boys% 1a#rel( ettin marriedC
So it "as that "hen he sa" the yo#n man hoverin at the o#ts;irts of the coldly circ#latin ro#p
of fac#lty men, it occ#rred to him <#i$otically that, for all he ;ne", a yo#nster A#st s#ch as this miht have
married 1a#rel% That yo#nster himself, perhaps% % % %
1a#rel miht have met him, here at the #niversity, or some evenin "hen he miht be invited to
dinner at the /otterleys'% They miht ro" interested in one another% 1a#rel "o#ld s#rely have been pretty
and this yo#nster loo;ed "ell% He "as dar; in colorin, "ith a lean intent face and an easy carriae%
The ten#o#s daydream snapped, yet /otterley fo#nd himself starin foolishly at the yo#n man,
not as a strane face b#t as a possible son(in(la" in the miht(have(been% He fo#nd himself threadin his
"ay to"ard the man% It "as almost a form of a#tohypnotism%
He p#t o#t his hand% >I am Arnold /otterley of the History &epartment% Bo#'re ne" here, I thin;@?
The yo#nster loo;ed faintly astonished and f#mbled "ith his drin;, shiftin it to his left hand in
order to sha;e "ith his riht% >0onas .oster is my name, sir% I'm a ne" instr#ctor in physics% I'm A#st
startin this semester%?
/otterley nodded% >I "ish yo# a happy stay here and reat s#ccess%?
That "as the end of it, then% /otterley had come #neasily to his senses, fo#nd himself embarrassed
and moved off% He stared bac; over his sho#lder once, b#t the ill#sion of relationship had one% Reality "as
<#ite real once more and he "as anry "ith himself for havin fallen prey to his "ife's foolish tal; abo#t
1a#rel%
B#t a "ee; later, even "hile Araman "as tal;in, the tho#ht of that yo#n man had come bac; to
him% An instr#ctor in physics% A ne" instr#ctor% Had he been deaf at the time@ -as there a short circ#it
bet"een ear and brain@ Or "as it an a#tomatic self(censorship beca#se of the impendin intervie" "ith the
Head of )hronoscopy@
B#t the intervie" failed, and it "as the tho#ht of the yo#n man "ith "hom he had e$chaned
t"o sentences that prevented /otterley from elaboratin his pleas for consideration% He "as almost an$io#s
to et a"ay%
And in the a#toiro e$press bac; to the #niversity, he co#ld almost "ish he "ere s#perstitio#s% He
co#ld then console himself "ith the tho#ht that the cas#al meaninless meetin had really been directed
by a ;no"in and p#rposef#l .ate%
0onas .oster "as not ne" to academic life% The lon and ric;ety str#le for the doctorate "o#ld
ma;e anyone a veteran% Additional "or; as a postdoctorate teachin fello" acted as a booster shot%
B#t no" he "as Instr#ctor 0onas .oster% /rofessorial dinity lay ahead% And he no" fo#nd himself
in a ne" sort of relationship to"ard other professors%
.or one thin, they "o#ld be votin on f#t#re promotions% .or another, he "as in no position to
tell so early in the ame "hich partic#lar member of the fac#lty miht or miht not have the ear of the dean
or even of the #niversity president% He did not fancy himself as a camp#s politician and "as s#re he "o#ld
ma;e a poor one, yet there "as no point in ;ic;in his o"n rear into blisters A#st to prove that to himself%
So .oster listened to this mild(mannered historian "ho, in some va#e "ay, seemed nevertheless
to radiate tension, and did not sh#t him #p abr#ptly and toss him o#t% )ertainly that "as his first imp#lse%
He remembered /otterley "ell eno#h% /otterley had approached him at that tea D"hich had been
a ri!!ly affairE% The fello" had spo;en t"o sentences to him stiffly, someho" lassy(eyed, had then come
to himself "ith a visible start and h#rried off%
It had am#sed .oster at the time, b#t no" % % %
/otterley miht have been deliberately tryin to ma;e his ac<#aintance, or, rather, to impress his
o"n personality on .oster as that of a <#eer sort of d#c;, eccentric b#t harmless% He miht no" be probin
.oster's vie"s, searchin for #nsettlin opinions% S#rely, they o#ht to have done so before rantin him
his appointment% Still % % %
/otterley miht be serio#s, miht honestly not reali!e "hat he "as doin%
Or he miht reali!e <#ite "ell "hat he "as doin= he miht be nothin more or less than a
danero#s rascal%
.oster m#mbled, >-ell, no"(? to ain time, and fished o#t a pac;ae of ciarettes, intendin to
offer one to /otterley and to liht it and one for himself very slo"ly%
B#t /otterley said at once, >/lease, &r% .oster% *o ciarettes%?
.oster loo;ed startled% >I'm sorry, sir%?
>*o% The rerets are mine% I cannot stand the odor% An idiosyncrasy% I'm sorry%?
He "as positively pale% .oster p#t a"ay the ciarettes%
.oster, feelin the absence of the ciarette, too; the easy "ay o#t% >I'm flattered that yo# as; my
advice and all that, &r% /otterley, b#t I'm not a ne#trinics man% I can't very "ell do anythin professional in
that direction% Even statin an opinion "o#ld be o#t of line, and, fran;ly, I'd prefer that yo# didn't o into
any partic#lars%?
The historian's prim face set hard% >-hat do yo# mean, yo#'re not a ne#trinics man@ Bo#'re not
anythin yet% Bo# haven't received any rant, have yo#@?
>This is only my first semester%?
>I ;no" that% I imaine yo# haven't even applied for any rant yet%?
.oster half(smiled% In three months at the #niversity, he had not s#cceeded in p#ttin his initial
re<#ests for research rants into ood eno#h shape to pass on to a professional science "riter, let alone to
the Research )ommission%
DHis &epartment Head, fort#nately, too; it <#ite "ell% >Ta;e yo#r time no", .oster,? he said, >and
et yo#r tho#hts "ell orani!ed% Ma;e s#re yo# ;no" yo#r path and "here it "ill lead, for, once yo#
receive a rant, yo#r speciali!ation "ill be formally reconi!ed and, for better or for "orse, it "ill be yo#rs
for the rest of yo#r career%? The advice "as trite eno#h, b#t triteness has often the merit of tr#th, and
.oster reconi!ed that%E
.oster said, >By ed#cation and inclination, &r% /otterley, I'm a hyperoptics man "ith a ravities
minor% It's ho" I described myself in applyin for this position% It may not be my official speciali!ation yet,
b#t it's oin to be% It can't be anythin else% As for ne#trinics, I never even st#died the s#bAect%?
>-hy not@? demanded /otterley at once%
.oster stared% It "as the ;ind of r#de c#riosity abo#t another man's professional stat#s that "as
al"ays irritatin% He said, "ith the ede of his o"n politeness A#st a trifle bl#nted, >A co#rse in ne#trinics
"asn't iven at my #niversity%?
>,ood 1ord, "here did yo# o@?
>M%I%T%,? said .oster <#ietly%
>And they don't teach ne#trinics@?
>*o, they don't%? .oster felt himself fl#sh and "as moved to a defense%
>It's a hihly speciali!ed s#bAect "ith no reat val#e% )hronoscopy, perhaps, has some val#e, b#t
it is the only practical application and that's a dead end%?
The historian stared at him earnestly% >Tell me this% &o yo# ;no" "here I can find a ne#trinics
man@?
>*o, I don't,? said .oster bl#ntly%
>-ell, then, do yo# ;no" a school "hich teaches ne#trinics@?
>*o, I don't%?
/otterley smiled tihtly and "itho#t h#mor%
.oster resented that smile, fo#nd he detected ins#lt in it and re" s#fficiently annoyed to say, >I
"o#ld li;e to point o#t, sir, that yo#'re steppin o#t of line%?
>-hat@?
>I'm sayin that, as a historian, yo#r interest in any sort of physics, yo#r professional interest, is(?
He pa#sed, #nable to brin himself <#ite to say the "ord%
>Unethical@?
>That's the "ord, &r% /otterley%?
>My researches have driven me to it,? said /otterley in an intense "hisper%
>The Research )ommission is the place to o% If they permit(?
>I have one to them and have received no satisfaction%?
>Then obvio#sly yo# m#st abandon this%? .oster ;ne" he "as so#ndin st#ffily virt#o#s, b#t he
"asn't oin to let this man l#re him into an e$pression of intellect#al anarchy% It "as too early in his
career to ta;e st#pid ris;s%
Apparently, tho#h, the remar; had its effect on /otterley% -itho#t any "arnin, the man
e$ploded into a rapid(fire verbal storm of irresponsibility%
Scholars, he said, co#ld be free only if they co#ld freely follo" their o"n free(s"inin c#riosity%
Research, he said, forced into a predesined pattern by the po"ers that held the p#rse strins became
slavish and had to stanate% *o man, he said, had the riht to dictate the intellect#al interests of another%
.oster listened to all of it "ith disbelief% *one of it "as strane to him% He had heard collee boys
tal; so in order to shoc; their professors and he had once or t"ice am#sed himself in that fashion, too%
Anyone "ho st#died the history of science ;ne" that many men had once tho#ht so%
Bet it seemed strane to .oster, almost aainst nat#re, that a modern man of science co#ld
advance s#ch nonsense% *o one "o#ld advocate r#nnin a factory by allo"in each individ#al "or;er to do
"hatever pleased him at the moment, or of r#nnin a ship accordin to the cas#al and conflictin notions of
each individ#al cre"man% It "o#ld be ta;en for ranted that some sort of centrali!ed s#pervisory aency
m#st e$ist in each case% -hy sho#ld direction and order benefit a factory and a ship b#t not scientific
research@
/eople miht say that the h#man mind "as someho" <#alitatively different from a ship or factory
b#t the history of intellect#al endeavor proved the opposite%
-hen science "as yo#n and the intricacies of all or most of the ;no"n "as "ithin the rasp of an
individ#al mind, there "as no need for direction, perhaps% Blind "anderin over the #ncharted tracts of
inorance co#ld lead to "onderf#l finds by accident%
B#t as ;no"lede re", more and more data had to be absorbed before "orth"hile Ao#rneys into
inorance co#ld be orani!ed% Men had to speciali!e% The researcher needed the reso#rces of a library he
himself co#ld not ather, then of instr#ments he himself co#ld not afford% More and more, the individ#al
researcher ave "ay to the research team and the research instit#tion%
The f#nds necessary for research re" reater as tools re" more n#mero#s% -hat collee "as so
small today as not to re<#ire at least one n#clear micro(reactor and at least one three(stae comp#ter@
)ent#ries before, private individ#als co#ld no loner s#bsidi!e research% By 78FG, only the
overnment, lare ind#stries and lare #niversities or research instit#tions co#ld properly s#bsidi!e basic
research%
By 78HG, even the larest #niversities depended entirely #pon overnment rants, "hile research
instit#tions co#ld not e$ist "itho#t ta$ concessions and p#blic s#bscriptions% By IGGG, the ind#strial
combines had become a branch of the "orld overnment and, thereafter, the financin of research and
therefore its direction nat#rally became centrali!ed #nder a department of the overnment%
It all "or;ed itself o#t nat#rally and "ell% Every branch of science "as fitted neatly to the needs of
the p#blic, and the vario#s branches of science "ere co(ordinated decently% The material advance of the last
half(cent#ry "as ar#ment eno#h for the fact that science "as not fallin into stanation%
.oster tried to say a very little of this and "as "aved aside impatiently by /otterley "ho said,
>Bo# are parrotin official propaanda% Bo#'re sittin in the middle of an e$ample that's s<#arely aainst
the official vie"% )an yo# believe that@?
>.ran;ly, no%?
>-ell, "hy do yo# say time vie"in is a dead end@ -hy is ne#trinics #nimportant@ Bo# say it is%
Bo# say it cateorically% Bet yo#'ve never st#died it% Bo# claim complete inorance of the s#bAect% It's not
even iven in yo#r school(?
>Isn't the mere fact that it isn't iven proof eno#h@?
>Oh, I see% It's not iven beca#se it's #nimportant% And it's #nimportant beca#se it's not iven%
Are yo# satisfied "ith that reasonin@?
.oster felt a ro"in conf#sion% >It's in the boo;s%?
>That's all% The boo;s say ne#trinics is #nimportant% Bo#r professors tell yo# so beca#se they read
it in the boo;s% The boo;s say so beca#se professors "rite them% -ho says it from personal e$perience and
;no"lede@ -ho does research in it@ &o yo# ;no" of anyone@?
.oster said, >I don't see that "e're ettin any"here, &r% /otterley% I have "or; to do(?
>One min#te% I A#st "ant yo# to try this on% See ho" it so#nds to yo#% I say the overnment is
actively s#ppressin basic research in ne#trinics and chronoscopy% They're s#ppressin application of
chronoscopy%?
>Oh, no%?
>-hy not@ They co#ld do it% There's yo#r centrally directed research% If they ref#se rants for
research in any portion of science, that portion dies% They've ;illed ne#trinics% They can do it and have
done it%?
>B#t "hy@?
>I don't ;no" "hy% I "ant yo# to find o#t% I'd do it myself if I ;ne" eno#h% I came to yo#
beca#se yo#'re a yo#n fello" "ith a brand(ne" ed#cation% Have yo#r intellect#al arteries hardened
already@ Is there no c#riosity in yo#@ &on't yo# "ant to ;no"@ &on't yo# "ant ans"ers@?
The historian "as peerin intently into .oster's face% Their noses "ere only inches apart, and
.oster "as so lost that he did not thin; to dra" bac;%
He sho#ld, by rihts, have ordered /otterley o#t% If necessary, he sho#ld have thro"n /otterley
o#t%
It "as not respect for ae and position that stopped him% It "as certainly not that /otterley's
ar#ments had convinced him% Rather, it "as a small point of collee pride%
-hy didn't M%I%T% ive a co#rse in ne#trinics@ .or that matter, no" that he came to thin; of it, he
do#bted that there "as a sinle boo; on ne#trinics in the library% He co#ld never recall havin seen one%
He stopped to thin; abo#t that%
And that "as r#in%
)aroline /otterley had once been an attractive "oman% There "ere occasions, s#ch as dinners or
#niversity f#nctions, "hen, by considerable effort, remnants of the attraction co#ld be salvaed%
On ordinary occasions, she saed% It "as the "ord she applied to herself in moments of self(
abhorrence% She had ro"n pl#mper "ith the years, b#t the flaccidity abo#t her "as not a matter of fat
entirely% It "as as tho#h her m#scles had iven #p and ro"n limp so that she sh#ffled "hen she "al;ed,
"hile her eyes re" bay and her chee;s Ao"ly% Even her rayin hair seemed tired rather than merely
striny% Its straihtness seemed to be the res#lt of a s#pine s#rrender to ravity, nothin else%
)aroline /otterley loo;ed at herself in the mirror and admitted this "as one of her bad days% She
;ne" the reason, too%
It had been the dream of 1a#rel% The strane one, "ith 1a#rel ro"n #p% She had been "retched
ever since%
Still, she "as sony she had mentioned it to Arnold% He didn't say anythin= he never did any more=
b#t it "as bad for him% He "as partic#larly "ithdra"n for days after"ard% It miht have been that he "as
ettin ready for that important conference "ith the bi overnment official Dhe ;ept sayin he e$pected no
s#ccessE, b#t it miht also have been her dream%
It "as better in the old days "hen he "o#ld cry sharply at her, >1et the dead past o, )arolineC
Tal; "on't brin her bac;, and dreams "on't either%?
It had been bad for both of them% Horribly bad% She had been a"ay from home and had lived in
#ilt ever since% If she had stayed at home, if she had not one on an #nnecessary shoppin e$pedition,
there "o#ld have been t"o of them available% One "o#ld have s#cceeded in savin 1a#rel%
/oor Arnold had not manaed% Heaven ;ne" he tried% He had nearly died himself% He had come
o#t of the b#rnin ho#se, staerin in aony, blistered, cho;in, half(blinded, "ith the dead 1a#rel in his
arms%
The nihtmare of that lived on, never liftin entirely%
Arnold slo"ly re" a shell abo#t himself after"ard% He c#ltivated a lo"(voiced mildness thro#h
"hich nothin bro;e, no lihtnin str#c;% He re" p#ritanical and even abandoned his minor vices, his
ciarettes, his penchant for an occasional profane e$clamation% He obtained his rant for the preparation of
a ne" history of )arthae and s#bordinated everythin to that%
She tried to help him% She h#nted #p his references, typed his notes and microfilmed them% Then
that ended s#ddenly%
She ran from the des; s#ddenly one evenin, reachin the bathroom in bare time and retchin
abominably% Her h#sband follo"ed her in conf#sion and concern%
>)aroline, "hat's "ron@?
It too; a drop of brandy to brin her aro#nd% She said, >Is it tr#e@ -hat they did@?
>-ho did@?
>The )arthainians%?
He stared at her and she ot it o#t by indirection% She co#ldn't say it riht o#t%
The )arthainians, it seemed, "orshiped Moloch, in the form of a hollo", bra!en idol "ith a
f#rnace in its belly% At times of national crisis, the priests and the people athered, and infants, after the
proper ceremonies and invocations, "ere de$tro#sly h#rled, alive, into the flames%
They "ere iven s"eetmeats A#st before the cr#cial moment, in order that the efficacy of the
sacrifice not be r#ined by displeasin cries of panic% The dr#ms rolled A#st after the moment, to dro"n o#t
the fe" seconds of infant shrie;in% The parents "ere present, pres#mably ratified, for the sacrifice "as
pleasin to the ods% % % %
Arnold /otterley fro"ned dar;ly% 5icio#s lies, he told her, on the part of )arthae's enemies% He
sho#ld have "arned her% After all, s#ch propaandistic lies "ere not #ncommon% Accordin to the ,ree;s,
the ancient Hebre"s "orshiped an ass's head in their Holy of Holies% Accordin to the Romans, the
primitive )hristians "ere haters of all men "ho sacrificed paan children in the catacombs%
>Then they didn't do it@? as;ed )aroline%
>I'm s#re they didn't% The primitive /hoenicians may have% H#man sacrifice is commonplace in
primitive c#lt#res% B#t )arthae in her reat days "as not a primitive c#lt#re% H#man sacrifice often ives
"ay to symbolic actions s#ch as circ#mcision% The ,ree;s and Romans miht have mista;en some
)arthainian symbolism for the oriinal f#ll rite, either o#t of inorance or o#t of malice%?
>Are yo# s#re@?
>I can't be s#re yet, )aroline, b#t "hen I've ot eno#h evidence, I'll apply for permission to #se
chronoscopy, "hich "ill settle the matter once and for all%?
>)hronoscopy@?
>Time vie"in% -e can foc#s on ancient )arthae at some time of crisis, the landin of Scipio
African#s in IGI b%c%, for instance, and see "ith o#r o"n eyes e$actly "hat happens% And yo#'ll see, I'll be
riht%?
He patted her and smiled enco#rainly, b#t she dreamed of 1a#rel every niht for t"o "ee;s
thereafter and she never helped him "ith his )arthae proAect aain% *or did he ever as; her to%
B#t no" she "as bracin herself for his comin% He had called her after arrivin bac; in to"n,
told her he had seen the overnment man and that it had one as e$pected% That meant fail#re, and yet the
little telltale sin of depression had been absent from his voice and his feat#res had appeared <#ite
composed in the televie"% He had another errand to ta;e care of, he said, before comin home%
It meant he "o#ld be late, b#t that didn't matter% *either one of them "as partic#lar abo#t eatin
ho#rs or cared "hen pac;aes "ere ta;en o#t of the free!er or even "hich pac;aes or "hen the
self"armin mechanism "as activated%
-hen he did arrive, he s#rprised her% There "as nothin #nto"ard abo#t him in any obvio#s "ay%
He ;issed her d#tif#lly and smiled, too; off his hat and as;ed if all had been "ell "hile he "as one% It "as
all almost perfectly normal% Almost%
She had learned to detect small thins, tho#h, and his pace in all this "as a trifle h#rried% Eno#h
to sho" her acc#stomed eye that he "as #nder tension%
She said, >Has somethin happened@?
He said, >-e're oin to have a dinner #est niht after ne$t, )aroline% Bo# don't mind@?
>-ell, no% Is it anyone I ;no"@?
>*o% A yo#n instr#ctor% A ne"comer% I've spo;en to him%? He s#ddenly "hirled to"ard her and
sei!ed her arms at the elbo", held them a moment, then dropped them in conf#sion as tho#h disconcerted
at havin sho"n emotion%
He said, >I almost didn't et thro#h to him% Imaine that% Terrible, terrible, the "ay "e have all
bent to the yo;e= the affection "e have for the harness abo#t #s%?
Mrs% /otterley "asn't s#re she #nderstood, b#t for a year she had been "atchin him ro" <#ietly
more rebellio#s= little by little more darin in his criticism of the overnment% She said, >Bo# haven't
spo;en foolishly to him, have yo#@?
>-hat do yo# mean, foolishly@ He'll be doin some ne#trinics for me%?
>*e#trinics? "as trisyllabic nonsense to Mrs% /otterley, b#t she ;ne" it had nothin to do "ith
history% She said faintly, >Arnold, I don't li;e yo# to do that% Bo#'ll lose yo#r position% It's(?
>It's intellect#al anarchy, my dear,? he said% >That's the phrase yo# "ant% 5ery "ell% I am an
anarchist% If the overnment "ill not allo" me to p#sh my researches, I "ill p#sh them on my o"n% And
"hen I sho" the "ay, others "ill follo"% % % % And if they don't, it ma;es no difference% It's )arthae that
co#nts and h#man ;no"lede, not yo# and I%?
>B#t yo# don't ;no" this yo#n man% -hat if he is an aent for the )ommission of Research%?
>*ot li;ely and I'll ta;e that chance%? He made a fist of his riht hand and r#bbed it ently aainst
the palm of his left% >He's on my side no"% I'm s#re of it% He can't help b#t be% I can reconi!e intellect#al
c#riosity "hen I see it in a man's eyes and face and attit#de, and it's a fatal disease for a tame scientist%
Even today it ta;es time to beat it o#t of a man and the yo#n ones are v#lnerable% % % % Oh, "hy stop at
anythin@ -hy not b#ild o#r o"n chronoscope and tell the overnment to o to(?
He stopped abr#ptly, shoo; his head and t#rned a"ay%
>I hope everythin "ill be all riht,? said Mrs% /otterley, feelin helplessly certain that everythin
"o#ld not be, and frihtened, in advance, for her h#sband's professorial stat#s and the sec#rity of their old
ae%
It "as she alone, of them all, "ho had a violent presentiment of tro#ble% 2#ite the "ron tro#ble,
of co#rse%
0onas .oster "as nearly half an ho#r late in arrivin at the /otterleys' off(camp#s ho#se% Up to
that very evenin, he had not <#ite decided he "o#ld o% Then, at the last moment, he fo#nd he co#ld not
brin himself to commit the social enormity of brea;in a dinner appointment an ho#r before the appointed
time% That, and the nain of c#riosity%
The dinner itself passed interminably% .oster ate "itho#t appetite% Mrs% /otterley sat in distant
absent(mindedness, emerin o#t of it only once to as; if he "ere married and to ma;e a deprecatin so#nd
at the ne"s that he "as not% &r% /otterley himself as;ed ne#trally after his professional history and nodded
his head primly%
It "as as staid, stody(borin, act#ally(as anythin co#ld be%
.oster tho#ht+ He seems so harmless%
.oster had spent the last t"o days readin #p on &r% /otterley% 5ery cas#ally, of co#rse, almost
snea;ily% He "asn't partic#larly an$io#s to be seen in the Social Science 1ibrary% To be s#re, history "as
one of those borderline affairs and historical "or;s "ere fre<#ently read for am#sement or edification by
the eneral p#blic%
Still, a physicist "asn't <#ite the >eneral p#blic%? 1et .oster ta;e to readin histories and he
"o#ld be considered <#eer, s#re as relativity, and after a "hile the Head of the &epartment "o#ld "onder
if his ne" instr#ctor "ere really >the man for the Aob%?
So he had been ca#tio#s% He sat in the more secl#ded alcoves and ;ept his head bent "hen he
slipped in and o#t at odd ho#rs%
&r% /otterley, it t#rned o#t, had "ritten three boo;s and some do!en articles on the ancient
Mediterranean "orlds, and the later articles Dall in >Historical Revie"s?E had all dealt "ith pre(Roman
)arthae from a sympathetic vie"point%
That, at least, chec;ed "ith /otterley's story and had soothed .oster's s#spicions some"hat% % % %
And yet .oster felt that it "o#ld have been m#ch "iser, m#ch safer, to have scotched the matter at the
beinnin%
A scientist sho#ldn't be too c#rio#s, he tho#ht in bitter dissatisfaction "ith himself% It's a
danero#s trait%
After dinner, he "as #shered into /otterley's st#dy and he "as bro#ht #p sharply at the threshold%
The "alls "ere simply lined "ith boo;s%
*ot merely films% There "ere films, of co#rse, b#t these "ere far o#tn#mbered by the boo;s(print
on paper% He "o#ldn't have tho#ht so many boo;s "o#ld e$ist in #sable condition%
That bothered .oster% -hy sho#ld anyone "ant to ;eep so many boo;s at home@ S#rely all "ere
available in the #niversity library, or, at the very "orst, at the 1ibrary of )onress, if one "ished to ta;e the
minor tro#ble of chec;in o#t a microfilm%
There "as an element of secrecy involved in a home library% It breathed of intellect#al anarchy%
That last tho#ht, oddly, calmed .oster% He "o#ld rather /otterley be an a#thentic anarchist than a play(
actin aent provocate#r%
And no" the ho#rs bean to pass <#ic;ly and astonishinly%
>Bo# see,? /otterley said, in a clear, #nfl#rried voice, >it "as a matter of findin, if possible,
anyone "ho had ever #sed chronoscopy in his "or;% *at#rally, 7 co#ldn't as; baldly, since that "o#ld be
#na#thori!ed research%?
>Bes,? said .oster dryly% He "as a little s#rprised s#ch a small consideration "o#ld stop the man%
>I #sed indirect methods(?
He had% .oster "as ama!ed at the vol#me of correspondence dealin "ith small disp#ted points of
ancient Mediterranean c#lt#re "hich someho" manaed to elicit the cas#al remar; over and over aain+
>Of co#rse, havin never made #se of chronoscopy(? or, >/endin approval of my re<#est for chronoscopic
data, "hich appear #nli;ely at the moment(?
>*o" these aren't blind <#estionins,? said /otterley% >There's a monthly boo;let p#t o#t by the
Instit#te for )hronoscopy in "hich items concernin the past as determined by time vie"in are printed%
0#st one or t"o items%
>-hat impressed me first "as the triviality of most of the items, their insipidity% -hy sho#ld s#ch
researches et priority over my "or;@ So I "rote to people "ho "o#ld be most li;ely to do research in the
directions described in the boo;let% Uniformly, as I have sho"n yo#, they did not ma;e #se of the
chronoscope% *o" let's o over it point by point%?
At last .oster, his head s"immin "ith /otterley's metic#lo#sly athered details, as;ed, >B#t
"hy@?
>I don't ;no" "hy,? said /otterley, >b#t I have a theory% The oriinal invention of the
chronoscope "as by Sterbins;i(yo# see, I ;no" that m#ch (and it "as "ell p#blici!ed% B#t then the
overnment too; over the instr#ment and decided to s#ppress f#rther research in the matter or any #se of
the machine% B#t then, people miht be c#rio#s as to "hy it "asn't bein #sed% )#riosity is s#ch a vice, &r%
.oster%?
Bes, areed the physicist to himself%
>Imaine the effectiveness, then,? /otterley "ent on, >of pretendin that the chronoscope "as
bein #sed% It "o#ld then be not a mystery, b#t a commonplace% It "o#ld no loner be a fittin obAect for
leitimate c#riosity or an attractive one for illicit c#riosity%?
>Bo# "ere c#rio#s,? pointed o#t .oster%
/otterley loo;ed a trifle restless% >It "as different in my case,? he said anrily% >I have somethin
that m#st be done, and I "o#ldn't s#bmit to the ridic#lo#s "ay in "hich they ;ept p#ttin me off%?
A bit paranoid, too, tho#ht .oster loomily%
Bet he had ended #p "ith somethin, paranoid or not% .oster co#ld no loner deny that somethin
pec#liar "as oin on in the matter of ne#trinics%
B#t "hat "as /otterley after@ That still bothered .oster% If /otterley didn't intend this as a test of
.oster's ethics, "hat did he "ant@
.oster p#t it to himself loically% If an intellect#al anarchist "ith a to#ch of paranoia "anted to #se
a chronoscope and "as convinced that the po"ers(that(be "ere deliberately standin in his "ay, "hat
"o#ld he do@
S#pposin it "ere I, he tho#ht% -hat "o#ld I do@
He said slo"ly, >Maybe the chronoscope doesn't e$ist at all@?
/otterley started% There "as almost a crac; in his eneral calmness% .or an instant, .oster fo#nd
himself catchin a limpse of somethin not at all calm%
B#t the historian ;ept his balance and said, >Oh, no, there m#st be a chronoscope%?
>-hy@ Have yo# seen it@ Have I@ Maybe that's the e$planation of everythin% Maybe they're not
deliberately holdin o#t on a chronoscope they've ot% Maybe they haven't ot it in the first place%?
>B#t Sterbins;i lived% He b#ilt a chronoscope% That m#ch is a fact%?
>The boo;s say so,? said .oster coldly%
>*o" listen%? /otterley act#ally reached over and snatched at .oster's Aac;et sleeve% >I need the
chronoscope% I m#st have it% &on't tell me it doesn't e$ist% -hat "e're oin to do is find o#t eno#h abo#t
ne#trinics to be able to(?
/otterley dre" himself #p short%
.oster dre" his sleeve a"ay% He needed no endin to that sentence% He s#pplied it himself% He
said, >B#ild one of o#r o"n@?
/otterley loo;ed so#r as tho#h he "o#ld rather not have said it point(blan;% *evertheless, he
said, >-hy not@?
>Beca#se that's o#t of the <#estion,? said .oster% >If "hat I've read is correct, then it too;
Sterbins;i t"enty years to b#ild his machine and several millions in composite rants% &o yo# thin; yo#
and I can d#plicate that illeally@ S#ppose "e had the time, "hich "e haven't, and s#ppose I co#ld learn
eno#h o#t of boo;s, "hich I do#bt, "here "o#ld "e et the money and e<#ipment@ The chronoscope is
s#pposed to fill a five(story b#ildin, for Heaven's sa;e%?
>Then yo# "on't help me@?
>-ell, I'll tell yo# "hat% I have one "ay in "hich I may be able to find o#t somethin(?
>-hat is that@? as;ed /otterley at once%
>*ever mind% That's not important% B#t I may be able to find o#t eno#h to tell yo# "hether the
overnment is deliberately s#ppressin research by chronoscope% I may confirm the evidence yo# already
have or I may be able to prove that yo#r evidence is misleadin% I don't ;no" "hat ood it "ill do yo# in
either case, b#t it's as far as I can o% It's my limit%?
/otterley "atched the yo#n man o finally% He "as anry "ith himself% -hy had he allo"ed
himself to ro" so careless as to permit the fello" to #ess that he "as thin;in in terms of a chronoscope
of his o"n% That "as premat#re%
B#t then "hy did the yo#n fool have to s#ppose that a chronoscope miht not e$ist at all@
It had to e$ist% It had to% -hat "as the #se of sayin it didn't@
And "hy co#ldn't a second one be b#ilt@ Science had advanced in the fifty years since Sterbins;i%
All that "as needed "as ;no"lede%
1et the yo#nster ather ;no"lede% 1et him thin; a small atherin "o#ld be his limit% Havin
ta;en the path to anarchy, there "o#ld be no limit% If the boy "ere not driven on"ard by somethin in
himself, the first steps "o#ld be error eno#h to force the rest% /otterley "as <#ite certain he "o#ld not
hesitate to #se blac;mail%
/otterley "aved a last ood(by and loo;ed #p% It "as beinnin to rain%
)ertainlyC Blac;mail if necessary, b#t he "o#ld not be stopped%
.oster steered his car across the blea; o#ts;irts of to"n and scarcely noticed the rain%
He "as a fool, he told himself, b#t he co#ldn't leave thins as they "ere% He had to ;no"% He
damned his strea; of #ndisciplined c#riosity, b#t he had to ;no"%
B#t he "o#ld o no f#rther than Uncle Ralph% He s"ore mihtily to himself that it "o#ld stop
there% In that "ay, there "o#ld be no evidence aainst him, no real evidence% Uncle Ralph "o#ld be
discreet%
In a "ay, he "as secretly ashamed of Uncle Ralph% He hadn't mentioned him to /otterley partly
o#t of ca#tion and partly beca#se he did not "ish to "itness the lifted eyebro", the inevitable half(smile%
/rofessional science "riters, ho"ever #sef#l, "ere a little o#tside the pale, fit only for patroni!in
contempt% The fact that, as a class, they made more money than did research scientists only made matters
"orse, of co#rse%
Still, there "ere times "hen a science "riter in the family co#ld be a convenience% *ot bein
really ed#cated, they did not have to speciali!e% )onse<#ently, a ood science "riter ;ne" practically
everythin% % % % And Uncle Ralph "as one of the best%
Ralph *immo had no collee deree and "as rather pro#d of it% >A deree,? he once said to 0onas
.oster, "hen both "ere considerably yo#ner, >is a first step do"n a r#ino#s hih"ay% Bo# don't "ant to
"aste it so yo# o on to rad#ate "or; and doctoral research% Bo# end #p a thoro#hoin inoram#s on
everythin in the "orld e$cept for one s#bdivisional sliver of nothin%
>On the other hand, if yo# #ard yo#r mind caref#lly and ;eep it blan; of any cl#tter of
information till mat#rity is reached, fillin it only "ith intellience and trainin it only in clear thin;in,
yo# then have a po"erf#l instr#ment at yo#r disposal and yo# can become a science "riter%?
*immo received his first assinment at the ae of t"enty(five, after he had completed his
apprenticeship and been o#t in the field for less than three months% It came in the shape of a clotted
man#script "hose lan#ae "o#ld impart no limmerin of #nderstandin to any reader, ho"ever <#ali(
fied, "itho#t caref#l st#dy and some inspired #ess"or;% *immo too; it apart and p#t it toether aain
Dafter five lon and e$asperatin intervie"s "ith the a#thors, "ho "ere biophysicistsE, ma;in the lan#ae
ta#t and meaninf#l and smoothin the style to a pleasant loss%
>-hy not@? he "o#ld say tolerantly to his nephe", "ho co#ntered his strict#res on derees by
beratin him "ith his readiness to han on the frines of science% >The frine is important% Bo#r scientists
can't "rite% -hy sho#ld they be e$pected to@ They aren't e$pected to be rand masters at chess or
virt#osos at the violin, so "hy e$pect them to ;no" ho" to p#t "ords toether@ -hy not leave that for
specialists, too@?
>,ood 1ord, 0onas, read yo#r literat#re of a h#ndred years ao% &isco#nt the fact that the science
is o#t of date and that some of the e$pressions are o#t of date% 0#st try to read it and ma;e sense o#t of it%
It's A#st Aa"(crac;in, amate#rish% /aes are p#blished #selessly= "hole articles "hich are either
noncomprehensible or both%?
>B#t yo# don't et reconition, Uncle Ralph,? protested yo#n .oster, "ho "as ettin ready to
start his collee career and "as rather starry(eyed abo#t it% >Bo# co#ld be a terrific researcher%?
>I et reconition,? said *immo% >&on't thin; for a min#te I don't% S#re, a biochemist or a strato(
meteoroloist "on't ive me the time of day, b#t they pay me "ell eno#h% 0#st find o#t "hat happens
"hen some first(class = chemist finds the )ommission has c#t his year's allo"ance for science "ritin%
He'll fiht harder for eno#h f#nds to afford me, or someone li;e me, , than to et a recordin ionoraph%?
He rinned broadly and .oster rinned bac;% Act#ally, he "as pro#d of his pa#nchy, ro#nd(faced,
st#b(finered #ncle, "hose vanity made him br#sh his frine of hair f#tilely over the desert on his pate and
made him dress li;e an #nmade haystac; beca#se s#ch nelience "as his trademar;% Ashamed, b#t pro#d,
too%
And no" .oster entered his #ncle's cl#ttered apartment in no mood at all for rinnin% He "as
nine years older no" and so "as Uncle Ralph% .or nine more years, papers in every branch of science had
come to him for polishin and a little of each had crept into his capacio#s mind%
*immo "as eatin seedless rapes, poppin them into his mo#th one at a time% He tossed a b#nch
to .oster "ho ca#ht them by a hair, then bent to retrieve individ#al rapes that had torn loose and fallen to
the floor%
>1et them be% &on't bother,? said *immo carelessly% >Someone comes in here to clean once a
"ee;% -hat's #p@ Havin tro#ble "ith yo#r rant application "rite(#p@?
>I haven't really ot into that yet%?
>Bo# haven't@ ,et a move on, boy% Are yo# "aitin for me to offer to do the final arranement@?
>I co#ldn't afford yo#, Uncle%?
>A", come on% It's all in the family% ,rant me all pop#lar p#blication rihts and no cash need
chane hands%?
.oster nodded% >If yo#'re serio#s, it's a deal%?
>It's a deal%?
It "as a amble, of co#rse, b#t .oster ;ne" eno#h of *immo's science "ritin to reali!e it co#ld
pay off% Some dramatic discovery of p#blic interest on primitive man or on a ne" s#rical techni<#e, or on
any branch of spationa#tics co#ld mean a very cash(attractin article in any of the mass media of
comm#nication%
It "as *immo, for instance, "ho had "ritten #p, for scientific cons#mption, the series of papers
by Bryce and co("or;ers that el#cidated the fine str#ct#re of t"o cancer vir#ses, for "hich Aob he as;ed the
picay#ne payment of fifteen h#ndred dollars, provided pop#lar p#blication rihts "ere incl#ded% He then
"rote #p, e$cl#sively, the same "or; in semidramatic form for #se in trimensional video for a t"enty(
tho#sand(dollar advance pl#s rental royalties that "ere still comin in after five years%
.oster said bl#ntly, >-hat do yo# ;no" abo#t ne#trinics, Uncle@?
>*e#trinics@? *immo's small eyes loo;ed s#rprised% >Are yo# "or;in in that@ I tho#ht it "as
pse#do(ravitic optics%?
>It is p%%o% I A#st happen to be as;in abo#t ne#trinics%?
>That's a devil of a thin to be doin% Bo#'re steppin o#t of line% Bo# ;no" that, don't yo#@?
>I don't e$pect yo# to call the )ommission beca#se I'm a little c#rio#s abo#t thins%?
>Maybe I sho#ld before yo# et into tro#ble% )#riosity is an occ#pational daner "ith scientists%
I've "atched it "or;% One of them "ill be movin <#ietly alon on a problem, then c#riosity leads him #p a
strane cree;% *e$t thin yo# ;no" they've done so little on their proper problem, they can't A#stify for a
proAect rene"al% I've seen more(?
>All I "ant to ;no",? said .oster patiently, >is "hat's been passin thro#h yo#r hands lately on
ne#trinics%?
*immo leaned bac;, che"in at a rape tho#htf#lly% >*othin% *othin ever% I don't recall ever
ettin a paper on ne#trinics%?
>-hatC? .oster "as openly astonished% >Then "ho does et the "or;@?
>*o" that yo# as;,? said *immo, >I don't ;no"% &on't recall anyone tal;in abo#t it at the ann#al
conventions% I don't thin; m#ch "or; is bein done there%?
>-hy not@?
>Hey, there, don't bar;% I'm not doin anythin% My #ess "o#ld be(?
.oster "as e$asperated% >&on't yo# ;no"@?
>Hmp% I'll tell yo# "hat I ;no" abo#t ne#trinics% It concerns the applications of ne#trino
movements and the forces involved(?
>S#re% S#re% 0#st as electronics deals "ith the applications of electron movements and the forces
involved, and pse#do(ravities deals "ith the applications of artificial ravitational fields% I didn't come to
yo# for that% Is that all yo# ;no"@?
>And,? said *immo "ith e<#animity, >ne#trinics is the basis of time vie"in and that is all I
;no"%?
.oster slo#ched bac; in his chair and massaed one lean chee; "ith reat intensity% He felt anrily
dissatisfied% -itho#t form#latin it e$plicitly in his o"n mind, he had felt s#re, someho", that *immo
"o#ld come #p "ith some late reports, brin #p interestin facets of modern ne#trinics, send him bac; to
/otterley able to say that the elderly historian "as mista;en, that his data "as misleadin, his ded#ctions
mista;en%
Then he co#ld have ret#rned to his proper "or;%
B#t no" % % %
He told himself anrily+ So they're not doin m#ch "or; in the field% &oes that ma;e it deliberate
s#ppression@ -hat if ne#trinics is a sterile discipline@ Maybe it is% I don't ;no"% /otterley doesn't% -hy
"aste the intellect#al reso#rces of h#manity on nothin@ Or the "or; miht be secret for some leitimate
reason% It miht be %%%
The tro#ble "as, he had to ;no"% He co#ldn't leave thins as they "ere no"% He co#ldn'tC
He said, >Is there a te$t on ne#trinics, Uncle Ralph@ I mean a clear and simple one% An elementary
one%?
*immo tho#ht, his pl#mp chee;s p#ffin o#t "ith a series of sihs% >Bo# as; the damnedest
<#estions% The only one I ever heard of "as Sterbins;i and somebody% I've never seen it, b#t I vie"ed
somethin abo#t it once% % % % Sterbins;i and 1aMarr, that's it%?
>Is that the Sterbins;i "ho invented the chronoscope@? i >I thin; so% /roves the boo; o#ht to be
ood%? J >Is there a recent edition@ Sterbins;i died thirty years ao%?
*immo shr#ed and said nothin%
>)an yo# find o#t@?
They sat in silence for a moment, "hile *immo shifted his b#l; to the crea;in t#ne of the chair
he sat on% Then the science "riter said, >Are yo# oin to tell me "hat this is all abo#t@?
>I can't% -ill yo# help me any"ay, Uncle Ralph@ -ill yo# et me a copy of the te$t@?
>-ell, yo#'ve ta#ht me all I ;no" on pse#do(ravities% I sho#ld be ratef#l% Tell yo# "hat(I'll
help yo# on one condition%?
>-hich is@?
The older man "as s#ddenly very rave% >That yo# be caref#l, 0onas% Bo#'re obvio#sly "ay o#t of
line "hatever yo#'re doin% &on't blo" #p yo#r career A#st beca#se yo#'re c#rio#s abo#t somethin yo#
haven't been assined to and "hich is none of yo#r b#siness% Understand@?
.oster nodded, b#t he hardly heard% He "as thin;in f#rio#sly%
A f#ll "ee; later, Ralph *immo eased his rot#nd fi#re into 0onas .oster's on(camp#s t"o(room
combination and said, in a hoarse "hisper, >I've ot somethin%?
>-hat@? .oster "as immediately eaer%
>A copy of Sterbins;i and 1aMarr%? He prod#ced it, or rather a corner of it, from his ample
topcoat%
.oster almost a#tomatically eyed door and "indo"s to ma;e s#re they "ere closed and shaded
respectively, then held o#t his hand%
The film case "as fla;in "ith ae, and "hen he crac;ed it the film "as faded and ro"in brittle%
He said sharply, >Is this all@?
>,ratit#de, my boy, ratit#deC? *immo sat do"n "ith a r#nt, and reached into a poc;et for an
apple%
>Oh, I'm ratef#l, b#t it's so old%?
>And l#c;y to et it at that% 7 tried to et a film r#n from the )onressional 1ibrary% *o o% The
boo; "as restricted%?
>Then ho" did yo# et this@?
>Stole it%? He "as bitin cr#nchinly aro#nd the core% >*e" Bor; /#blic%?
>-hat@?
>Simple eno#h% I had access to the stac;s, nat#rally% So I stepped over a chained railin "hen no
one "as aro#nd, d# this #p, and "al;ed o#t "ith it% They're very tr#stin o#t there% Mean"hile, they
"on't miss it in years% % % % Only yo#'d better not let anyone see it on yo#, nephe"%?
.oster stared at the film as tho#h it "ere literally hot%
*immo discarded the core and reached for a second apple% >.#nny thin, no"% There's nothin
more recent in the "hole field of ne#trinics% *ot a monoraph, not a paper, not a proress note% *othin
since the chrono(scope%?
>Uh(h#h,? said .oster absently%
.oster "or;ed evenins in the /otterley home% He co#ld not tr#st his o"n on(camp#s rooms for
the p#rpose% The evenin "or; re" more real to him than his o"n rant applications% Sometimes he
"orried abo#t it b#t then that stopped, too%
His "or; consisted, at first, simply in vie"in and revie"in the te$t film% 1ater it consisted in
thin;in Dsometimes "hile a section of the boo; ran itself off thro#h the poc;et proAector, disreardedE%
Sometimes /otterley "o#ld come do"n to "atch, to sit "ith prim, eaer eyes, as tho#h he
e$pected tho#ht processes to solidify and become visible in all their convol#tions% He interfered in only
t"o "ays% He did not allo" .oster to smo;e and sometimes he tal;ed%
It "asn't conversation tal;, never that% Rather it "as a lo"(voiced monolo#e "ith "hich, it
seemed, he scarcely e$pected to command attention% It "as m#ch more as tho#h he "ere relievin a
press#re "ithin himself%
)arthaeC Al"ays )arthaeC
)arthae, the *e" Bor; of the ancient Mediterranean% )arthae, commercial empire and <#een of
the seas% )arthae, all that Syrac#se and Ale$andria pretended to be% )arthae, malined by her enemies
and inartic#late in her o"n defense%
She had been defeated once by Rome and then driven o#t of Sicily and Sardinia, b#t came bac; to
more than reco#p her losses by ne" dominions in Spain, and raised #p Hannibal to ive the Romans si$teen
years of terror%
In the end, she lost aain a second time, reconciled herself to fate and b#ilt aain "ith bro;en tools
a limpin life in shr#n;en territory, s#cceedin so "ell that Aealo#s Rome deliberately forced a third "ar%
And then )arthae, "ith nothin b#t bare hands and tenacity, b#ilt "eapons and forced Rome into a t"o(
year "ar that ended only "ith complete destr#ction of the city, the inhabitants thro"in themselves into
their flamin ho#ses rather than s#rrender%
>)o#ld people fiht so for a city and a "ay of life as bad as the ancient "riters painted it@
Hannibal "as a better eneral than any Roman and his soldiers "ere absol#tely faithf#l to him% Even his
bitterest enemies praised him% There "as a )arthainian% It is fashionable to say that he "as an atypical
)arthainian, better than the others, a diamond placed in arbae% B#t then "hy "as he so faithf#l to
)arthae, even to his death after years of e$ile@ They tal; of Moloch(?
.oster didn't al"ays listen b#t sometimes he co#ldn't help himself and he sh#ddered and t#rned
sic; at the bloody tale of child sacrifice%
B#t /otterley "ent on earnestly, >0#st the same, it isn't tr#e% It's a t"enty(five(h#ndred(year(old
canard started by the ,ree;s and Romans% They had their o"n slaves, their cr#cifi$ions and tort#re, their
ladiatorial contests% They "eren't holy% The Moloch story is "hat later aes "o#ld have called "ar
propaanda, the bi lie% I can prove it "as a lie% I can prove it and, by Heaven, I "ill(I "ill(?
He "o#ld m#mble that promise over and over aain in his earnestness%
Mrs% /otterley visited him also, b#t less fre<#ently, #s#ally on T#esdays and Th#rsdays "hen &r%
/otterley himself had an evenin co#rse to ta;e care of and "as not present%
She "o#ld sit <#ietly, scarcely tal;in, face slac; and do#hy, eyes blan;, her "hole attit#de
distant and "ithdra"n%
The first time, .oster tried, #neasily, to s#est that she leave%
She said tonelessly, >&o I dist#rb yo#@?
>*o, of co#rse not,? lied .oster restlessly% >It's A#st that(that(? He co#ldn't complete the sentence%
She nodded, as tho#h acceptin an invitation to stay% Then she opened a cloth ba she had
bro#ht "ith her and too; o#t a <#ire of vitron sheets "hich she proceeded to "eave toether by rapid,
delicate movements of a pair of slender, tetra(faceted depolari!ers, "hose battery(fed "ires made her loo;
as tho#h she "ere holdin a lare spider%
One evenin, she said softly, >My da#hter, 1a#rel, is yo#r ae%?
.oster started, as m#ch at the s#dden #ne$pected so#nd of speech as at the "ords% He said, >I
didn't ;no" yo# had a da#hter, Mrs% /otterley%?
>She died% Bears ao%?
The vitron re" #nder the deft manip#lations into the #neven shape of some arment .oster co#ld
not yet identify% There "as nothin left for him to do b#t m#tter inanely, >I'm sorry%?
Mrs% /otterley sihed% >I dream abo#t her often%? She raised her bl#e, distant eyes to him%
.oster "inced and loo;ed a"ay%
Another evenin she as;ed, p#llin at one of the vitron sheets to loosen its entle clinin to her
dress, >-hat is time vie"in any"ay@?
That remar; bro;e into a partic#larly involved chain of tho#ht, and .oster said snappishly, >&r%
/otterley can e$plain%?
>He's tried to% Oh, my, yes% B#t I thin; he's a little impatient "ith me% He calls it chronoscopy
most of the time% &o yo# act#ally see thins in the past, li;e the trimensionals@ Or does it A#st ma;e little
dot patterns li;e the comp#ter yo# #se@?
.oster stared at his hand comp#ter "ith distaste% It "or;ed "ell eno#h, b#t every operation had to
be man#ally controlled and the ans"ers "ere obtained in code% *o" if he co#ld #se the school
comp#ter % % % -ell, "hy dream, he felt conspic#o#s eno#h, as it "as, carryin a hand comp#ter #nder his
arm every evenin as he left his office%
He said, >I've never seen the chronoscope myself, b#t I'm #nder the impression that yo# act#ally
see pict#res and hear so#nd%?
>Bo# can hear people tal;, too@?
>I thin; so%? Then, half in desperation, >1oo; here, Mrs% /otterley, this m#st be a"f#lly d#ll for
yo#% I reali!e yo# don't li;e to leave a #est all to himself, b#t really, Mrs% /otterley, yo# m#stn't feel
compelled(?
>I don't feel compelled,? she said% >I'm sittin here, "aitin%?
>-aitin@ .or "hat@?
She said composedly, >I listened to yo# that first evenin% The time yo# first spo;e to Arnold% I
listened at the door%?
He said, >Bo# did@?
>I ;no" I sho#ldn't have, b#t I "as a"f#lly "orried abo#t Arnold% I had a notion he "as oin to
do somethin he o#htn't and I "anted to hear "hat% And then "hen I heard(? She pa#sed, bendin close
over the vitron and peerin at it%
>Heard "hat, Mrs% /otterley@?
>That yo# "o#ldn't b#ild a chronoscope%?
>-ell, of co#rse not%?
>I tho#ht maybe yo# miht chane yo#r mind%?
.oster lared at her% >&o yo# mean yo#'re comin do"n here hopin I'll b#ild a chronoscope,
"aitin for me to b#ild one@? I >I hope yo# do, &r% .oster% Oh, I hope yo# do%?
It "as as tho#h, all at once, a f#!!y veil had fallen off her face, leavin all her feat#res clear and
sharp, p#ttin color into her chee;s, life into her eyes, the vibrations of somethin approachin e$citement
into her voice%
>-o#ldn't it be "onderf#l,? she "hispered, >to have one@ /eople of the past co#ld live aain%
/haraohs and ;ins and(A#st people% I hope yo# b#ild one, &r% .oster% I really(hope(?
She cho;ed, it seemed, on the intensity of her o"n "ords and let the vitron sheets slip off her lap%
She rose and ran #p the basement stairs, "hile .oster's eyes follo"ed her a";"ardly fleein body "ith
astonishment and distress%
It c#t deeper into .oster's nihts and left him sleepless and painf#lly stiff "ith tho#ht% It "as
almost a mental indiestion%
His rant re<#ests "ent limpin in, finally, to Ralph *immo% He scarcely had any hope for them%
He tho#ht n#mbly+ They "on't be approved%
If they "eren't, of co#rse, it "o#ld create a scandal in the department and probably mean his
appointment at the #niversity "o#ld not be rene"ed, come the end of the academic year%
He scarcely "orried% It "as the ne#trino, the ne#trino, only the ne#trino% Its trail c#rved and
veered sharply and led him breathlessly alon #ncharted path"ays that even Sterbins;i and 1aMarr did not
follo"%
He called *immo% >Uncle Ralph, I need a fe" thins% I'm callin from off the camp#s%?
*immo's face in the video plate "as Aovial, b#t his voice "as sharp% He said, >-hat yo# need is a
co#rse in comm#nication% I'm havin a hell of a time p#llin yo#r application into one intelliible piece% If
that's "hat yo#'re callin abo#t(?
.oster shoo; his head impatiently% >That's not "hat I'm callin abo#t% I need these%? He scribbled
<#ic;ly on a piece of paper and held it #p before the receiver%
*immo yiped% >Hey, ho" many tric;s do yo# thin; I can "anle@?
>Bo# can et them, Uncle% Bo# ;no" yo# can%?
*immo reread the list of items "ith silent motions of his pl#mp lips and loo;ed rave%
>-hat happens "hen yo# p#t those thins toether@? he as;ed% .oster shoo; his head% >Bo#'ll
have e$cl#sive pop#lar p#blication rihts to "hatever t#rns #p, the "ay it's al"ays been% B#t please don't
as; any <#estions no"%?
>I can't do miracles, yo# ;no"%?
>&o this one% Bo#'ve ot to% Bo#'re a science "riter, not a research man% Bo# don't have to
acco#nt for anythin% Bo#'ve ot friends and connections%
They can loo; the other "ay, can't they, to et a brea; from yo# ne$t p#blication time@?
>Bo#r faith, nephe", is to#chin% I'll try%?
*immo s#cceeded% The material and e<#ipment "ere bro#ht over late one evenin in a private
to#rin car% *immo and .oster l#ed it in "ith the r#ntin of men #n#sed to man#al labor%
/otterley stood at the entrance of the basement after *immo had left% He as;ed softly, >-hat's
this for@?
.oster br#shed the hair off his forehead and ently massaed a sprained "rist% He said, >I "ant to
cond#ct a fe" simple e$periments%?
>Really@? The historian's eyes littered "ith e$citement%
.oster felt e$ploited% He felt as tho#h he "ere bein led alon a danero#s hih"ay by the p#ll of
pinchin finers on his nose= as tho#h he co#ld see the r#in clearly that lay in "ait at the end of the path,
yet "al;ed eaerly and determinedly% -orst of all, he felt the compellin rip on his nose to be his o"n%
It "as /otterley "ho bean it, /otterley "ho stood there no", loatin= b#t the comp#lsion "as
his o"n%
.oster said so#rly, >I'll be "antin privacy no", /otterley% I can't have yo# and yo#r "ife r#nnin
do"n here and annoyin me%?
He tho#ht+ If that offends him, let him ;ic; me o#t% 1et him p#t an end to this%
In his heart, tho#h, he did not thin; bein evicted "o#ld stop anythin%
B#t it did not come to that% /otterley "as sho"in no sins of offense% His mild a!e "as
#nchaned% He said, >Of co#rse, &r% .oster, of co#rse% All the privacy yo# "ish%?
.oster "atched him o% He "as left still marchin alon the hih"ay, perversely lad of it and
hatin himself for bein lad%
He too; to sleepin over on a cot in /otterley's basement and spendin his "ee;ends there
entirely%
&#rin that period, preliminary "ord came thro#h that his rants Das doctored by *immoE had
been approved% The &epartment Head bro#ht the "ord and conrat#lated him%
.oster stared bac; distantly and m#mbled, >,ood% I'm lad,? "ith so little conviction that the
other fro"ned and t#rned a"ay "itho#t another "ord%
.oster ave the matter no f#rther tho#ht% It "as a minor point, "orth no notice% He "as plannin
somethin that really co#nted, a climactic test for that evenin%
One evenin, a second and third and then, haard and half beside himself "ith e$citement, he
called in /otterley%
/otterley came do"n the stairs and loo;ed abo#t at the homemade adetry% He said, in his soft
voice, >The electric bills are <#ite hih% I don't mind the e$pense, b#t the )ity may as; <#estions% )an
anythin be done@?
It "as a "arm evenin, b#t /otterley "ore a tiht collar and a semiAac;et% .oster, "ho "as in his
#ndershirt, lifted bleary eyes and said sha;ily, >It "on't be for m#ch loner, &r% /otterley% I've called yo#
do"n to tell yo# somethin% A chronoscope can be b#ilt% A small one, of co#rse, b#t it can be b#ilt%?
/otterley sei!ed the railin% His body saed% He manaed a "hisper% >)an it be b#ilt here@?
>Here in the basement,? said .oster "earily%
>,ood 1ord% Bo# said(?
>I ;no" "hat I said,? cried .oster impatiently% >I said it co#ldn't be done% I didn't ;no" anythin
then% Even Sterbins;i didn't ;no" anythin%?
/otterley shoo; his head% >Are yo# s#re@ Bo#'re not mista;en, &r% .oster@ I co#ldn't end#re it if(?
.oster said, >I'm not mista;en% &amn it, sir, if A#st theory had been eno#h, "e co#ld have had a
time vie"er over a h#ndred years ao, "hen the ne#trino "as first post#lated% The tro#ble "as, the oriinal
investiators considered it only a mysterio#s particle "itho#t mass or chare that co#ld not be detected% It
"as A#st somethin to even #p the boo;;eepin and save the la" of conservation of mass enery%?
He "asn't s#re /otterley ;ne" "hat he "as tal;in abo#t% He didn't care% He needed a breather%
He had to et some of this o#t of his clottin tho#hts% % % % And he needed bac;ro#nd for "hat he "o#ld
have to tell /otterley ne$t%
He "ent on% >It "as Sterbins;i "ho first discovered that the ne#trino bro;e thro#h the space(time
cross(sectional barrier, that it traveled thro#h time as "ell as thro#h space% It "as Sterbins;i "ho first
devised a method for stoppin ne#trinos% He invented a ne#trino recorder and learned ho" to interpret the
pattern of the ne#trino stream% *at#rally, the stream had been affected and deflected by all the matter it had
passed thro#h in its passae thro#h time, and the deflections co#ld be analy!ed and converted into the
imaes of the matter that had done the deflectin% Time vie"in "as possible% Even air vibrations co#ld be
detected in this "ay and converted into so#nd%?
/otterley "as definitely not listenin% He said, >Bes% Bes% B#t "hen can yo# b#ild a
chronoscope@?
.oster said #rently, >1et me finish% Everythin depends on the method #sed to detect and analy!e
the ne#trino stream% Sterbins;i's method "as diffic#lt and ro#ndabo#t% It re<#ired mo#ntains of enery% B#t
I've st#died pse#do(ravities, &r% /otterley, the science of artificial ravitational fields% I've speciali!ed in
the behavior of liht in s#ch fields% It's a ne" science% Sterbins;i ;ne" nothin of it% If he had, he "o#ld
have seen(anyone "o#ld have(a m#ch better and more efficient method of detectin ne#trinos #sin a
pse#do(ravitic field% If I had ;no"n more ne#trinics to bein "ith, I "o#ld have seen it at once%?
/otterley brihtened a bit% >I ;ne" it,? he said% >Even if they stop research in ne#trinics there is no
"ay the overnment can be s#re that discoveries in other sements of science "on't reflect ;no"lede on
ne#trinics% So m#ch for the val#e of centrali!ed direction of science% 7 tho#ht this lon ao, &r% .oster,
before yo# ever came to "or; here%?
>I conrat#late yo# on that,? said .oster, >b#t there's one thin(?
>Oh, never mind all this% Ans"er me% /lease% -hen can yo# b#ild a chronoscope@?
>I'm tryin to tell yo# somethin, &r% /otterley% A chronoscope "on't do yo# any ood%? DThis is
it, .oster tho#ht%E
Slo"ly, /otterley descended the stairs% He stood facin .oster% >-hat do yo# mean@ -hy "on't it
help me@?
>Bo# "on't see )arthae% It's "hat I've ot to tell yo#% It's "hat I've been leadin #p to% Bo# can
never see )arthae%?
/otterley shoo; his head slihtly% >Oh, no, yo#'re "ron% If yo# have the chronoscope, A#st foc#s
it properly(?
>*o, &r% /otterley% It's not a <#estion of foc#s% There are random factors affectin the ne#trino
stream, as they affect all s#batomic particles% -hat "e call the #ncertainty principle% -hen the stream is
recorded and interpreted, the random factor comes o#t as f#!!iness, or Knoise' as the comm#nications boys
spea; of it% The f#rther bac; in time yo# penetrate, the more prono#nced the f#!!iness, the reater the
noise% After a "hile, the noise dro"ns o#t the pict#re% &o yo# #nderstand@?
>More po"er,? said /otterley in a dead ;ind of voice%
>That "on't help% -hen the noise bl#rs o#t detail, manifyin detail manifies the noise, too% Bo#
can't see anythin in a s#n(b#rned film by enlarin it, can yo#@ ,et this thro#h yo#r head, no"% The
physical nat#re of the #niverse sets limits% The random thermal motions of air molec#les set limits to ho"
"ea; a so#nd can be detected by any instr#ment% The lenth of a liht "ave or of an electron "ave sets
limits to the si!e of obAects that can be seen by any instr#ment% It "or;s that "ay in chronoscopy, too% Bo#
can only time vie" so far%?
>Ho" far@ Ho" far@?
.oster too; a deep breath% >A cent#ry and a <#arter% That's the most%?
>B#t the monthly b#lletin the )ommission p#ts o#t deals "ith ancient history almost entirely%?
The historian la#hed sha;ily% >Bo# m#st be "ron% The overnment has data as far bac; as LGGG b%c%?
>-hen did yo# s"itch to believin them@? demanded .oster, scornf#lly% >Bo# bean this b#siness
by provin they "ere lyin= that no historian had made #se of the chronoscope% &on't yo# see "hy no"@
*o historian, e$cept one interested in contemporary history, co#ld% *o chronoscope can possibly see bac;
in time f#rther than 78IG #nder any conditions%?
>Bo#'re "ron% Bo# don't ;no" everythin,? said /otterley%
>The tr#th "on't bend itself to yo#r convenience either% .ace it% The overnment's part in this is to
perpet#ate a hoa$%?
>-hy@?
>I don't ;no" "hy%?
/otterley's sn#bby nose "as t"itchin% His eyes "ere b#lin% He pleaded, >It's only theory, &r%
.oster% B#ild a chronoscope% B#ild one and try%?
.oster ca#ht /otterley's sho#lders in a s#dden, fierce rip% >&o yo# thin; I haven't@ &o yo# thin;
I "o#ld tell yo# this before I had chec;ed it every "ay I ;ne"@ I have b#ilt one% It's all aro#nd yo#% 1oo;C?
He ran to the s"itches at the po"er leads% He flic;ed them on, one by one% He t#rned a resistor,
adA#sted other ;nobs, p#t o#t the cellar lihts% >-ait% 1et it "arm #p%?
There "as a small lo" near the center of one "all% /otterley "as ibberin incoherently, b#t
.oster only cried aain, >1oo;C?
The liht sharpened and brihtened, bro;e #p into a liht(and(dar; pattern% Men and "omenC
.#!!y% .eat#res bl#rred% Arms and les mere strea;s% An old(fashioned ro#nd car, #nclear b#t
reconi!able as one of the ;ind that had once #sed asoline(po"ered internal(comb#stion enines, sped by%
.oster said, >Mid(t"entieth cent#ry, some"here% I can't hoo; #p an a#dio yet so this is so#ndless%
Event#ally, "e can add so#nd% Any"ay, mid(t"entieth is almost as far bac; as yo# can o% Believe me,
that's the best foc#sin that can be done%?
/otterley said, >B#ild a larer machine, a stroner one% Improve yo#r circ#its%?
>Bo# can't lic; the Uncertainty /rinciple, man, any more than yo# can live on the s#n% There are
physical limits to "hat can be done%?
>Bo#'re lyin% I "on't believe yo#% I(?
A ne" voice so#nded, raised shrilly to ma;e itself heard%
>ArnoldC &r% .osterC?
The yo#n physicist t#rned at once% &r% /otterley fro!e for a lon moment, then said, "itho#t
t#rnin, >-hat is it, )aroline@ 1eave #s%?
>*oC? Mrs% /otterley descended the stairs% >I heard% I co#ldn't help hearin% &o yo# have a time
vie"er here, &r% .oster@ Here in the basement@?
>Bes, I do, Mrs% /otterley% A ;ind of time vie"er% *ot a ood one% I can't et so#nd yet and the
pict#re is darned bl#rry, b#t it "or;s%?
Mrs% /otterley clasped her hands and held them tihtly aainst her breast% >Ho" "onderf#l% Ho"
"onderf#l%?
>It's not at all "onderf#l,? snapped /otterley% >The yo#n fool can't reach f#rther bac; than(?
>*o", loo;,? bean .oster in e$asperation% % % %
>/leaseC? cried Mrs% /otterley% >1isten to me% Arnold, don't yo# see that as lon as "e can #se it
for t"enty years bac;, "e can see 1a#rel once aain@ -hat do "e care abo#t )arthae and ancient times@
It's 1a#rel "e can see%
She'll be alive for #s aain% 1eave the machine here, &r% .oster% Sho" #s ho" to "or; it%?
.oster stared at her then at her h#sband% &r% /otterley's face had one "hite% Tho#h his voice
stayed lo" and even, its calmness "as someho" one% He said, >Bo#'re a foolC?
)aroline said "ea;ly, >ArnoldC?
>Bo#'re a fool, I say% -hat "ill yo# see@ The past% The dead past% -ill 1a#rel do one thin she
did not do@ -ill yo# see one thin yo# haven't seen@ -ill yo# live three years over and over aain,
"atchin a baby "ho'll never ro" #p no matter ho" yo# "atch@?
His voice came near to crac;in, b#t held% He stopped closer to her, sei!ed her sho#lder and shoo;
her ro#hly% >&o yo# ;no" "hat "ill happen to yo# if yo# do that@ They'll come to ta;e yo# a"ay beca#se
yo#'ll o mad% Bes, mad% &o yo# "ant mental treatment@ &o yo# "ant to be sh#t #p, to #ndero the
psychic probe@?
Mrs% /otterley tore a"ay% There "as no trace of softness or va#eness abo#t her% She had t"isted
into a virao% >I "ant to see my child, Arnold% She's in that machine and I "ant her%?
>She's not in the machine% An imae is% )an't yo# #nderstand@ An imaeC Somethin that's not
realC?
>I "ant my child% &o yo# hear me@? She fle" at him, screamin, fists beatin% >I "ant my child%?
The historian retreated at the f#ry of the assa#lt, cryin o#t% .oster moved to step bet"een, "hen
Mrs% /otterley dropped, sobbin "ildly, to the floor%
/otterley t#rned, eyes desperately see;in% -ith a s#dden heave, he snatched at a 1ando(rod,
tearin it from its s#pport, and "hirlin a"ay before .oster, n#mbed by all that "as ta;in place, co#ld
move to stop him%
>Stand bac;C? asped /otterley, >or I'll ;ill yo#% I s"ear it%?
He s"#n "ith force, and .oster A#mped bac;%
/otterley t#rned "ith f#ry on every part of the str#ct#re in the cellar, and .oster, after the first
crash of lass, "atched da!edly%
/otterley spent his rae and then he "as standin <#ietly amid shards and splinters, "ith a bro;en
1ando(rod in his hand% He said to .oster in a "hisper, >*o" et o#t of hereC *ever come bac;C If any of
this cost yo# anythin, send me a bill and I'll pay for it% I'll pay do#ble%?
.oster shr#ed, pic;ed #p his shirt and moved #p the basement stairs% He co#ld hear Mrs%
/otterley sobbin lo#dly, and, as he t#rned at the head of the stairs for a last loo;, he sa" &r% /otterley
bendin over her, his face conv#lsed "ith sorro"%
T"o days later, "ith the school day dra"in to a close, and .oster loo;in "earily abo#t to see if
there "ere any data on his ne"ly approved proAects that he "ished to ta;e home, &r% /otterley appeared
once more% He "as standin at the open door of .oster's office%
The historian "as neatly dressed as ever% He lifted his hand in a est#re that "as too va#e to be a
reetin, too abortive to be a plea% .oster stared stonily%
/otterley said, >I "aited till five, till yo# "ere % % % May I come in@?
.oster nodded%
/otterley said, >I s#ppose I o#ht to apoloi!e for my behavior% I "as dreadf#lly disappointed= not
<#ite master of myself% Still, it "as ine$c#sable%?
>I accept yo#r apoloy,? said .oster%
>Is that all@?
>My "ife called yo#, I thin;%?
>Bes, she has%?
>She has been <#ite hysterical% She told me she had b#t I co#ldn't be <#ite s#re(?
>)o#ld yo# tell me("o#ld yo# be so ;ind as to tell me "hat she "anted@?
>She "anted a chronoscope% She said she had some money of her o"n% She "as "illin to pay%?
>&id yo#(ma;e any commitments@?
>I said I "asn't in the man#fact#rin b#siness%?
>,ood,? breathed /otterley, his chest e$pandin "ith a sih of relief% KK/lease don't ta;e any calls
from her% She's not(<#ite(?
>1oo;, &r% /otterfey,? said .oster, >I'm not ettin into any domestic <#arrels, b#t yo#'d better be
prepared for somethin% )hronoscopes can be b#ilt by anybody ,iven a fe" simple parts that can be
bo#ht thro#h some etherics sales center, it can be b#ilt in the home "or;shop% The video part, any"ay%?
>B#t no one else "ill thin; of it beside yo#, "ill they@ *o one has%?
>I don't intend to ;eep it secret%?
>B#t yo# can't p#blish% It's illeal research%?
>That doesn't matter any more, &r% /otterley% If I lose my rants, I lose them% If the #niversity is
displeased, I'll resin% It A#st doesn't matter%?
>B#t yo# can't do thatC?
>Till no",? said .oster, >yo# didn't mind my ris;in loss of rants and position% -hy do yo# t#rn
so tender abo#t it no"@ *o" let me e$plain somethin to yo#% -hen yo# first came to me, I believed in
orani!ed and directed research= the sit#ation as it e$isted, in other "ords% I considered yo# an intellect#al
anarchist, &r% /otterley, and danero#s% B#t, for one reason or another, I've been an anarchist myself for
months no" and I have achieved reat thins%
>Those thins have been achieved not beca#se I am a brilliant scientist% *ot at all% It "as A#st that
scientific research had been directed from above and holes "ere left that co#ld be filled in by anyone "ho
loo;ed in the riht direction% And anyone miht have if the overnment hadn't actively tried to prevent it%
>*o" #nderstand me% I still believe directed research can be #sef#l% I'm not in favor of a retreat to
total anarchy% B#t there m#st be a middle ro#nd% &irected research can retain fle$ibility% A scientist m#st
be allo"ed to follo" his c#riosity, at least in his spare time%?
/otterley sat do"n% He said inratiatinly, >1et's disc#ss this, .oster% I appreciate yo#r idealism%
Bo#'re yo#n% Bo# "ant the moon% B#t yo# can't destroy yo#rself thro#h fancy notions of "hat research
m#st consist of% I ot yo# into this% I am responsible and I blame myself bitterly% I "as actin emotionally%
My interest in )arthae blinded me and I "as a damned fool%?
.oster bro;e in% >Bo# mean yo#'ve chaned completely in t"o days@ )arthae is nothin@
,overnment s#ppression of research is nothin@?
>Even a damned fool li;e myself can learn, .oster% My "ife ta#ht me somethin% I #nderstand the
reason for overnment s#ppression of ne#trinics no"% I didn't t"o days ao% And, #nderstandin, I
approve% Bo# sa" the "ay my "ife reacted to the ne"s of a chronoscope in the basement% I had envisioned
a chronoscope #sed for research p#rposes% All she co#ld see "as the personal pleas#re of ret#rnin
ne#rotically to a personal past, a dead past% The p#re researcher, .oster, is in the minority% /eople li;e my
"ife "o#ld o#t"eih #s%
>.or the overnment to enco#rae chronoscopy "o#ld have meant that everyone's past "o#ld be
visible% The overnment officers "o#ld be s#bAected to blac;mail and improper press#re, since "ho on
Earth has a past that is absol#tely clean@ Orani!ed overnment miht become impossible%?
.oster lic;ed his lips% >Maybe% Maybe the overnment has some A#stification in its o"n eyes% Still,
there's an important principle involved here% -ho ;no"s "hat other scientific advances are bein stymied
beca#se scientists are bein stifled into "al;in a narro" path@ If the chronoscope becomes the terror of a
fe" politicians, it's a price that m#st be paid% The p#blic m#st reali!e that science m#st be free and there is
no more dramatic "ay of doin it than to p#blish my discovery, one "ay or another, leally or illeally%?
/otterley's bro" "as damp "ith perspiration, b#t his voice remained even% >Oh, not A#st a fe"
politicians, &r% .oster% &on't thin; that% It "o#ld be my terror, too% My "ife "o#ld spend her time livin
"ith o#r dead da#hter% She "o#ld retreat f#rther from reality% She "o#ld o mad livin the same scenes
over and over% And not A#st my terror% There "o#ld be others li;e her% )hildren searchin for their dead
parents or their o"n yo#th% -e'll have a "hole "orld livin in the past% Mids#mmer madness%?
.oster said, >Moral A#dments can't stand in the "ay% There isn't one advance at any time in
history that man;ind hasn't had the inen#ity to pervert% Man;ind m#st also have the inen#ity to prevent%
As for the chronoscope, yo#r delvers into the dead past "ill et tired soon eno#h% They'll catch their loved
parents in some of the thins their loved parents did and they'll lose their enth#siasm for it all% B#t all this
is trivial% -ith me, it's a matter of important principle%?
/otterley said, >Han yo#r principle% )an't yo# #nderstand men and "omen as "ell as principle@
&on't yo# #nderstand that my "ife "ill live thro#h the fire that ;illed o#r baby@ She "on't be able to help
herself% I ;no" her% She'll follo" thro#h each step, tryin to prevent it% She'll live it over and over aain,
hopin each time that it "on't happen% Ho" many times do yo# "ant to ;ill 1a#rel@? A h#s;iness had crept
into his voice%
A tho#ht crossed .oster's mind% >-hat are yo# really afraid she'll find o#t, &r% /otterley@ -hat
happened the niht of the fire@?
The historian's hands "ent #p <#ic;ly to cover his face and they shoo; "ith his dry sobs% .oster
t#rned a"ay and stared #ncomfortably o#t the "indo"%
/otterley said after a "hile, >It's a lon time since I've had to thin; of it% )aroline "as a"ay% I "as
baby(sittin% I "ent into the baby's bedroom midevenin to see if she had ;ic;ed off the bedclothes% I had
my ciarette "ith me %%% I smo;ed in those days% I m#st have st#bbed it o#t before p#ttin it in the ashtray
on the chest of dra"ers% I "as al"ays caref#l% The baby "as all riht% I ret#rned to the livin room and fell
asleep before the video% I a"o;e, cho;in, s#rro#nded by fire% I don't ;no" ho" it started%?
>B#t yo# thin; it may have been the ciarette, is that it@? said .oster% >A ciarette "hich, for once,
yo# forot to st#b o#t@?
>I don't ;no"% I tried to save her, b#t she "as dead in my arms "hen I ot o#t%?
>Bo# never told yo#r "ife abo#t the ciarette, I s#ppose%?
/otterley shoo; his head% >B#t I've lived "ith it%?
>Only no", "ith a chronoscope, she'll find o#t% Maybe it "asn't the ciarette% Maybe yo# did st#b
it o#t% Isn't that possible@?
The scant tears had dried on /otterley's face% The redness had s#bsided% He said, >I can't ta;e the
chance% % % % B#t it's not A#st myself, .oster% The past has its terrors for most people% &on't loose those
terrors on the h#man race%?
.oster paced the floor% Someho", this e$plained the reason for /otterley's rabid, irrational desire
to boost the )arthainians, deify them, most of all disprove the story of their fiery sacrifices to Moloch% By
freein them of the #ilt of infanticide by fire, he symbolically freed himself of the same #ilt%
So the same fire that had driven him on to ca#sin the constr#ction of a chronoscope "as no"
drivin him on to the destr#ction%
.oster loo;ed sadly at the older man% >I see yo#r position, &r% /otterley, b#t this oes above
personal feelins% I've ot to smash this throttlin hold on the throat of science%?
/otterley said, savaely, >Bo# mean yo# "ant the fame and "ealth that oes "ith s#ch a
discovery%?
>I don't ;no" abo#t the "ealth, b#t that, too, I s#ppose% I'm no more than h#man%?
>Bo# "on't s#ppress yo#r ;no"lede@?
>*ot #nder any circ#mstances%?
>-ell, then(? and the historian ot to his feet and stood for a moment, larin%
.oster had an odd moment of terror% The man "as older than he, smaller, feebler, and he didn't
loo; armed% Still % % %
.oster said, >If yo#'re thin;in of ;illin me or anythin insane li;e that, I've ot the information
in a safety(deposit va#lt "here the proper people "ill find it in case of my disappearance or death%?
/otterley said, >&on't be a fool,? and stal;ed o#t%
.oster closed the door, loc;ed it and sat do"n to thin;% He felt silly% He had no information in any
safety(deposit va#lt, of co#rse% S#ch a melodramatic action "o#ld not have occ#rred to him ordinarily% B#t
no" it had%
.eelin even sillier, he spent an ho#r "ritin o#t the e<#ations of the application of pse#do(
ravitic optics to ne#trinic recordin, and some diarams for the enineerin details of constr#ction% He
sealed it in an envelope and scra"led Ralph *immo's name over the o#tside%
He spent a rather restless niht and the ne$t mornin, on the "ay to school, dropped the envelope
off at the ban;, "ith appropriate instr#ctions to an official, "ho made him sin a paper permittin the bo$
to be opened after his death%
He called *immo to tell him of the e$istence of the envelope, ref#sin <#er#lo#sly to say anythin
abo#t its contents%
He had never felt so ridic#lo#sly self(conscio#s as at that moment%
That niht and the ne$t, .oster spent in only fitf#l sleep, findin himself face to face "ith the
hihly practical problem of the p#blication of data #nethically obtained%
The /roceedins of the Society for /se#do(,ravities, "hich "as the Ao#rnal "ith "hich he "as
best ac<#ainted, "o#ld certainly not to#ch any paper that did not incl#de the maic footnote+ >The "or;
described in this paper "as made possible by ,rant *o% so(and(so from the )ommission of Research of the
United *ations%?
*or, do#bly so, "o#ld the 0o#rnal of /hysics%
There "ere al"ays the minor Ao#rnals "ho miht overloo; the nat#re of the article for the sa;e of
the sensation, b#t that "o#ld re<#ire a little financial neotiation on "hich he hesitated to embar;% It miht,
on the "hole, be better to pay the cost of p#blishin a small pamphlet for eneral distrib#tion amon
scholars% In that case, he "o#ld even be able to dispense "ith the services of a science "riter, sacrificin
polish for speed% He "o#ld have to find a reliable printer% Uncle Ralph miht ;no" one%
He "al;ed do"n the corridor to his office and "ondered an$io#sly if perhaps he o#ht to "aste no
f#rther time, ive himself no f#rther chance to lapse into indecision and ta;e the ris; of callin Ralph from
his office phone% He "as so absorbed in his o"n heavy tho#hts that he did not notice that his room "as
occ#pied #ntil he t#rned from the clothes closet and approached his des;%
&r% /otterley "as there and a man "hom .oster did not reconi!e%
.oster stared at them% >-hat's this@?
/otterley said, >I'm sorry, b#t I had to stop yo#%?
.oster contin#ed starin% >-hat are yo# tal;in abo#t@?
The straner said, >1et me introd#ce myself%? He had lare teeth, a little #neven, and they sho"ed
prominently "hen he smiled% >I am Thadde#s Araman, &epartment Head of the &ivision of )hronoscopy% I
am here to see yo# concernin information bro#ht to me by /rofessor Arnold /otterley and confirmed by
o#r o"n so#rces(?
/otterley said breathlessly, >I too; all the blame, &r% .oster% I e$plained that it "as I "ho
pers#aded yo# aainst yo#r "ill into #nethical practices% I have offered to accept f#ll responsibility and
p#nishment% I don't "ish yo# harmed in any "ay% It's A#st that chronoscopy m#st not be permittedC?
Araman nodded% >He has ta;en the blame as he says, &r% .oster, b#t this thin is o#t of his hands
no"%?
.oster said, >So@ -hat are yo# oin to do@ Blac;ball me from all consideration for research
rants@?
>That is in my po"er,? said Araman%
>Order the #niversity to dischare me@?
>That, too, is in my po"er%?
>All riht, o ahead% )onsider it done% I'll leave my office no", "ith yo#% I can send for my boo;s
later% If yo# insist, I'll leave my boo;s% Is that all@?
>*ot <#ite,? said Araman% >Bo# m#st enae to do no f#rther research in chronoscopy, to p#blish
none of yo#r findins in chronoscopy and, of co#rse, to b#ild no chronoscope% Bo# "ill remain #nder
s#rveillance indefinitely to ma;e s#re yo# ;eep that promise%?
>S#pposin I ref#se to promise@ -hat can yo# do@ &oin research o#t of my field may be
#nethical, b#t it isn't a criminal offense%?
>In the case of chronoscopy, my yo#n friend,? said Araman patiently, >it is a criminal offense% If
necessary, yo# "ill be p#t in Aail and ;ept there%?
>-hy@? sho#ted .oster% >-hat's maic abo#t chronoscopy@?
Araman said, >That's the "ay it is% -e cannot allo" f#rther developments in the field% My o"n
Aob is, primarily, to ma;e s#re of that, and I intend to do my Aob% Unfort#nately, I had no ;no"lede, nor
did anyone in the department, that the optics of pse#do(ravity fields had s#ch immediate application to
chronoscopy% Score one for eneral inorance, b#t hencefor"ard research "ill be steered properly in that
respect, too%?
.oster said, >That "on't help% Somethin else may apply that neither yo# nor I dream of% All
science hans toether% It's one piece% If yo# "ant to stop one part, yo#'ve ot to stop it all%?
>*o do#bt that is tr#e,? said Araman, >in theory% On the practical side, ho"ever, "e have manaed
<#ite "ell to hold chronoscopy do"n to the oriinal Sterbins;i level for fifty years% Havin ca#ht yo# in
time, &r% .oster, "e hope to contin#e doin so indefinitely% And "e "o#ldn't have come this close to
disaster, either, if I had accepted &r% /otterley at somethin more than face val#e%?
He t#rned to"ard the historian and lifted his eyebro"s in a ;ind of h#moro#s self(deprecation%
>I'm afraid, sir, that I dismissed yo# as a history professor and no more on the occasion of o#r first
intervie"% Had I done my Aob properly and chec;ed on yo#, this "o#ld not have happened%?
.oster said abr#ptly, >Is anyone allo"ed to #se the overnment chrono(scope@?
>*o one o#tside o#r division #nder any prete$t% I say that since it is obvio#s to me that yo# have
already #essed as m#ch% I "arn yo#, tho#h, that any repetition of that fact "ill be a criminal, not an
ethical, offense%?
>And yo#r chronoscope doesn't o bac; more than a h#ndred t"enty(five years or so, does it@?
>It doesn't%?
>Then yo#r b#lletin "ith its stories of time vie"in ancient times is a hoa$@?
Araman said coolly, >-ith the ;no"lede yo# no" have, it is obvio#s yo# ;no" that for a
certainty% Ho"ever, I confirm yo#r remar;% The monthly b#lletin is a hoa$%?
>In that case,? said .oster, >I "ill not promise to s#ppress my ;no"lede of chronoscopy% If yo#
"ish to arrest me, o ahead% My defense at the trial "ill be eno#h to destroy the vicio#s card ho#se of
directed research and brin it t#mblin do"n% &irectin research is one thin= s#ppressin it and deprivin
man;ind of its benefits is <#ite another%?
Araman said, >Oh, let's et somethin straiht, &r% .oster% If yo# do not co(operate, yo# "ill o to
Aail directly% Bo# "ill not see a la"yer, yo# "ill not be chared, yo# "ill not have a trial% Bo# "ill simply
stay in Aail%?
>Oh, no,? said .oster, >yo#'re bl#ffin% This is not the t"entieth cent#ry, yo# ;no"%?
There "as a stir o#tside the office, the clatter of feet, a hih(pitched sho#t that .oster "as s#re he
reconi!ed% The door crashed open, the loc; splinterin, and three intert"ined fi#res st#mbled in%
As they did so, one of the men raised a blaster and bro#ht its b#tt do"n hard on the s;#ll of
another%
There "as a "hoosh of e$pirin air, and the one "hose head "as str#c; "ent limp%
>Uncle RalphC? cried .oster%
Araman fro"ned% >/#t him do"n in that chair,? he ordered, >and et some "ater%?
Ralph *immo, r#bbin his head "ith a inerly sort of dis#st, said, >There "as no need to et
ro#h, Araman%?
Araman said, >The #ard sho#ld have been ro#h sooner and ;ept yo# o#t of here, *immo% Bo#'d
have been better off%?
>Bo# ;no" each other@? as;ed .oster%
>I've had dealins "ith the man,? said *immo, still r#bbin% >If he's here in yo#r office, nephe",
yo#'re in tro#ble%?
>And yo#, too,? said Araman anrily% >I ;no" &r% .oster cons#lted yo# on ne#trinics literat#re%?
*immo corr#ated his forehead, then straihtened it "ith a "ince as tho#h the action had
bro#ht pain% >So@? he said% >-hat else do yo# ;no" abo#t me@?
>-e "ill ;no" everythin abo#t yo# soon eno#h% Mean"hile, that one item is eno#h to
implicate yo#% -hat are yo# doin here@?
>My dear &r% Araman,? said *immo, some of his Aa#ntiness restored, >day before yesterday, my
Aac;ass of a nephe" called me% He had placed some mysterio#s information(?
>&on't tell himC &on't say anythinC? cried .oster%
Araman ;nced at him coldly% >-e ;no" all abo#t it, &r% .oster% The safety(deposit bo$ has been
opened and its contents removed%?
>B#t ho" can yo# ;no"(? .oster's voice died a"ay in a ;ind of f#rio#s fr#stration%
>Any"ay,? said *immo, >I decided the net m#st be closin aro#nd him and, after I too; care of a
fe" items, I came do"n to tell him to et off this thin he's doin% It's not "orth his career%?
>&oes that mean yo# ;no" "hat he's doin@? as;ed Araman%
>He never told me,? said *immo, >b#t I'm a science "riter "ith a hell of a lot of e$perience% I
;no" "hich side of an atom is electronified% The boy, .oster, speciali!es in pse#do(ravitic optics and
coached me on the st#ff himself% He ot me to et him a te$tboo; on ne#trinics and I ;ind of ship(vie"ed it
myself before handin it over% I can p#t the t"o toether% He as;ed me to et him certain pieces of physical
e<#ipment, and that "as evidence, too% Stop me if I'm "ron, b#t my nephe" has b#ilt a semiportable,
lo"(po"er chronoscope% Bes, or(yes@?
>Bes%? Araman reached tho#htf#lly for a ciarette and paid no attention to &r% /otterley
D"atchin silently, as tho#h all "ere a dreamE "ho shied a"ay, aspin, from the "hite cylinder%
>Another mista;e for me% I o#ht to resin% I sho#ld have p#t tabs on yo#, too, *immo, instead of
concentratin too hard on /otterley and .oster% I didn't have m#ch time of co#rse and yo#'ve ended #p
safely here, b#t that doesn't e$c#se me% Bo#'re #nder arrest, *immo%?
>-hat for@? demanded the science "riter%
>Una#thori!ed research%?
>I "asn't doin any% I can't, not bein a reistered scientist% And even if I did, it's not a criminal
offense%?
.oster said savaely, >*o #se, Uncle Ralph% This b#rea#crat is ma;in his o"n la"s%?
>1i;e "hat@? demanded *immo%
>1i;e life imprisonment "itho#t trial%?
>*#ts,? said *immo% >This isn't the t"entieth cen(?
>I tried that,? said .oster% >It doesn't bother him%?
>-ell, n#ts,? sho#ted *immo% >1oo; here, Araman% My nephe" and I have relatives "ho haven't
lost to#ch "ith #s, yo# ;no"% The professor has some also, I imaine% Bo# can't A#st ma;e #s disappear%
There'll be <#estions and a scandal% This isn't the t"entieth cent#ry% So if yo#'re tryin to scare #s, it isn't
"or;in%?
The ciarette snapped bet"een Araman's finers and he tossed it a"ay violently% He said, >&amn
it, I don't ;no" "hat to do% It's never been li;e this before% % % % 1oo;C Bo# three fools ;no" nothin of
"hat yo#'re tryin to do% Bo# #nderstand nothin% -ill yo# listen to me@?
>Oh, "e'll listen,? said *immo rimly%
D.oster sat silently, eyes anry, lips compressed% /otterley's hands "rithed li;e t"o intert"ined
sna;es%E
Araman said, >The past to yo# is the dead past% If any of yo# have disc#ssed the matter, it's dollars
to nic;els yo#'ve #sed that phrase% The dead past% If yo# ;ne" ho" many times I've heard those three
"ords, yo#'d cho;e on them, too%
>-hen people thin; of the past, they thin; of it as dead, far a"ay and one, lon ao% -e
enco#rae them to thin; so% -hen "e report time vie"in, "e al"ays tal; of vie"s cent#ries in the past,
even tho#h yo# entlemen ;no" seein more than a cent#ry or so is impossible% /eople accept it% The past
means ,reece, Rome, )arthae, Eypt, the Stone Ae% The deader the better%
>*o" yo# three ;no" a cent#ry or a little more is the limit, so "hat does the past mean to yo#@
Bo#r yo#th% Bo#r first irl% Bo#r dead mother% T"enty years ao% Thirty years ao% .ifty years ao% The
deader the better% % % % B#t "hen does the past really bein@?
He pa#sed in aner% The others stared at him and *immo stirred #neasily%
>-ell,? said Araman, >"hen did it bein@ A year ao@ .ive min#tes ao@ One second ao@ Isn't it
obvio#s that the past beins an instant ao@ The dead past is A#st another name for the livin present% -hat
if yo# foc#s the chronoscope in the past of one(h#ndredth of a second ao@ Aren't yo# "atchin the
present@ &oes it bein to sin; in@?
*immo said, >&amnation%?
>&amnation,? mimic;ed Araman% >After /otterley came to me "ith his story niht before last,
ho" do yo# s#ppose I chec;ed #p on both of yo#@ I did it "ith the chronoscope, spottin ;ey moments to
the very instant of the present%?
>And that's ho" yo# ;ne" abo#t the safety(deposit bo$@? said .oster%
>And every other important fact% *o" "hat do yo# s#ppose "o#ld happen if "e let ne"s of a
home chronoscope et o#t@ /eople miht start o#t by "atchin their yo#th, their parents and so on, b#t it
"o#ldn't be lon before they'd catch on to the possibilities% The ho#se"ife "ill foret her poor, dead
mother and ta;e to "atchin her neihbor at home and her h#sband at the office% The b#sinessman "ill
"atch his competitor= the employer his employee%
>There "ill be no s#ch thin as privacy% The party line, the pryin eye behind the c#rtain "ill be
nothin compared to it% The video stars "ill be closely "atched at all times by everyone% Every man his
o"n peepin Tom and there'll be no ettin a"ay from the "atcher% Even dar;ness "ill be no escape
beca#se chronoscopy can be adA#sted to the infrared and h#man fi#res can be seen by their o"n body heat%
The fi#res "ill be f#!!y, of co#rse, and the s#rro#ndins "ill be dar;, b#t that "ill ma;e the titillation of it
all the reater, perhaps% % % % Hmp, the men in chare of the machine no" e$periment sometimes in spite of
the re#lations aainst it%?
*immo seemed sic;% >Bo# can al"ays forbid private man#fact#re(?
Araman t#rned on him fiercely% >Bo# can, b#t do yo# e$pect it to do ood@ )an yo# leislate
s#ccessf#lly aainst drin;in, smo;in, ad#ltery or ossipin over the bac; fence@ And this mi$t#re of
nosiness and pr#rience "ill have a "orse rip on h#manity than any of those% ,ood 1ord, in a tho#sand
years of tryin "e haven't even been able to "ipe o#t the heroin traffic and yo# tal; abo#t leislatin
aainst a device for "atchin anyone yo# please at any time yo# please that can be b#ilt in a home
"or;shop%?
.oster said s#ddenly, >I "on't p#blish%?
/otterley b#rst o#t, half in sobs, >*one of #s "ill tal;% I reret(?
*immo bro;e in% >Bo# said yo# didn't tab me on the chronoscope, Araman%?
>*o time,? said Araman "earily% >Thins don't move any faster on the chronoscope than in real
life% Bo# can't speed it #p li;e the film in a boo; vie"er% -e spent a f#ll t"enty(fo#r ho#rs tryin to catch
the important moments d#rin the last si$ months of /otterley and .oster% There "as no time for anythin
else and it "as eno#h%?
>It "asn't,? said *immo%
>-hat are yo# tal;in abo#t@? There "as a s#dden infinite alarm on Araman's face%
>I told yo# my nephe", 0onas, had called me to say he had p#t important information in a safety(
deposit bo$% He acted as tho#h he "ere in tro#ble% He's my nephe"% I had to try to et him off the spot% It
too; a "hile, then I came here to tell him "hat I had done% I told yo# "hen I ot here, A#st after yo#r man
con;ed me that I had ta;en care of a fe" items%?
>-hat@ .or Heaven's sa;e(?
>0#st this+ I sent the details of the portable chronoscope off to half a do!en of my re#lar p#blicity
o#tlets%?
*ot a "ord% *ot a so#nd% *ot a breath% They "ere all past any demonstration%
>&on't stare li;e that,? cried *immo% >&on't yo# see my point@ I had pop#lar p#blication rihts%
0onas "ill admit that% I ;ne" he co#ldn't p#blish scientifically in any leal "ay% I "as s#re he "as plannin
to p#blish illeally and "as preparin the safety(deposit bo$ for that reason, i tho#ht if I p#t thro#h the
details premat#rely, all the responsibility "o#ld be mine% His career "o#ld be saved% And if 7 "ere
deprived of my science("ritin license as a res#lt, my e$cl#sive possession of the chronometric data "o#ld
set me #p for life% 0onas "o#ld be anry, I e$pected that, b#t I co#ld e$plain the motive and "e "o#ld split
the ta;e fifty(fifty% % % &on't stare at me li;e that% Ho" did I ;no"(?
>*obody ;ne" anythin,? said Araman bitterly, >b#t yo# all A#st too; it for ranted that the
overnment "as st#pidly b#rea#cratic, vicio#s, tyrannical, iven to s#ppressin research for the hell of it% It
never occ#rred to any of yo# that "e "ere tryin to protect man;ind as best "e co#ld%?
>&on't sit there tal;in,? "ailed /otterley% >,et the names of the people "ho "ere told(?
>Too late,? said *immo, shr#in% >They've had better than a day% There's been time for the
"ord to spread% My o#tfits "ill have called any n#mber of physicists to chec; my data before oin on "ith
it and they'll call one another to pass on the ne"s% Once scientists p#t ne#trinics and pse#do(ravities
toether, home chronoscopy becomes obvio#s% Before the "ee; is o#t, five h#ndred people "ill ;no" ho"
to b#ild a small chronoscope and ho" "ill yo# catch them all@? His pl#m chee;s saed% >I s#ppose there's
no "ay of p#ttin the m#shroom clo#d bac; into that nice, shiny #rani#m sphere%?
Araman stood #p% >-e'll try, /otterley, b#t I aree "ith *immo% It's too late% -hat ;ind of a
"orld "e'll have from no" on, I don't ;no", I can't tell, b#t the "orld "e ;no" has been destroyed
completely% Until no", every c#stom, every habit, every tiniest "ay of life has al"ays ta;en a certain
amo#nt of privacy for ranted, b#t that's all one no"%?
He sal#ted each of the three "ith elaborate formality%
>Bo# have created a ne" "orld amon the three of yo#% I conrat#late yo#% Happy oldfish bo"l
to yo#, to me, to everyone, and may each of yo# fry in hell forever% Arrest rescinded%?
The Foundation of S.F. Success
D"ith apoloies to -% S% ,ilbertE
If yo# as; me ho" to shine in the science(fiction line as a pro of l#ster briht,
I say, practice #p the lino of the sciences, by Aino Dnever mind if not <#ite rihtE%
Bo# m#st tal; of Space and ,ala$ies and tesseractic fallacies in slic; and mystic style,
Tho#h the fans "on't #nderstand it, they "ill all the same demand it "ith a softly hopef#l smile%
And all the fans "ill say,
As yo# "al; yo#r spatial "ay,
If that yo#n man ind#les in flihts thro#h all the ,ala$y,
-hy, "hat a most imainative type of man that type of man m#st be%
So s#ccess is not a mystery, A#st br#sh #p on yo#r history, and borro" day by day%
Ta;e an Empire that "as Roman and yo#'ll find it is at home in all the starry Mil;y -ay%
-ith a drive that's hyperspatial, thro#h the parsecs yo# "ill race, yo#'ll find that plottin is a bree!e,
-ith a tiny bit of cribbin' from the "or;s of Ed"ard ,ibbon and that ,ree;, Th#cydides%
And all the fans "ill say,
As yo# "al; yo#r tho#htf#l "ay,
If that yo#n man involves himself in a#thentic history,
-hy, "hat a very learned ;ind of hih I2, his hih I2 m#st be%
Then esche" all tho#hts of passion of a man(and("oman fashion from yo#r hero's tho#htf#l mind%
He m#st spend his time on politics, and thin;in #p his shady tric;s, and o#tside that he's blind%
It's eno#h he's had a mother, other females are a bother, tho#h they're Ae"eled and listery%
They "ill A#st distract his dreamin and his necessary schemin "ith that psychohistory%
And all the fans "ill say
As yo# "al; yo#r narro" "ay,
If all his yarns restrict themselves to masc#linity,
-hy, "hat a most partic#larly p#re yo#n man that p#re yo#n man m#st be%
Franchise
1I*&A, A,E ten, "as the only one of the family "ho seemed to enAoy bein a"a;e%
*orman M#ller co#ld hear her no" thro#h his o"n dr#ed, #nhealthy coma% DHe had finally
manaed to fall asleep an ho#r earlier b#t even then it "as more li;e e$ha#stion than sleep%E
She "as at his bedside no", sha;in him% >&addy, &addy, "a;e #p% -a;e #pC?
He s#ppressed a roan% >All riht, 1inda%?
>B#t, &addy, there's more policemen aro#nd than any timeC /olice cars and everythinC?
*orman M#ller ave #p and rose blearily to his elbo"s% The day "as beinnin% It "as faintly
stirrin to"ard da"n o#tside, the erm of a miserable ray that loo;ed abo#t as miserably ray as he felt%
He co#ld hear Sarah, his "ife, sh#fflin abo#t brea;fast d#ties in the ;itchen% His father(in(la", Matthe",
"as ha";in stren#o#sly in the bathroom% *o do#bt Aent Handley "as ready and "aitin for him%
This "as the day%
Election &ayC
To bein "ith, it had been li;e every other year% Maybe a little "orse, beca#se it "as a presidential
year, b#t no "orse than other presidential years if it came to that%
The politicians spo;e abo#t the #h(reat electorate and the vast electronic intellience that "as its
servant% The press analy!ed the sit#ation "ith ind#strial comp#ters Dthe *e" Bor; Times and the St% 1o#is
/ost(&ispatch had their o"n comp#tersE and "ere f#ll of little hints as to "hat "o#ld be forthcomin%
)ommentators and col#mnists pinpointed the cr#cial state and co#nty in happy contradiction to one
another%
The first hint that it "o#ld not be li;e every other year "as "hen Sarah M#ller said to her h#sband
on the evenin of October F D"ith Election &ay e$actly a month offE, >)ant"ell 0ohnson says that Indiana
"ill be the state this year% He's the fo#rth one% 0#st thin;, our state this time%?
Matthe" Horten"eiler too; his fleshy face from behind the paper, stared do#rly at his da#hter
and ro"led, >Those fello"s are paid to tell lies% &on't listen to them%?
>.o#r of them, .ather,? said Sarah mildly% >They all say Indiana%?
>Indiana is a ;ey state, Matthe",? said *orman, A#st as mildly, >on acco#nt of the Ha";ins(Smith
Act and this mess in Indianapolis% It(?
Matthe" t"isted his old face alarminly and rasped o#t, >*o one says Bloominton or Monroe
)o#nty, do they@?
>-ell(? said *orman%
1inda, "hose little pointed(chinned face had been shiftin from one spea;er to the ne$t, said
pipinly, >Bo# oin to be votin this year, &addy@?
*orman smiled ently and said, >I don't thin; so, dear%?
B#t this "as in the rad#ally ro"in e$citement of an October in a presidential election year and
Sarah had led a <#iet life "ith dreams for her companions% She said loninly, >-o#ldn't that be
"onderf#l, tho#h@?
>If I voted@? *orman M#ller had a small blond m#stache that had iven him a debonair <#ality in
the yo#n Sarah's eyes, b#t "hich, "ith rad#al rayin, had declined merely to lac; of distinction% His
forehead bore deepenin lines born of #ncertainty and, in eneral, he had never sed#ced his cler;ly so#l
"ith the tho#ht that he "as either born reat or "o#ld #nder any circ#mstances achieve reatness% He had
a "ife, a Aob and a little irl, and e$cept #nder e$traordinary conditions of elation or depression "as in(
clined to consider that to be an ade<#ate barain str#c; "ith life%
So he "as a little embarrassed and more than a little #neasy at the direction his "ife's tho#hts
"ere ta;in% >Act#ally, my dear,? he said, >there are t"o h#ndred million people in the co#ntry, and, "ith
odds li;e that, I don't thin; "e o#ht to "aste o#r time "onderin abo#t it%?
His "ife said, >-hy, *orman, it's no s#ch thin li;e t"o h#ndred million and yo# ;no" it% In the
first place, only people bet"een t"enty and si$ty are eliible and it's al"ays men, so that p#ts it do"n to
maybe fifty million to one% Then, if it's really Indiana(?
>Then it's abo#t one and a <#arter million to one% Bo# "o#ldn't "ant me to bet in a horse race
aainst those odds, no", "o#ld yo#@ 1et's have s#pper%?
Matthe" m#ttered from behind his ne"spaper, >&amned foolishness%?
1inda as;ed aain, >Bo# oin to be votin this year, &addy@?
*orman shoo; his head and they all adAo#rned to the dinin room%
By October IG, Sarah's e$citement "as risin rapidly% Over the coffee, she anno#nced that Mrs%
Sch#lt!, havin a co#sin "ho "as the secretary of an Assemblyman, said that all the >smart money? "as on
Indiana%
>She says /resident 5illers is even oin to ma;e a speech at Indianapolis%?
*orman M#ller, "ho had had a hard day at the store, n#ded the statement "ith a raisin of
eyebro"s and let it o at that%
Matthe" Horten"eiler, "ho "as chronically dissatisfied "ith -ashinton, said, >If 5illers ma;es
a speech in Indiana, that means he thin;s M#ltivac "ill pic; Ari!ona% He "o#ldn't have the #ts to o
closer, the m#sh(head%?
Sarah, "ho inored her father "henever she co#ld decently do so, said, >I don't ;no" "hy they
don't anno#nce the state as soon as they can, and then the co#nty and so on% Then the people "ho "ere
eliminated co#ld rela$%?
>If they did anythin li;e that,? pointed o#t *orman, >the politicians "o#ld follo" the
anno#ncements li;e v#lt#res% By the time it "as narro"ed do"n to a to"nship, yo#'d have a )onressman
or t"o at every street corner%?
Matthe" narro"ed his eyes and br#shed anrily at his sparse, ray hair% >They're v#lt#res,
anyho"% 1isten(?
Sarah m#rm#red, >*o", .ather(?
Matthe"'s voice r#mbled over her protest "itho#t as m#ch as a st#mble or hitch% >1isten, I "as
aro#nd "hen they set #p M#ltivac% It "o#ld end partisan politics, they said% *o more voters' money "asted
on campains% *o more rinnin nobodies hih(press#red and advertisin(campained into )onress or the
-hite Ho#se% So "hat happens% More campainin than ever, only no" they do it blind% They'll send #ys
to Indiana on acco#nt of the Ha";ins(Smith Act and other #ys to )alifornia in case it's the 0oe Hammer
sit#ation that t#rns o#t cr#cial% I say, "ipe o#t all that nonsense% Bac; to the ood old(?
1inda as;ed s#ddenly, >&on't yo# "ant &addy to vote this year, ,randpa@?
Matthe" lared at the yo#n irl% >*ever yo# mind, no"%? He t#rned bac; to *orman and Sarah%
>There "as a time I voted% Marched riht #p to the pollin booth, st#c; my fist on the levers and voted%
There "as nothin to it% I A#st said+ This fello"'s my man and I'm votin for him% Thats the "ay it sho#ld
be%?
1inda said e$citedly, >Bo# voted, ,randpa@ Bo# really did@?
Sarah leaned for"ard <#ic;ly to <#iet "hat miht easily become an inconr#o#s story driftin
abo#t the neihborhood, >It's nothin, 1inda% ,randpa doesn't really mean voted% Everyone did that ;ind of
votin, yo#r randpa, too, b#t it "asn't really votin%?
Matthe" roared, >It "asn't "hen I "as a little boy% I "as t"enty(t"o and I voted for 1anley and
it "as real votin% My vote didn't co#nt for m#ch, maybe, b#t it "as as ood as anyone else's% Anyone
else's% And no M#ltivac to(?
*orman interposed, >All riht, 1inda, time for bed% And stop as;in <#estions abo#t votin% -hen
yo# ro" #p, yo#'ll #nderstand all abo#t it%?
He ;issed her "ith antiseptic entleness and she moved rel#ctantly o#t of rane #nder maternal
proddin and a promise that she miht "atch the bedside video till 8+79, if she "as prompt abo#t the
bathin rit#al%
1inda said, >,randpa,? and stood "ith her chin do"n and her hands behind her bac; #ntil his
ne"spaper lo"ered itself to the point "here shay eyebro"s and eyes, nested in fine "rin;les, sho"ed
themselves% It "as .riday, October L7%
He said, >Bes@?
1inda came closer and p#t both her forearms on one of the old man's ;nees so that he had to
discard his ne"spaper altoether%
She said, >,randpa, did yo# really once vote@?
He said, >Bo# heard me say I did, didn't yo#@ &o yo# thin; I tell fibs@?
>*(no, b#t Mamma says everybody voted then%?
>So they did%?
>B#t ho" co#ld they@ Ho" co#ld everybody vote@?
Matthe" stared at her solemnly, then lifted her and p#t her on his ;nee%
He even moderated the tonal <#alities of his voice% He said, >Bo# see, 1inda, till abo#t forty years
ao, everybody al"ays voted% Say "e "anted to decide "ho "as to be the ne" /resident of the United
States% The &emocrats and Rep#blicans "o#ld both nominate someone, and everybody "o#ld say "ho they
"anted% -hen Election &ay "as over, they "o#ld co#nt ho" many people "anted the &emocrat and ho"
many "anted the Rep#blican% -hoever had more votes "as elected% Bo# see@?
1inda nodded and said, >Ho" did all the people ;no" "ho to vote for@ &id M#ltivac tell them@?
Matthe"'s eyebro"s h#nched do"n and he loo;ed severe% >They A#st #sed their o"n A#dment,
irl%?
She eded a"ay from him, and he lo"ered his voice aain, >I'm not anry at yo#, 1inda% B#t, yo#
see, sometimes it too; all niht to co#nt "hat everyone said and people "ere impatient% So they invented
special machines "hich co#ld loo; at the first fe" votes and compare them "ith the votes from the same
places in previo#s years% That "ay the machine co#ld comp#te ho" the total vote "o#ld be and "ho "o#ld
be elected% Bo# see@?
She nodded% >1i;e M#ltivac%?
>The first comp#ters "ere m#ch smaller than M#ltivac% B#t the machines re" bier and they
co#ld tell ho" the election "o#ld o from fe"er and fe"er votes% Then, at last, they b#ilt M#ltivac and it
can tell from A#st one voter%?
1inda smiled at havin reached a familiar part of the story and said, >That's nice%?
Matthe" fro"ned and said, >*o, it's not nice% I don't "ant a machine tellin me ho" I "o#ld have
voted A#st beca#se some Ao;er in Mil"a#;ee says he's aainst hiher tariffs% Maybe I "ant to vote
coc;eyed A#st for the pleas#re of it% Maybe I don't "ant to vote% Maybe(?
B#t 1inda had "riled from his ;nee and "as beatin a retreat%
She met her mother at the door% Her mother, "ho "as still "earin her coat and had not even had
time to remove her hat, said breathlessly, >R#n, alon, 1inda% &on't et in Mother's "ay%?
Then she said to Matthe", as she lifted her hat from her head and patted her hair bac; into place,
>I've been at Aatha's%?
Matthe" stared at her censorio#sly and did not even dinify that piece of information "ith a r#nt
as he roped for his ne"spaper%
Sarah said, as she #nb#ttoned her coat, >,#ess "hat she said@?
Matthe" flattened o#t his ne"spaper for readin p#rposes "ith a sharp crac;le and said, >&on't
m#ch care%?
Sarah said, >*o", .ather(? B#t she had no time for aner% The ne"s i had to be told and Matthe"
"as the only recipient handy, so she "ent on, >Aatha's 0oe is a policeman, yo# ;no", and he says a "hole
tr#c;load of secret service men came into Bloominton last niht%?
>They're not after me%?
>&on't yo# see, .ather@ Secret service aents, and it's almost election time% In Bloomington%?
>Maybe they're after a ban; robber%?
>There hasn't been a ban; robbery in to"n in aes%%%% .ather, yo#'re hopeless%?
She stal;ed a"ay%
*or did *orman M#ller receive the ne"s "ith noticeably reater e$citement%
>*o", Sarah, ho" did Aatha's 0oe ;no" they "ere secret service aents@? he as;ed calmly%
>They "o#ldn't o aro#nd "ith identification cards pasted on their foreheads%?
B#t by ne$t evenin, "ith *ovember a day old, she co#ld say tri#mphantly, >It's A#st everyone in
Bloominton that's "aitin for someone local to be the voter% The Bloominton *e"s as m#ch as said so
on video%?
*orman stirred #neasily% He co#ldn't deny it, and his heart "as sin;in% If Bloominton "as really
to be hit by M#ltivac's lihtnin, it "o#ld mean ne"spapermen, video sho"s, to#rists, all sorts of(strane
#psets% *orman li;ed the <#iet ro#tine of his life, and the distant stir of politics "as ettin #ncomfortably
close%
He said, >It's all r#mor% *othin more%?
>Bo# "ait and see, then% Bo# A#st "ait and see%?
As thins t#rned o#t, there "as very little time to "ait, for the doorbell ran insistently, and "hen
*orman M#ller opened it and said, >Bes@? a tall, rave(faced man said, >Are yo# *orman M#ller@?
*orman said, >Bes,? aain, b#t in a strane dyin voice% It "as not diffic#lt to see from the
straner's bearin that he "as one carryin a#thority, and the nat#re of his errand s#ddenly became as
inevitably obvio#s as it had, #ntil the moment before, been #nthin;ably impossible%
The man presented credentials, stepped into the ho#se, closed the door behind him and said
rit#alistically, >Mr% *orman M#ller, it is necessary for me to inform yo# on the behalf of the /resident of
the United States that yo# have been chosen to represent the American electorate on T#esday, *ovember F,
IGGM%?
*orman M#ller manaed, "ith diffic#lty, to "al; #naided to his chair% He sat there, "hite(faced
and almost insensible, "hile Sarah bro#ht "ater, slapped his hands in panic and moaned to her h#sband
bet"een clenched teeth, >&on't be sic;, *orman% Dont be sic;% They'll pic; someone else%?
-hen *orman co#ld manae to tal;, he "hispered, >I'm sorry, sir%?
The secret service aent had removed his coat, #nb#ttoned his Aac;et and "as sittin at ease on the
co#ch%
>It's all riht,? he said, and the mar; of officialdom seemed to have vanished "ith the formal
anno#ncement and leave him simply a lare and rather friendly man% >This is the si$th time I've made the
anno#ncement and I've seen all ;inds of reactions% *ot one of them "as the ;ind yo# see on the video% Bo#
;no" "hat I mean@ A holy, dedicated loo;, and a character "ho says, KIt "ill be a reat privilee to serve
my co#ntry%' That sort of st#ff%? The aent la#hed comfortinly%
Sarah's accompanyin la#h held a trace of shrill hysteria%
The aent said, >*o" yo#'re oin to have me "ith yo# for a "hile% My name is /hil Handley% I'd
appreciate it if yo# call me /hil% Mr% M#ller can't leave the ho#se any more till Election &ay% Bo#'ll have
to inform the department store that he's sic;, Mrs% M#ller% Bo# can o abo#t yo#r b#siness for a "hile, b#t
yo#'ll have to aree not to say a "ord abo#t this% Riht, Mrs% M#ller@?
Sarah nodded vioro#sly% >*o, sir% *ot a "ord%?
>All riht% B#t, Mrs% M#ller,? Handley loo;ed rave, >"e're not ;iddin no"% ,o o#t only if yo#
m#st and yo#'ll be follo"ed "hen yo# do% I'm sorry b#t that's the "ay "e m#st operate%?
>.ollo"ed@?
>It "on't be obvio#s% &on't "orry% And it's only for t"o days till the formal anno#ncement to the
nation is made% Bo#r da#hter(?
>She's in bed,? said Sarah hastily%
>,ood% She'll have to be told I'm a relative or friend stayin "ith the family% If she does find o#t
the tr#th, she'll have to be ;ept in the ho#se% Bo#r father had better stay in the ho#se in any case%?
>He "on't li;e that,? said Sarah%
>)an't be helped% *o", since yo# have no others livin "ith yo#(?
>Bo# ;no" all abo#t #s apparently,? "hispered *orman%
>2#ite a bit,? areed Handley% >In any case, those are all my instr#ctions to yo# for the moment%
I'll try to cooperate as m#ch as I can and be as little of a n#isance as possible% The overnment "ill pay for
my maintenance so I "on't be an e$pense to yo#% I'll be relieved each niht by someone "ho "ill sit #p in
this room, so there "ill be no problem abo#t sleepin accommodations% *o", Mr% M#ller(?
>Sir@?
>Bo# can call me /hil,? said the aent aain% >The p#rpose of the t"o(day preliminary before
formal anno#ncement is to et yo# #sed to yo#r position% -e prefer to have yo# face M#ltivac in as normal
a state of mind as possible% 0#st rela$ and try to feel this is all in a day's "or;% O;ay@?
>O;ay,? said *orman, and then shoo; his head violently% >B#t I don't "ant the responsibility%
-hy me@?
>All riht,? said Handley, >let's et that straiht to bein "ith% M#ltivac "eihs all sorts of ;no"n
factors, billions of them% One factor isn't ;no"n, tho#h, and "on't be ;no"n for a lon time% That's the
reaction pattern of the h#man mind% All Americans are s#bAected to the moldin press#re of "hat other
Americans do and say, to the thins that are done to him and the thins he does to others% Any American
can be bro#ht to M#ltivac to have the bent of his mind s#rveyed% .rom that the bent of all other minds in
the co#ntry can be estimated% Some Americans are better for the p#rpose than others at some iven time,
dependin #pon the happenins of that year% M#ltivac pic;ed yo# as most representative this year% *ot the
smartest, or the stronest, or the l#c;iest, b#t A#st the most representative% *o" "e don't <#estion M#ltivac,
do "e@?
>)o#ldn't it ma;e a mista;e@? as;ed *orman%
Sarah, "ho listened impatiently, interr#pted to say, >&on't listen to himN sir% He's A#st nervo#s,
yo# ;no"% Act#ally, he's very "ell read and he al"ays follo"s politics very closely%?
Handley said, >M#ltivac ma;es the decisions, Mrs% M#ller% It pic;ed yo#r h#sband%?
>B#t does it ;no" everythin@? insisted *orman "ildly% >)o#ldn't it have made a mista;e@?
>Bes, it can% There's no point in not bein fran;% In 788L, a selected 5oter died of a stro;e t"o
ho#rs before it "as time for him to be notified% M#ltivac didn't predict that= it co#ldn't% A 5oter miht be
mentally #nstable, morally #ns#itable, or, for that matter, disloyal% M#ltivac can't ;no" everythin abo#t
everybody #ntil he's fed all the data there is% That's "hy alternate selections are al"ays held in readiness% I
don't thin; "e'll be #sin one this time% Bo#'re in ood health, Mr% M#ller, and yo#'ve been caref#lly
investiated% Bo# <#alify%?
*orman b#ried his face in his hands and sat motionless%
>By tomorro" mornin, sir,? said Sarah, >he'll be perfectly all riht% He A#st has to et #sed to it,
that's all%?
>Of co#rse,? said Handley%
In the privacy of their bedchamber, Sarah M#ller e$pressed herself in other and stroner fashion%
The b#rden of her lect#re "as, >So et hold of yo#rself, *orman% Bo#'re tryin to thro" a"ay the chance
of a lifetime%?
*orman "hispered desperately, >It frihtens me, Sarah% The "hole thin%?
>.or oodness' sa;e, "hy@ -hat's there to it b#t ans"erin a <#estion or t"o@?
>The responsibility is too reat% I co#ldn't face it%?
>-hat responsibility@ There isn't any% M#ltivac pic;ed yo#% It's M#ltivac's responsibility%
Everyone ;no"s that%?
*orman sat #p in bed in a s#dden e$cess of rebellion and an#ish% >Everyone is supposed to ;no"
that% B#t they don't% They(?
>1o"er yo#r voice,? hissed Sarah icily% >They'll hear yo# do"nto"n%?
>They don't,? said *orman, declinin <#ic;ly to a "hisper% >-hen they tal; abo#t the Ridely
administration of 78MM, do they say he "on them over "ith pie(in(the(s;y promises and racist baloney@ *oC
They tal; abo#t the Koddam Mac)omber vote,' as tho#h H#mphrey Mac)omber "as the only man "ho
had anythin to do "ith it beca#se he faced M#ltivac% I've said it myself(only no" I thin; the poor #y "as
A#st a tr#c; farmer "ho didn't as; to be pic;ed% -hy "as it his fa#lt more than anyone else's@ *o" his
name is a c#rse%?
>Bo#'re A#st bein childish,? said Sarah%
>I'm bein sensible% I tell yo#, Sarah, I "on't accept% They can't ma;e me vote if I don't "ant to%
I'll say I'm sic;% I'll say(?
B#t Sarah had had eno#h% >*o" yo# listen to me,? she "hispered in a cold f#ry% >Bo# don't have
only yo#rself to thin; abo#t% Bo# ;no" "hat it means to be 5oter of the Bear% A presidential year at that% It
means p#blicity and fame and, maybe, b#c;ets of money(?
>And then I o bac; to bein a cler;%?
>Bo# "ill not% Bo#'ll have a branch manaership at the least if yo# have any brains at all, and yo#
"ill have, beca#se I'll tell yo# "hat to do% Bo# control the ;ind of p#blicity if yo# play yo#r cards riht,
and yo# can force 3ennell Stores, Inc%, into a tiht contract and an escalator cla#se in connection "ith yo#r
salary and a decent pension plan%?
>That's not the point in bein 5oter, Sarah%?
>That "ill be yo#r point% If yo# don't o"e anythin to yo#rself or to me (I'm not as;in for
myself(yo# o"e somethin to 1inda%?
*orman roaned%
>-ell, don't yo#@? snapped Sarah%
>Bes, dear,? m#rm#red *orman%
On *ovember L, the official anno#ncement "as made and it "as too late for *orman to bac; o#t
even if he had been able to find the co#rae to ma;e the attempt%
Their ho#se "as sealed off% Secret service aents made their appearance in the open, bloc;in off
all approach%
At first the telephone ran incessantly, b#t /hilip Handley "ith an enainly apoloetic smile
too; all calls% Event#ally, the e$chane sh#nted all calls directly to the police station%
*orman imained that, in that "ay, he "as spared not only the b#bblin Dand envio#s@E
conrat#lations of friends, b#t also the ereio#s press#re of salesmen scentin a prospect and the
desinin smoothness of politicians from all over the nation%%%% /erhaps even death threats from the inevita(
ble cran;s%
*e"spapers "ere forbidden to enter the ho#se no" in order to ;eep o#t "eihted press#res, and
television "as ently b#t firmly disconnected, over 1inda's lo#d protests%
Matthe" ro"led and stayed in his room= 1inda, after the first fl#rry of e$citement, s#l;ed and
"hined beca#se she co#ld not leave the ho#se= Sarah divided her time bet"een preparation of meals for the
present and plans for the f#t#re= and *orman's depression lived and fed #pon itself%
And the mornin of T#esday, *ovember F, IGGM, came at last, and it "as Election &ay%
It "as early brea;fast, b#t only *orman M#ller ate, and that mechanically% Even a sho"er and
shave had not s#cceeded in either restorin him to reality or removin his o"n conviction that he "as as
rimy "itho#t as he felt rimy "ithin%
Handley's friendly voice did its best to shed some normality over the ray and #nfriendly da"n%
DThe "eather prediction had been for a clo#dy day "ith prospects of rain before noon%E
Handley said, >-e'll ;eep this ho#se ins#lated till Mr% M#ller is bac;, b#t after that "e'll be off
yo#r nec;s%? The secret service aent "as in f#ll #niform no", incl#din sidearms in heavily brassed
holsters%
>Bo#'ve been no tro#ble at all, Mr% Handley,? simpered Sarah%
*orman dran; thro#h t"o c#ps of blac; coffee, "iped his lips "ith a nap;in, stood #p and said
haardly, >I'm ready%?
Handley stood #p, too% >5ery "ell, sir% And than; yo#, Mrs% M#ller, for yo#r very ;ind
hospitality%?
The armored car p#rred do"n empty streets% They "ere empty even for that ho#r of the mornin%
Handley indicated that and said, >They al"ays shift traffic a"ay from the line of drive ever since
the attempted bombin that nearly r#ined the 1everett Election of Kninety(t"o%?
-hen the car stopped, *orman "as helped o#t by the al"ays polite Handley into an #nderro#nd
drive "hose "alls "ere lined "ith soldiers at attention%
He "as led into a brihtly lit room, in "hich three "hite(#niformed men reeted him smilinly%
*orman said sharply, >B#t this is the hospital%?
>There's no sinificance to that,? said Handley at once% >It's A#st that the hospital has the
necessary facilities%?
>-ell, "hat do I do@?
Handley nodded% One of the three men in "hite advanced and said, >I'll ta;e over no", aent%?
Handley sal#ted in an offhand manner and left the room%
The man in "hite said, >-on't yo# sit do"n, Mr% M#ller@ I'm 0ohn /a#lson, Senior )omp#ter%
These are Samson 1evine and /eter &oroob#!h, my assistants%?
*orman shoo; hands n#mbly all abo#t% /a#lson "as a man of middle heiht "ith a soft face that
seemed #sed to smilin and a very obvio#s to#pee% He "ore plastic(rimmed lasses of an old(fashioned c#t,
and he lit a ciarette as he tal;ed% D*orman ref#sed his offer of one%E
/a#lson said, >In the first place, Mr% M#ller, I "ant yo# to ;no" "e are in no h#rry% -e "ant yo#
to stay "ith #s all day if necessary, A#st so that yo# et #sed to yo#r s#rro#ndins and et over any tho#ht
yo# miht have that there is anythin #n#s#al in this, anythin clinical, if yo# ;no" "hat I mean%?
>It's all riht,? said *orman% >I'd A#st as soon this "ere over%?
>I #nderstand yo#r feelins% Still, "e "ant yo# to ;no" e$actly "hat's oin on% In the first place,
M#ltivac isn't here%?
>It isn't@? Someho" thro#h all his depression, he had still loo;ed for"ard to seein M#ltivac%
They said it "as half a mile lon and three stories hih, that fifty technicians "al;ed the corridors within its
str#ct#re contin#o#sly% It "as one of the "onders of the "orld%
/a#lson smiled% >*o% It's not portable, yo# ;no"% It's located #nderro#nd, in fact, and very fe"
people ;no" e$actly "here% Bo# can #nderstand that, since it is o#r reatest nat#ral reso#rce% Believe me,
elections aren't the only thins it's #sed for%?
*orman tho#ht he "as bein deliberately chatty and fo#nd himself intri#ed all the same% >I
tho#ht I'd see it% I'd li;e to%?
>I'm s#re of that% B#t it ta;es a presidential order and even then it has to be co#ntersined by
Sec#rity% Ho"ever, "e are pl#ed into M#ltivac riht here by beam transmission% -hat M#ltivac says can
be interpreted here and "hat "e say is beamed directly to M#ltivac, so in a sense "e're in its presence%?
*orman loo;ed abo#t% The machines "ithin the room "ere all meaninless to him%
>*o" let me e$plain, Mr% M#ller,? /a#lson "ent on% >M#ltivac already has most of the
information it needs to decide all the elections, national, state and local% It needs only to chec; certain
imponderable attit#des of mind and it "ill #se yo# for that% -e can't predict "hat <#estions it "ill as;, b#t
they may not ma;e m#ch sense to yo#, or even to #s% It may as; yo# ho" yo# feel abo#t arbae disposal
in yo#r to"n= "hether yo# favor central incinerators% It miht as; yo# "hether yo# have a doctor of yo#r
o"n or "hether yo# ma;e #se of *ational Medicine, Inc% &o yo# #nderstand@?
>Bes, sir%?
>-hatever it as;s, yo# ans"er in yo#r o"n "ords in any "ay yo# please% If yo# feel yo# m#st
e$plain <#ite a bit, do so% Tal; an ho#r, if necessary%?
>Bes, sir%?
>*o", one more thin% -e "ill have to ma;e #se of some simple devices "hich "ill
a#tomatically record yo#r blood press#re, heartbeat, s;in cond#ctivity and brain("ave pattern "hile yo#
spea;% The machinery "ill seem formidable, b#t it's all absol#tely painless% Bo# "on't even ;no" it's
oin on%?
The other t"o technicians "ere already b#syin themselves "ith smooth(leamin apparat#s on
oiled "heels%
*orman said, >Is that to chec; on "hether I'm lyin or not@?
>*ot at all, Mr% M#ller% There's no <#estion of lyin% It's only a matter of emotional intensity% If
the machine as;s yo# yo#r opinion of yo#r child's school, yo# may say, KI thin; it is overcro"ded%' Those
are only "ords% .rom the "ay yo#r brain and heart and hormones and s"eat lands "or;, M#ltivac can
A#de e$actly ho" intensely yo# feel abo#t the matter% It "ill #nderstand yo#r feelins better than yo#
yo#rself%?
>I never heard of this,? said *orman%
>*o, I'm s#re yo# didn't% Most of the details of M#ltivac's "or;ins are top secret% .or instance,
"hen yo# leave, yo# "ill be as;ed to sin a paper s"earin that yo# "ill never reveal the nat#re of the
<#estions yo# "ere as;ed, the nat#re of yo#r responses, "hat "as done, or ho" it "as done% The less is
;no"n abo#t the M#ltivac, the less chance of attempted o#tside press#res #pon the men "ho service it%? He
smiled rimly% >O#r lives are hard eno#h as it is%?
*orman nodded% >I #nderstand%?
>And no" "o#ld yo# li;e anythin to eat or drin;@?
>*o% *othin riht no"%?
>>&o yo# have any <#estions@?
*orman shoo; his head%
>Then yo# tell #s "hen yo#'re ready%?
>I'm ready riht no"%?
>Bo#'re certain@?
>2#ite%?
/a#lson nodded, and raised his hand in a est#re to the others% They advanced "ith their
frihtenin e<#ipment, and *orman M#ller felt his breath come a little <#ic;er as he "atched%
The ordeal lasted nearly three ho#rs, "ith one short brea; for coffee and an embarrassin session
"ith a chamber pot% &#rin all this time, *orman M#ller remained encased in machinery% He "as bone(
"eary at the close%
He tho#ht sardonically that his promise to reveal nothin of "hat had passed "o#ld be an easy
one to ;eep% Already the <#estions "ere a ha!y mishmash in his mind%
Someho" he had tho#ht M#ltivac "o#ld spea; in a sep#lchral, s#perh#man voice, resonant and
echoin, b#t that, after all, "as A#st an idea he had from seein too many television sho"s, he no" decided%
The tr#th "as distressinly #ndramatic% The <#estions "ere slips of a ;ind of metallic foil patterned "ith
n#mero#s p#nct#res% A second machine converted the pattern into "ords and /a#lson read the "ords to
*orman, then ave him the <#estion and let him read it for himself%
*orman's ans"ers "ere ta;en do"n by a recordin machine, played bac; to *orman for
confirmation, "ith emendations and added remar;s also ta;en do"n% All that "as fed into a pattern(ma;in
instr#ment and that, in t#rn, "as radiated to M#rtivac%
The one <#estion *orman co#ld remember at the moment "as an inconr#o#sly ossipy+ >-hat
do yo# thin; of the price of es@?
*o" it "as over, and ently they removed the electrodes from vario#s portions of his body,
#n"rapped the p#lsatin band from his #pper arm, moved the machinery a"ay%
He stood #p, dre" a deep, sh#dderin breath and said, >Is that all@ Am I thro#h@?
>*ot <#ite%? /a#lson h#rried to him, smilin in reass#rin fashion% >-e'll have to as; yo# to stay
another ho#r%?
>-hy@? as;ed *orman sharply%
>It "ill ta;e that lon for M#ltivac to "eave its ne" data into the trillions of items it has%
Tho#sands of elections are concerned, yo# ;no"% It's very complicated% And it may be that an odd contest
here or there, a comptroller(ship in /hoeni$, Ari!ona, or some co#ncil seat in -il;esboro, *orth )arolina,
may be in do#bt% In that case, M#ltivac may be compelled to as; yo# a decidin <#estion or t"o%?
>*o,? said *orman% >I "on't o thro#h this aain%?
>It probably "on't happen,? /a#lson said soothinly% >It rarely does% B#t, A#st in case, yo#'ll have
to stay%? A to#ch of steel, A#st a to#ch, entered his voice% >Bo# have no choice, yo# ;no"% Bo# m#st%?
*orman sat do"n "earily% He shr#ed%
/a#lson said, >-e can't let yo# read a ne"spaper, b#t if yo#'d care for a m#rder mystery, or if
yo#'d li;e to play chess, or if there's anythin "e can do for yo# to help pass the time, I "ish yo#'d
mention it%?
>It's all riht% I'll A#st "ait%?
They #shered him into a small room A#st ne$t to the one in "hich he had been <#estioned% He let
himself sin; into a plastic(covered armchair and closed his eyes%
As "ell as he co#ld, he m#st "ait o#t this final ho#r%
He sat perfectly still and slo"ly the tension left him% His breathin re" less raed and he co#ld
clasp his hands "itho#t bein <#ite so conscio#s of the tremblin of his finers%
Maybe there "o#ld be no <#estions% Maybe it "as all over%
If it "ere over, then the ne$t thin "o#ld be torchliht processions and invitations to spea; at all
sorts of f#nctions% The 5oter of the BearC
He, *orman M#ller, ordinary cler; of a small department store in Bloominton, Indiana, "ho had
neither been born reat nor achieved reatness "o#ld be in the e$traordinary position of havin had
reatness thr#st #pon him%
The historians "o#ld spea; soberly of the M#ller Election of IGGM% That "o#ld be its name, the
M#ller Election%
The p#blicity, the better Aob, the flash flood of money that interested Sarah so m#ch, occ#pied
only a comer of his mind% It "o#ld all be "elcome, of co#rse% He co#ldn't ref#se it% B#t at the moment
somethin else "as beinnin to concern him%
A latent patriotism "as stirrin% After all, he "as representin the entire electorate% He "as the
focal point for them% He "as, in his o"n person, for this one day, all of AmericaC
The door opened, snappin him to open(eyed attention% .or a moment, his stomach constricted%
*ot more <#estionsC
B#t /a#lson "as smilin% >That "ill be all, Mr% M#ller%?
>*o more <#estions, sir@?
>*one needed% Everythin "as <#ite clear(c#t% Bo# "ill be escorted bac; to yo#r home and then
yo# "ill be a private citi!en once more% Or as m#ch so as the p#blic "ill allo"%?
>Than; yo#% Than; yo#%? *orman fl#shed and said, >I "onder("ho "as elected@?
/a#lson shoo; his head% >That "ill have to "ait for the official anno#ncement% The r#les are <#ite
strict% -e can't even tell yo#% Bo# #nderstand%?
>Of co#rse% Bes%? *orman felt embarrassed%
>Secret service "ill have the necessary papers for yo# to sin%?
>Bes%? S#ddenly, *orman M#ller felt pro#d% It "as on him no" in f#ll strenth% He "as pro#d%
In this imperfect "orld, the soverein citi!ens of the first and reatest Electronic &emocracy had,
thro#h *orman M#ller Dthro#h himCE e$ercised once aain its free, #ntrammeled franchise%
Gimmicks Three
>)ome, come,? said Shap#r <#ite politely, considerin that he "as a demon% >Bo# are "astin my
time% And yo#r o"n, too, I miht add, since yo# have only half an ho#r left%? And his tail t"itched%
>It's not demateriali!ation@? as;ed Isidore -ellby tho#htf#lly%
>I have already said it is not,? said Shap#r%
.or the h#ndredth time, -ellby loo;ed at the #nbro;en bron!e that s#rro#nded him on all sides%
The demon had ta;en #nholy pleas#re D"hat other ;ind indeed@E in pointin o#t that the floor, ceilin and
fo#r "alls "ere feat#reless, t"o(foot(thic; slabs of bron!e, "elded seamlessly toether%
It "as the #ltimate loc;ed room and -ellby had b#t another half ho#r to et o#t, "hile the demon
"atched "ith an e$pression of atherin anticipation%
It has been ten years previo#sly Dto the day, nat#rallyE that Isidore -ellby had sined #p%
>-e pay yo# in advance,? said Shap#r pers#asively% >Ten years of anythin yo# "ant, "ithin
reason, and then yo#'re a demon% Bo#'re one of #s, "ith a ne" name of demonic potency, and many
privilees beside% Bo#'ll hardly ;no" yo#'re damned% And if yo# don't sin, yo# may end #p in the fire,
any"ay, A#st in the ordinary co#rse of thins% Bo# never ;no"% % % % Here, loo; at me% I'm not doin too
badly% I sined #p, had my ten years and here I am% *ot bad%?
>-hy so an$io#s for me to sin then, if I miht be damned any"ay@? as;ed -ellby%
>It's not so easy to recr#it hell's cadre,? said the demon, "ith a fran; shr# that made the faint
odor of s#lf#r dio$ide in the air a trifle stroner% >Everyone "ishes to amble on endin in Heaven% It's a
poor amble, b#t there it is% I thin; yo# Kre too sensible for that% B#t mean"hile "e have more damned
so#ls than "e ;no" "hat to do "ith and a ro"in shortae at the administrative end%?
-ellby, havin A#st left the army and findin himself "ith nothin m#ch to sho" for it b#t a limp
and a fare"ell letter from a irl he someho" still loved, pric;ed his finer, and sined%
Of co#rse, he read the small print first% A certain amo#nt of demonic po"er "o#ld be deposited to
his acco#nt #pon sinat#re in blood% He "o#ld not ;no" in detail ho" one manip#lated those po"ers, or
even the nat#re of all of them, b#t he "o#ld nevertheless find his "ishes f#lfilled in s#ch a "ay that they
"o#ld seem to have come abo#t thro#h perfectly normal mechanisms%
*at#rally, no "ish miht be f#lfilled "hich "o#ld interfere "ith the hiher aims and p#rposes of
h#man history% -ellby had raised his eyebro"s at that%
Shap#r co#hed% >A preca#tion imposed #pon #s by(#h(Above% Bo# are reasonable% The
limitation "on't interfere "ith yo#%?
-ellby said, >There seems to be a catch cla#se, too%?
>A ;ind of one, yes% After all, "e have to chec; yo#r aptit#de for the position% It states, as yo# see,
that yo# "ill be re<#ired to perform a tas; for #s at the concl#sion of yo#r ten years, one yo#r demonic
po"ers "ill ma;e it <#ite possible for yo# to do% -e can't tell yo# the nat#re of the tas; no", b#t yo# "ill
have ten years to st#dy the nat#re of yo#r po"ers% 1oo; #pon the "hole thin as an entrance <#alification%?
>And if 7 don't pass the test, "hat then@?
>In that case,? said the demon, >yo# "ill be only an ordinary damned so#l after all%? And beca#se
he "as a demon, his eyes lo"ed smo;ily at the tho#ht and his cla"ed finers t"itched as tho#h he felt
them already deep in the other's vitals% B#t he added s#avely, >)ome, no", the test "ill be a simple one%
-e "o#ld rather have yo# as cadre than as A#st another chore on o#r hands%?
-ellby, "ith sad tho#hts of his #nattainable loved one, cared little eno#h at that moment for
"hat "o#ld happen after ten years and he sined%
Bet the ten years passed <#ic;ly eno#h% Isidore -ellby "as al"ays reasonable, as the demon had
predicted, and thins "or;ed "ell% -ellby accepted a position and beca#se he "as al"ays at the riht spot
at the riht time and al"ays said the riht thin to the riht man, he "as <#ic;ly promoted to a position of
reat a#thority%
Investments he made invariably paid off and, "hat "as more ratifyin still, his irl came bac; to
him most sincerely repentant and most satisfactorily adorin%
His marriae "as a happy one and "as blessed "ith fo#r children, t"o boys and t"o irls, all
briht and reasonably "ell behaved% At the end of ten years, he "as at the heiht of his a#thority, rep#tation
and "ealth, "hile his "ife, if anythin, had ro"n more bea#tif#l as she had mat#red%
And ten years Dto the day, nat#rallyE after the ma;in of the compact, he "o;e to find himself, not
in his bedroom, b#t in a horrible bron!e chamber of the most appallin solidity, "ith no company other
than an eaer demon%
>Bo# have only to et o#t, and yo# "ill be one of #s,? said Shap#r% >It can be done fairly and
loically by #sin yo#r demonic po"ers, provided yo# ;no" e$actly "hat it is yo#'re doin% Bo# sho#ld,
by no"%?
>My "ife and children "ill be very dist#rbed at my disappearance,? said -ellby "ith the
beinnin of rerets%
>They "ill find yo#r dead body,? said the demon consolinly% >Bo# "ill seem to have died of a
heart attac; and yo# "ill have a bea#tif#l f#neral% The minister "ill consin yo# to Heaven and "e "ill not
disill#sion him or those "ho listen to him% *o", come, -ellby, yo# have till noon%?
-ellby, havin #nconscio#sly steeled himself for this moment for ten years, "as less panic(
stric;en than he miht have been% He loo;ed abo#t spec#latively% >Is this room perfectly enclosed@ *o tric;
openins@?
>*o openins any"here in the "alls, floor or ceilin,? said the demon, "ith a professional deliht
in his handi"or;% >Or at the bo#ndaries of any of those s#rfaces, for that matter% Are yo# ivin #p@?
>*o, no% 0#st ive me time%?
-ellby tho#ht very hard% There seemed no sin of closeness in the room% There "as even a
feelin of movin air% The air miht be enterin the room by demateriali!in across the "alls% /erhaps the
demon had entered by demateriali!ation and perhaps -ellby himself miht leave in that manner% He as;ed%
The demon rinned% >&emateriali!ation is not one of yo#r po"ers% *or did I myself #se it in
enterin%?
>Bo#'re s#re no"@?
>The room is my o"n creation,? said the demon sm#ly, >and especially constr#cted for yo#%?
>And yo# entered from o#tside@?
>I did%?
>-ith reasonably demonic po"ers "hich I possess, too@?
>E$actly% )ome, let #s be precise% Bo# cannot move thro#h matter b#t yo# can move in any
dimension by a mere effort of "ill% Bo# can move #p, do"n, riht, left, obli<#ely and so on, b#t yo# cannot
move thro#h matter in any "ay%?
-ellby ;ept on thin;in, and Shap#r ;ept on pointin o#t the #tter immovable solidity of the
bron!e "alls, floor and ceilin= their #nbro;en #ltimacy%
It seemed obvio#s to -ellby that Shap#r, ho"ever m#ch he miht believe in the necessity for
recr#itin cadre, "as barely restrainin his demonic deliht at possibly havin an ordinary damned so#l to
am#se himself "ith%
>At least,? said -ellby, "ith a sorro"f#l attempt at philosophy, >I'll have ten happy years to loo;
bac; on% S#rely that's a consolation, even for a damned so#l in hell%?
>*ot at all,? said the demon% >Hell "o#ld not be hell, if yo# "ere allo"ed consolations%
Everythin anyone ains on Earth by pacts "ith the devil, as in yo#r case Dor my o"n, for that matterE, is
e$actly "hat one miht have ained "itho#t s#ch a pact if one had "or;ed ind#strio#sly and in f#ll tr#st in(
#h(Above% That is "hat ma;es all s#ch barains so tr#ly demonic%? And the demon la#hed "ith a ;ind of
cheerf#l ho"l%
-ellby said indinantly, >Bo# mean my "ife "o#ld have ret#rned to me even if I had never
sined yo#r contract%?
>She miht have,? said Shap#r% >-hatever happens is the "ill of(#h( Above, yo# ;no"% -e
o#rselves can do nothin to alter that%?
The charin of that moment m#st have sharpened -ellby's "its for it "as then that he vanished,
leavin the room empty, e$cept for a s#rprised demon% And s#rprise t#rned to absol#te f#ry "hen the
demon loo;ed at the contract "ith -ellby "hich he had, #ntil that moment, been holdin in his hand for
final action, one "ay or the other%
It "as ten years Dto the day, nat#rallyE after Isidore -ellby had sined his pact "ith Shap#r, that
the demon entered -ellby's office and said, most anrily, >1oo; here(?
-ellby loo;ed #p from his "or;, astonished% >-ho are yo#@?
>Bo# ;no" very "ell "ho I am,? said Shap#r%
>*ot at all,? said -ellby%
The demon loo;ed sharply at the man% >I see yo# are tellin the tr#th, b#t I can't ma;e o#t the
details%? He promptly flooded -ellby's mind "ith the events of the last ten years%
-ellby said, >Oh, yes% I can e$plain, of co#rse, b#t are yo# s#re "e "ill not be interr#pted@?
>-e "on't be,? said the demon rimly%
>I sat in that closed bron!e room,? said -ellby, >and(?
>*ever mind that,? said the demon hastily% >I "ant to ;no"(?
>/lease% 1et me tell this my "ay%?
The demon clamped his Aa"s and fairly e$#ded s#lf#r dio$ide till -ellby co#hed and loo;ed
pained%
-ellby said, >If yo#'ll move off a bit% Than; yo#% % % % *o" I sat in that closed bron!e room and
remembered ho" yo# ;ept stressin the absol#te #nbro;enness of the fo#r "alls, the floor and the ceilin% I
"ondered+ "hy did yo# specify@ -hat else "as there beside "alls, floor and ceilin% Bo# had defined a
completely enclosed three(dimensional space%
>And that "as it+ three(dimensional% The room "as not closed in the fo#rth dimension% It did not
e$ist indefinitely in the past% Bo# said yo# had created it for me% So if one traveled into the past, one "o#ld
find oneself at a point in time, event#ally, "hen the room did not e$ist and then one "o#ld be o#t of the
room%
>-hat's more, yo# had said I co#ld move in any dimension, and time may certainly be vie"ed as
a dimension% In any case, as soon as I decided to move to"ard the past, I fo#nd myself livin bac;"ard at a
tremendo#s rate and s#ddenly there "as no bron!e aro#nd me any"here%?
Shap#r cried in an#ish, >I can #ess all that% Bo# co#ldn't have escaped any other "ay% It's this
contract of yo#rs that I'm concerned abo#t% If yo#'re not an ordinary damned so#l, very "ell, it's part of the
ame% B#t yo# m#st be at least one of #s, one of the cadre= it's "hat yo# "ere paid for, and if I don't
deliver yo# do"n belo", I "ill be in enormo#s tro#ble%?
-ellby shr#ed his sho#lders% >I'm sorry for yo#, of co#rse, b#t I can't help yo#% Bo# m#st have
created the bron!e room immediately after I placed my sinat#re on the paper, for "hen I b#rst o#t of the
room, I fo#nd myself A#st at the point in time at "hich I "as ma;in the barain "ith yo#% There yo# "ere
aain= there I "as= yo# "ere p#shin the contract to"ard me, toether "ith a styl#s "ith "hich I miht
pric; my finer% To be s#re, as I had moved bac; in time, my memory of "hat "as becomin the f#t#re
faded o#t, b#t not, apparently, <#ite entirely% As yo# p#shed the contract at me, I felt #neasy% I didn't <#ite
remember the f#t#re, b#t I felt #neasy% So I didn't sin% I t#rned yo# do"n flat%?
Shap#r ro#nd his teeth% >I miht have ;no"n% If probability patterns affected demons, I "o#ld
have shifted "ith yo# into this ne" if("orld% As it is, all I can say is that yo# have lost the ten happy years
"e paid yo# "ith% That is one consolation% And "e'll et yo# in the end% That is another%?
>-ell, no",? said -ellby, >are there consolations in hell@ Thro#h the ten years I have no" lived,
I ;ne" nothin of "hat I miht have obtained% B#t no" that yo#'ve p#t the memory of the ten(years(that(
miht(have(been into my mind, I recall that, in the bron!e room, yo# told me that demonic areements
co#ld ive nothin that co#ld not be obtained by ind#stry and tr#st in Above% I have been ind#strio#s and I
have tr#sted%?
-ellby's eyes fell #pon the photoraph of his bea#tif#l "ife and fo#r bea#tif#l children, then
traveled abo#t the tastef#l l#$#riance of his office% >And I may even escape hell altoether% That, too, is
beyond yo#r po"er to decide%?
And the demon, "ith a horrible shrie;, vanished forever%
Kid Stuff
The first pan of na#sea had passed and 0an /rentiss said, >&amn it, yo#'re an insect%?
It "as a statement of fact, not an ins#lt, and the thin that sat on /rentiss' des; said, >Of co#rse%?
It "as abo#t a foot lon, very thin, and in shape a farfetched and miniat#re caricat#re of a h#man
bein% Its stal;y arms and les oriinated in pairs from the #pper portion of its body% The les "ere loner
and thic;er than the arms% They e$tended the lenth of the body, then bent for"ard at the ;nee%
The creat#re sat #pon those ;nees and, "hen it did so, the st#b of its f#!!y abdomen A#st cleared
/rentiss' des;%
There "as plenty of time for /rentiss to absorb these details% The obAect had no obAection to bein
stared at% It seemed to "elcome it, in fact, as tho#h it "ere #sed to e$citin admiration%
>-hat are yo#@? /rentiss did not feel completely rational% .ive min#tes ao, he had been seated at
his type"riter, "or;in leis#rely on the story he had promised Horace -% Bro"ne for last month's iss#e of
.arfetched .antasy .iction% He had been in a perfectly #s#al frame of mind% He had felt <#ite fine= <#ite
sane%
And then a bloc; of air immediately to the riht of the type"riter had shimmered, clo#ded over
and condensed into the little horror that danled its blac; and shiny feet over the ede of the des;%
/rentiss "ondered in a detached sort of "ay that he bothered tal;in to it% This "as the first time
his profession had so cr#dely affected his dreams% It m#st be a dream, he told himself%
>I'm an Avalonian,? said the bein% >I'm from Avalon, in other "ords%? It's tiny face ended in a
mandib#lar mo#th% T"o s"ayin three(inch antennae rose from a spot above either eye, "hile the eyes
themselves leamed richly in their many(faceted fashion% There "as no sin of nostrils%
*at#rally not, tho#ht /rentiss "ildly% It has to breathe thro#h vents in its abdomen% It m#st be
tal;in "ith its abdomen then% Or #sin telepathy%
>Avalon@? he said st#pidly% He tho#ht+ Avalon@ The land of the fay in 3in Arth#r's time@
>)ertainly,? said the creat#re, ans"erin the tho#ht smoothly% >I'm an elf%?
>Oh, noC? /rentiss p#t his hands to his face, too; them a"ay and fo#nd the elf still there, its feet
th#mpin aainst the top dra"er% /rentiss "as not a drin;in man, or a nervo#s one% In fact, he "as
considered a very prosaic sort of person by his neihbors% He had a comfortable pa#nch, a reasonable b#t
not e$cessive amo#nt of hair on his head, an amiable "ife and an active ten(year(old son% His neihbors
"ere, of co#rse, ;ept inorant of the fact that he paid off the mortae on his ho#se by "ritin fantasies of
one sort or another%
Till no", ho"ever, this secret vice had never affected his psyche% To be s#re, his "ife had sha;en
her head over his addiction many times% It "as her standard opinion that he "as "astin, even pervertin,
his talents%
>-ho on Earth reads these thins@? she "o#ld say% >All that st#ff abo#t demons and nomes and
"ishin rins and elves% All that ;id st#ff, if yo# "ant my fran; opinion%?
>Bo#'re <#ite "ron,? /rentiss "o#ld reply stiffly% >Modern fantasies are very sophisticated and
mat#re treatments of fol; motifs% Behind the facade of lib #nreality there fre<#ently lie trenchant
comments on the "orld of today% .antasy in modem style is, above all, ad#lt fare%?
Blanche shr#ed% She had heard him spea; at conventions so these comments "eren't ne" to her%
>Besides,? he "o#ld add, >fantasies pay the mortae, don't they@?
>Maybe so,? she "o#ld reply, >b#t it "o#ld be nice if yo#'d s"itch to mysteries% At least yo#'d
et <#arter(reprint sales o#t of those and "e co#ld >Keven tell the neihbors "hat yo# do for a livin%?
/rentiss roaned in spirit% Blanche co#ld come in no" at any time and find him tal;in to himself
Dit "as too real for a dream= it miht be a hall#cinationE% After that he "o#ld have to "rite mysteries for a
livin(or ta;e to "or;%
>Bo#'re <#ite "ron,? said the elf% >This is neither a dream nor a hall#cination%?
>Then "hy don't yo# o a"ay@? as;ed /rentiss%
>I intend to% This is scarcely my idea of a place to live% And yo#'re comin "ith me%?
>I am not% -hat the hell do yo# thin; yo# are, tellin me "hat I'm oin to do@?
>If yo# thin; that's a respectf#l "ay to spea; to a representative of an older c#lt#re, I can't say
m#ch for yo#r #pbrinin%?
>Bo#'re not an older c#lt#re(? He "anted to add+ Bo#'re A#st a fiment of my imaination= b#t he
had been a "riter too lon to be able to brin himself to commit the clichO%
>-e insects,? said the elf free!inly, >e$isted half a billion years before the first mammal "as
invented% -e "atched the dinosa#rs come in and "e "atched them o o#t% As for yo# man(thins(strictly
ne"comers%?
.or the first time, /rentiss noted that, from the spot on the elf's body "here its limbs spro#ted, a
third vestiial pair e$isted as "ell% It increased the insecticity of the obAect and /rentiss' sense of
indination re"%
He said, >Bo# needn't "aste yo#r company on social inferiors%?
>I "o#ldn't,? said the elf, >believe me% B#t necessity drives, yo# ;no"% It's a rather complicated
story b#t "hen yo# hear it, yo#'ll "ant to help%?
/rentiss said #neasily, >1oo;, I don't have m#ch time% Blanche(my "ife "ill be in here any time%
She'll be #pset%?
>She "on't be here,? said the elf% >I've set #p a bloc; in her mind%?
>-hatC?
>2#ite harmless, I ass#re yo#% B#t, after all, "e can't afford to be dist#rbed, can "e@?
/rentiss sat bac; in his chair, da!ed and #nhappy%
The elf said, >-e elves bean o#r association "ith yo# man(thins immediately after the last ice
ae bean% It had been a miserable time for #s, as yo# can imaine% -e co#ldn't "ear animal carcasses or
live in holes as yo#r #nco#th ancestors did% It too; incredible stores of psychic enery to ;eep "arm%?
>Incredible stores of "hat@?
>/sychic enery% Bo# ;no" nothin at all abo#t it% Bo#r mind is too coarse to rasp the concept%
/lease don't interr#pt%?
The elf contin#ed, >*ecessity drove #s to e$periment "ith yo#r people's brains% They "ere cr#de,
b#t lare% The cells "ere inefficient, almost "orthless, b#t there "ere a vast n#mber of them% -e co#ld #se
those brains as a concentratin device, a type of psychic lens, and increase the available enery "hich o#r
o"n minds co#ld tap% -e s#rvived the ice ae handily and "itho#t havin to retreat to the tropics as in
previo#s s#ch eras%
>Of co#rse, "e "ere spoiled% -hen "armth ret#rned, "e didn't abandon the man(thins% -e #sed
them to increase o#r standard of livin enerally% -e co#ld travel faster, eat better, do more, and "e lost
o#r old, simple, virt#o#s "ay of life forever% Then, too, there "as mil;%?
>Mil;@? said /rentiss% >I don't see the connection%?
>A divine li<#id% I only tasted it once in my life% B#t elfin classic poetry spea;s of it in
s#perlatives% In the old days, men al"ays s#pplied #s plentif#lly% -hy mammals of all thins sho#ld be
blessed "ith it and insects not is a complete mystery% % % % Ho" #nfort#nate it is that the men(thins ot o#t
of hand%?
>They did@?
>T"o h#ndred years ao%?
>,ood for #s%?
>&on't be narro"(minded,? said the elf stiffly% >It "as a #sef#l association for all parties #ntil yo#
man(thins learned to handle physical eneries in <#antity% It "as A#st the sort of ross thin yo#r minds are
capable of%?
>-hat "as "ron "ith it@?
>It's hard to e$plain% It "as all very "ell for #s to liht #p o#r nihtly revels "ith fireflies
brihtened by #se of t"o manpo"er of psychic enery% B#t then yo# men(creat#res installed electric lihts%
O#r antennal reception is ood for miles, b#t then yo# invented teleraphs, telephones and radios% O#r
;obolds mined ore "ith m#ch reater efficiency than man(thins do, #ntil man(thins invented dynamite%
&o yo# see@?
>*o%?
>S#rely yo# don't e$pect sensitive and s#perior creat#res s#ch as the elves to "atch a ro#p of
hairy mammals o#tdo them% It "o#ldn't be so bad if "e co#ld imitate the electronic development o#rselves,
b#t o#r psychic eneries "ere ins#fficient for the p#rpose% -ell, "e retreated from reality% -e s#l;ed,
pined and drooped% )all it an inferiority comple$, if yo# "ill, b#t from t"o cent#ries ao on"ard, "e
slo"ly abandoned man;ind and retreated to s#ch centers as Avalon%?
/rentiss tho#ht f#rio#sly% >1et's et this straiht% Bo# can handle minds@?
>)ertainly%?
>Bo# can ma;e me thin; yo#'re invisible@ Hypnotically, I mean@?
>A cr#de term, b#t yes%?
>And "hen yo# appeared A#st no", yo# did it by liftin a ;ind of mental bloc;% Is that it@?
>To ans"er yo#r tho#hts, rather than yo#r "ords+ Bo# are not sleepin= yo# are not mad= and I
am not s#pernat#ral%?
>I "as A#st ma;in s#re% I ta;e it, then, yo# can read my mind%?
>Of co#rse% It is a rather dirty and #nre"ardin sort of labor, b#t I can do it "hen I m#st% Bo#r
name is /rentiss and yo# "rite imainative fiction% Bo# have one larva "ho is at a place of instr#ction% I
;no" a reat deal abo#t yo#%?
/rentiss "inced% >And A#st "here is Avalon@?
>Bo# "on't find it%? The elf clac;ed his mandibles toether t"o or three times% >&on't spec#late
on the possibility of "arnin the a#thorities% Bo#'ll find yo#rself in a madho#se% Avalon, in case yo# thin;
the ;no"lede "ill help yo#, is in the middle of the Atlantic and <#ite invisible, yo# ;no"% After the
steamboat "as invented, yo# man(thins ot to movin abo#t so #nreasonably that "e had to cloa; the
"hole island "ith a psychic shield%
>Of co#rse, incidents "ill ta;e place% Once a h#e, barbaric vessel hit #s dead center and it too; all
the psychic enery of the entire pop#lation to ive the island the appearance of an iceber% The Titanic, I
believe, "as the name printed on the vessel% And no"adays there are planes flyin overhead all the time
and sometimes there are crashes% -e pic;ed #p cases of canned mil; once% That's "hen I tasted it%?
/rentiss said, >-ell, then, damn it, "hy aren't yo# still on Avalon@ -hy did yo# leave@?
>I "as ordered to leave,? said the elf anrily% >The fools%?
>Oh@?
>Bo# ;no" ho" it is "hen yo#'re a little different% I'm not li;e the rest of them and the poor
tradition(ridden fools resented it% They "ere Aealo#s% That's the best e$planation% 0ealo#sC?
>Ho" are yo# different@?
>Hand me that liht b#lb,? said the elf% >Oh, A#st #nscre" it% Bo# don't need a readin lamp in the
daytime%?
-ith a <#iver of rep#lsion, /rentiss did as he "as told and passed the obAect into the little hands of
the elf% )aref#lly, the elf, "ith finers so thin and "iry that they loo;ed li;e tendrils, to#ched the bottom
and side of the brass base%
.eebly the filament in the b#lb reddened%
>,ood ,od,? said /rentiss%
>That,? said the elf pro#dly, >is my reat talent% I told yo# that "e elves co#ldn't adapt psychic
enery to electronics% -ell, I canC I'm not A#st an ordinary elf% I'm a m#tantC A s#per(elfC I'm the ne$t stae
in elfin evol#tion% This liht is d#e A#st to the activity of my o"n mind, yo# ;no"% *o" "atch "hen I #se
yo#rs as a foc#s%?
As he said that, the b#lb's filament re" "hite hot and painf#l to loo; at, "hile a va#e and not
#npleasant tic;lin sensation entered /rentiss' s;#ll%
The lamp "ent o#t and the elf p#t the b#lb on the des; behind the type"riter%
>I haven't tried,? said the elf pro#dly, >b#t I s#spect I can fission #rani#m too%?
>B#t loo; here, lihtin a b#lb ta;es enery% Bo# can't A#st hold it(?
>I've told yo# abo#t psychic enery% ,reat Oberon, man(thin, try to #nderstand%?
/rentiss felt increasinly #neasy= he said ca#tio#sly, >-hat do yo# intend doin "ith this ift of
yo#rs@?
>,o bac; to Avalon, of co#rse% I sho#ld let those fools o to their doom, b#t an elf does have a
certain patriotism, even if he is a coleopteron%?
>A "hat@?
>-e elves are not all of a species, yo# ;no"% I'm of beetle descent% See@?
He rose to his feet and, standin on the des;, t#rned his bac; to /rentiss% -hat had seemed merely
a shinin blac; c#ticle s#ddenly split and lifted% .rom #nderneath, t"o filmy, veined "ins fl#ttered o#t%
>Oh, yo# can fly,? said /rentiss%
>Bo#'re very foolish,? said the elf contempt#o#sly, >not to reali!e I'm too lare for fliht% B#t
they are attractive, aren't they@ Ho" do yo# li;e the iridescence@ The lepidoptera have dis#stin "ins in
comparison% They're a#dy and indelicate% -hat's more they're al"ays stic;in o#t%?
>The lepidoptera@? /rentiss felt hopelessly conf#sed%
>The b#tterfly clans% They're the pro#d ones% They "ere al"ays lettin h#mans see them so they
co#ld be admired% 5ery petty minds in a "ay% And that's "hy yo#r leends al"ays ive fairies b#tterfly
"ins instead of beetle "ins "hich are m#ch more diaphano#sly bea#tif#l% -e'll ive the lepidoptera
"hat for "hen "e et bac;, yo# and I%?
>*o" hold on(?
>.irst thin;,? said the elf, s"ayin bac; and forth in "hat loo;ed li;e elfin ecstasy, >o#r nihtly
revels on the fairy reen "ill be a bla!e of spar;lin liht from c#rlic#es of neon t#bin% -e can c#t loose
the s"arms of "asps "e've ot hitched to o#r flyin "aons and install internal(comb#stion motors
instead% -e can stop this b#siness of c#rlin #p on leaves "hen it's time to sleep and b#ild factories to
man#fact#re decent mattresses% I tell yo#, "e'll live% % % % And the rest of them "ill eat dirt for havin
ordered me o#t%?
>B#t I can't o "ith yo#,? bleated /rentiss% >I have responsibilities% I have a "ife and ;id% Bo#
"o#ldn't ta;e a man a"ay from his(his larva, "o#ld yo#@?
>I'm not cr#el,? said the elf% He t#rned his eyes f#ll on /rentiss% >I have an elfin so#l% Still, "hat
choice have I@ I m#st have a man(brain for foc#sin p#rposes or I "ill accomplish nothin= and not all
man(brains are s#itable%?
>-hy not@?
>,reat Oberon, creat#re% A man(brain isn't a passive thin of "ood and stone% It m#st co(operate
in order to be #sef#l% And it can only co(operate by bein f#lly a"are of o#r o"n elfin ability to manip#late
it% I can #se yo#r brain, for instance, b#t yo#r "ife's "o#ld be #seless to me% It "o#ld ta;e her years to
#nderstand "ho and "hat I am%?
/rentiss said, >This is a damned ins#lt% Are yo# tellin me I believe in fairies@ I'll have yo# ;no"
I'm a complete rationalist%?
>Are yo#@ -hen I first revealed myself to yo#, yo# had a fe" feeble tho#hts abo#t dreams and
hall#cinations b#t yo# tal;ed to me, yo# accepted me% Bo#r "ife "o#ld have screamed and one into
hysterics%?
/rentiss "as silent% He co#ld thin; of no ans"er%
>That's the tro#ble,? said the elf despondently% >/ractically all yo# h#mans have forotten abo#t
#s since "e left yo#% Bo#r minds have closed= ro"n #seless% To be s#re, yo#r larvae believe in yo#r
leends abo#t the Klittle fol;,' b#t their brains are #ndeveloped and #sef#l only for simple processes% -hen
they mat#re, they lose belief% .ran;ly, I don't ;no" "hat I "o#ld do if it "eren't for yo# fantasy "riters%?
>-hat do yo# mean "e fantasy "riters@?
>Bo# are the fe" remainin ad#lts "ho believe in the insect fol;% Bo#, /rentiss, most of all%
Bo#'ve been a fantasy "riter for t"enty years%?
>Bo#'re mad% I don't believe the thins I "rite%?
>Bo# have to% Bo# can't help it% I mean, "hile yo#'re act#ally "ritin, yo# ta;e the s#bAect matter
serio#sly% After a "hile yo#r mind is A#st nat#rally c#ltivated into #sef#lness% % % % B#t "hy ar#e% I have
#sed yo#% Bo# sa" the liht b#lb brihten% So yo# see yo# m#st come "ith me%?
>B#t I "on't%? /rentiss set his limbs st#bbornly% >)an yo# ma;e me aainst my "ill@?
>I co#ld, b#t I miht damae yo#, and I "o#ldn't "ant that% S#ppose "e say this% If yo# don't
aree to come, I co#ld foc#s a c#rrent of hih(voltae electricity thro#h yo#r "ife% It "o#ld be a revoltin
thin to have to do, b#t I #nderstand yo#r o"n people e$ec#te enemies of the state in that fashion, so that
yo# "o#ld probably find the p#nishment less horrible than I do% I "o#ldn't "ant to seem br#tal even to a
man(thin%?
/rentiss re" conscio#s of the perspiration mattin the short hairs on his temple%
>-ait,? he said, >don't do anythin li;e that% 1et's tal; it over%?
The elf shot o#t his filmy "ins, fl#ttered them and ret#rned them to their case% >Tal;, tal;, tal;%
It's tirin% S#rely yo# have mil; in the ho#se% Bo#'re not a very tho#htf#l host or yo# "o#ld have offered
me refreshment before this%?
/rentiss tried to b#ry the tho#ht that came to him, to p#sh it as far belo" the o#ter s;in of his
mind as he co#ld% He said cas#ally, >I have somethin better than mil;% Here, I'll et it for yo#%?
>Stay "here yo# are% )all to yo#r "ife% She'll brin it%?
>B#t I don't "ant her to see yo#% It "o#ld frihten her%?
The elf said, >Bo# need feel no concern% I'll handle her so that she "on't be the least dist#rbed%?
/rentiss lifted an arm%
The elf said, >Any attac; yo# ma;e on me "ill be far slo"er than the bolt of electricity that "ill
stri;e yo#r "ife%?
/rentiss' arm dropped% He stepped to the door of his st#dy%
>BlancheC? he called do"n the stairs%
Blanche "as A#st visible in the livin room, sittin "oodenly in the armchair near the boo;case%
She seemed to be asleep, open(eyed%
/rentiss t#rned to the elf% >Somethin's "ron "ith her%?
>She's A#st in a state of sedation% She'll hear yo#% Tell her "hat to do%?
>BlancheC? he called aain% >Brin the container of eno and a small lass, "ill yo#@?
-ith no sin of animation other than that of bare movement, Blanche rose and disappeared from
vie"%
>-hat is eno@? as;ed the elf%
/rentiss attempted enth#siasm% >It is a compo#nd of mil;, s#ar and es beaten to a delihtf#l
consistency% Mil; alone is poor staff compared to it%?
Blanche entered "ith the eno% Her pretty face "as e$pressionless% Her eyes t#rned to"ard the
elf b#t lihtened "ith no reali!ation of the sinificance of the siht%
>Here, 0an,? she said, and sat do"n in the old, leather(covered chair by the "indo", hands fallin
loosely to her lap%
/rentiss "atched her #neasily for a moment% >Are yo# oin to ;eep her here@?
>She'll be easier to control% % % % -ell, aren't yo# oin to offer me the eno@?
>Oh, s#re% HereC?
He po#red the thic; "hite li<#id into the coc;tail lass% He had prepared five mil; bottles of it t"o
nihts before for the boys of the *e" Bor; .antasy Association and it had been mi$ed "ith a lavish hand,
since fantasy "riters notorio#sly li;e it so%
The elf's antennae trembled violently%
>A heavenly aroma,? he m#ttered%
He "rapped the ends of his thin arms abo#t the stem of the small lass and lifted it to his mo#th%
The li<#id's level san;% -hen half "as one, he p#t it do"n and sihed, >Oh, the loss to my people% -hat a
creationC -hat a thin to e$istC O#r histories tell #s that in ancient days an occasional l#c;y sprite manaed
to ta;e the place of a man(larva at birth so that he miht dra" off the li<#id fresh(made% I "onder if even
those ever e$perienced anythin li;e this%?
/rentiss said "ith a to#ch of professional interest, >That's the idea behind this b#siness of
chanelins, is it@?
>Of co#rse% The female man(creat#re has a reat ift% -hy not ta;e advantae of it@? The elf
t#rned his eyes #pon the rise and fall of Blanche's bosom and sihed aain%
/rentiss said Dnot too eaer, no"= don't ive it a"ayE, >,o ahead% &rin; all yo# "ant%?
He, too, "atched Blanche, "aitin for sins of restorin animation, "aitin for the beinnins of
brea;do"n in the elf's control%
The elf said, >-hen is yo#r larva ret#rnin from its place of instr#ction@ I need him%?
>Soon, soon,? said /rentiss nervo#sly% He loo;ed at his "rist"atch% Act#ally, 0an, 0#nior, "o#ld
be bac;, yellin for a slab of ca;e and mil;, in somethin li;e fifteen min#tes%
>.ill Ker #p,? he said #rently% >.ill Ker #p%?
The elf sipped aily% He said, >Once the larva arrives, yo# can o%?
>,o@?
>Only to the library% Bo#'ll have to et vol#mes on electronics% I'll need the details on ho" to
b#ild television, telephones, all that% I'll need to have r#les on "irin, instr#ctions for constr#ctin vac##m
t#bes% &etails, /ren(tiss, detailsC -e have tremendo#s tas;s ahead of #s% Oil drillin, asoline refinin,
motors, scientific aric#lt#re% -e'll b#ild a ne" Avalon, yo# and I% A technical one% A scientific fairyland%
-e "ill create a ne" "orld%?
>,reatC? said /rentiss% >Here, don't nelect yo#r drin;%?
>Bo# see% Bo# are catchin fire "ith the idea,? said the elf% >And yo# "ill be re"arded% Bo# "ill
have a do!en female man(thins to yo#rself%?
/rentiss loo;ed at Blanche a#tomatically% *o sins of hearin, b#t "ho co#ld tell@ He said, >I'd
have no #se for female man(th(for "omen, I mean%?
>)ome no",? said the elf censorio#sly, >be tr#thf#l% Bo# men(thins are "ell ;no"n to o#r fol; as
lechero#s, bestial creat#res% Mothers frihtened their yo#n for enerations by threatenin them "ith men(
thins% % % % Bo#n, ahC? He lifted the lass of eno in the air and said, >To my o"n yo#n,? and drained
it%
>.ill Ker #p,? said /rentiss at once% >.ill Ker #p%?
The elf did so% He said, >I'll have lots of children% I'll pic; o#t the best of the coleoptresses and
breed my line% I'll contin#e the m#tation% Riht no" I'm the only one, b#t "hen "e have a do!en or fifty,
I'll interbreed them and develop the race of the s#per(elf% A race of electro(#lp(electronic marvels and
infinite f#t#re% %%% If I co#ld only drin; more% *ectarC The oriinal nectarC?
There "as the s#dden noise of a door bein fl#n open and a yo#n voice callin, >MomC Hey,
MomC?
The elf, his lossy eyes a little dimmed, said, >Then "e'll bein to ta;e over the men(thins% A
fe" believe already= the rest "e "ill(#rp(teach% It "ill be the old days, b#t better= a more efficient elfhood,
a tihter #nion%?
0an, 0#nior's, voice "as closer and tined "ith impatience% >Hey, MomC Ain't yo# home@?
/rentiss felt his eyes poppin "ith tension% Blanche sat riid% The elf's speech "as slihtly thic;,
his balance a little #nsteady% If /rentiss "ere oin to ris; it, no", no" "as the time%
>Sit bac;,? said the elf peremptorily% >Bo#'re bein foolish% I ;ne" there "as alcohol in the
eno from the moment yo# tho#ht yo#r ridic#lo#s scheme% Bo# men(thins are very shifty% -e elves
have many proverbs abo#t yo#% .ort#nately, alcohol has little effect #pon #s% *o" if yo# had tried catnip
"ith A#st a to#ch of honey in it %%% Ah, here is the larva% Ho" are yo#, little man(thin@?
The elf sat there, the oblet of eno half"ay to his mandibles, "hile
0an, 0#nior, stood in the door"ay% 0an, 0#nior's, ten(year(old face "as moderately smeared "ith
dirt, his hair "as immoderately matted and there "as a loo; of the #tmost s#rprise in his ray eyes% His
battered schoolboo;s s"ayed from the end of the strap he held in his hand%
He said, >/opC -hat's the matter "ith Mom@ And(and "hat's that@?
The elf said to /rentiss, >H#rry to the library% *o time m#st be lost% Bo# ;no" the boo;s I need%?
All trace of incipient dr#n;enness had left the creat#re and /rentiss' morale bro;e% The creat#re had been
playin "ith him%
/rentiss ot #p to o%
The elf said, >And nothin h#man= nothin snea;y= no tric;s% Bo#r "ife is still a hostae% I can #se
the larva's mind to ;ill her= it's ood eno#h for that% I "o#ldn't "ant to do it% I'm a member of the
Elfitarian Ethical Society and "e advocate considerate treatment of mammals so yo# may rely on my noble
principles if yo# do as I say%?
/rentiss felt a stron comp#lsion to leave floodin him% He st#mbled to"ard the door%
0an, 0#nior, cried, >/op, it can tal;C He says he'll ;ill MomC Hey, don't o a"ayC?
/rentiss "as already o#t of the room, "hen he heard the elf say, >&on't stare at me, larva% I "ill
not harm yo#r mother if yo# do e$actly as I say% I am an elf, a fairy% Bo# ;no" "hat a fairy is, of co#rse%?
And /rentiss "as at the front door "hen he heard 0an, 0#nior's, treble raised in "ild sho#tin,
follo"ed by scream after scream in Blanche's sh#dderin soprano%
The stron, tho#h invisible, elastic that "as dra"in /rentiss o#t the ho#se snapped and
vanished% He fell bac;"ard, rihted himself and darted bac; #p the stairs%
Blanche, fairly sat#rated "ith <#iverin life, "as bac;ed into a corner, her arms abo#t a "eepin
0an, 0#nior%
On the des; "as a collapsed blac; carapace, coverin a nasty smear of p#lpiness from "hich
colorless li<#id dripped%
0an, 0#nior, "as sobbin hysterically, >I hit it% I hit it "ith my school(boo;s% It "as h#rtin Mom%?
An ho#r passed and /rentiss felt the "orld of normality po#rin bac; into the interstices left
behind by the creat#re from Avalon% The elf itself "as already ash in the incinerator behind the ho#se and
the only remnant of its e$istence "as the damp stain at the foot of his des;%
Blanche "as still sic;ly pale% They tal;ed in "hispers%
/rentiss said, >Ho"'s 0an, 0#nior@?
>He's "atchin television%?
>Is he all riht@?
>Oh, hes all riht, b#t Ill be havin nihtmares for "ee;s%?
>I ;no"% So "ill I #nless "e can et it o#t of o#r minds% I don't thin; there'll ever be another of
those(thins here%?
Blanche said, >I can't e$plain ho" a"f#l it "as% I ;ept hearin every "ord he said, even "hen I
"as do"n in the livin room%?
>It "as telepathy, yo# see%?
>I A#st co#ldn't move% Then, after yo# left, I co#ld bein to stir a bit% I tried to scream b#t all I
co#ld do "as moan and "himper% Then 0an, 0#nior, smashed him and all at once I "as free% I don't
#nderstand ho" it happened%?
/rentiss felt a certain loomy satisfaction% >I thin; I ;no"% I "as #nder his control beca#se I
accepted the tr#th of his e$istence% He held yo# in chec; thro#h me% -hen I left the room, increasin
distance made it harder to #se my mind as a psychic lens and yo# co#ld bein movin% By the time I
reached the front door, the elf tho#ht it "as time to s"itch from my mind to 0an, 0#nior's% That "as his
mista;e%?
>In "hat "ay@? as;ed Blanche%
>He ass#med that all children believe in fairies, b#t he "as "ron% Here in America today children
don't believe in fairies% They never hear of them% They believe in Tom )orbett, in Hopalon )assidy, in
&ic; Tracy, in Ho"dy &oody, in S#perman and a do!en other thins, b#t not in fairies%
>The elf A#st never reali!ed the s#dden c#lt#ral chanes bro#ht abo#t by comic boo;s and
television, and "hen he tried to rab 0an, 0#nior's mind, he co#ldn't% Before he co#ld recover his psychic
balance, 0an, 0#nior, "as on top of him in a s"inin panic beca#se he tho#ht yo# "ere bein h#rt and it
"as all over%
>It's li;e I've al"ays said, Blanche% The ancient fol; motifs of leend s#rvive only in the modern
fantasy maa!ine, and modem fantasy is p#rely ad#lt fare% &o yo# finally see my point@?
Blanche said h#mbly, >Bes, dear%?
/rentiss p#t his hands in his poc;ets and rinned slo"ly% >Bo# ;no", Blanche, ne$t time I see
-alt Rae, I thin; I'll A#st drop a hint that I "rite the st#ff% Time the neihbors ;ne", I thin;%?
0an, 0#nior, holdin an enormo#s slice of b#ttered bread, "andered into his father's st#dy in
search of the dimmin memory% /op ;ept slappin him on the bac; and Mom ;ept p#ttin bread and ca;e
in his hands and he "as forettin "hy% There had been this bi old thin on the des; that co#ld tal; % % %
It had all happened so <#ic;ly that it ot mi$ed #p in his mind%
He shr#ed his sho#lders and, in the late afternoon s#nliht, loo;ed at the partly type"ritten
sheet in his father's type"riter, then at the small pile of paper restin on the des;%
He read a "hile, c#rled his lip and m#ttered, >,ee "hi!% .airies aain% Al"ays ;id st#ffC? and
"andered off%
The Watery Place
-e're never oin to have space travel% -hat's more, no e$traterrestrials "ill ever land on Earth(
at least, any more%
I'm not A#st bein a pessimist% As a matter of fact, space travel is possible= e$traterrestrials have
landed% I ;no" that% Space ships are crisscrossin space amon a million "orlds, probably, b#t "e'll never
Aoin them% I ;no" that, too% All on acco#nt of a ridic#lo#s error%
I'll e$plain%
It "as act#ally Bart )ameron's error and yo#'ll have to #nderstand abo#t Bart )ameron% He's the
sheriff at T"in ,#lch, Idaho, and I'm his dep#ty% Bart )ameron is an impatient man and he ets most
impatient "hen he has to "or; #p his income ta$% Bo# see, besides bein sheriff, he also o"ns and r#ns the
eneral store, he's ot some shares in a sheep ranch, he does a bit of assay "or;, he's ot a ;ind of pension
for bein a disabled veteran Dbad ;neeE and a fe" other thins li;e that% *at#rally, it ma;es his ta$ fi#res
complicated%
It "o#ldn't be so bad if he'd let a ta$ man "or; on the forms "ith him, b#t he insists on doin it
himself and it ma;es him a bitter man% By April 7F, he isn't approachable%
So it's too bad the flyin sa#cer landed on April 7F, 789H%
I sa" it land% My chair "as bac;ed #p aainst the "all in the sheriff's office, and I "as loo;in at
the stars thro#h the "indo"s and feelin too la!y to o bac; to my maa!ine and "onderin if I o#ht to
;noc; off and hit the sac; or ;eep on listenin to )ameron c#rse real steady as he "ent over his col#mns of
fi#res for the h#ndred t"enty(seventh time%
It loo;ed li;e a shootin star at first, b#t then the trac; of liht broadened into t"o thins that
loo;ed li;e roc;et e$ha#sts and the thin came do"n s"eet, steady and "itho#t a so#nd% An old, dead leaf
"o#ld have r#stled more comin do"n and landed th#mpier% T"o men ot o#t%
I co#ldn't say anythin or do anythin% I co#ldn't cho;e or point= I co#ldn't even b# my eyes% I
A#st sat there%
)ameron@ He never loo;ed #p%
There "as a ;noc; on the door "hich "asn't loc;ed% It opened and the t"o men from the flyin
sa#cer stepped in% I "o#ld have tho#ht they "ere city fello"s if I hadn't seen the flyin sa#cer land in the
scr#b% They "ore charcoal(ray s#its, "ith "hite shirts and maroon fo#r(in(hands% They had on blac; shoes
and blac; homb#rs% They had dar; comple$ions, blac; "avy hair and bro"n eyes% They had very serio#s
loo;s on their faces and "ere abo#t five foot ten apiece% They loo;ed very m#ch ali;e%
,od, I "as scared%
B#t )ameron A#st loo;ed #p "hen the door opened and fro"ned% Ordinarily, I #ess he'd have
la#hed the collar b#tton off his shirt at seein clothes li;e that in T"in ,#lch, b#t he "as so ta;en #p by
his income ta$ that he never crac;ed a smile%
He said, >-hat can I do for yo#, fol;s@? and he tapped his hand on the forms so it "as obvio#s he
hadn't m#ch time%
One of the t"o stepped for"ard% He said, >-e have had yo#r people #nder observation a lon
time%? He prono#nced each "ord caref#lly and all by itself%
)ameron said, >My people@ All I ot's a "ife% -hat's she been doin@?
The fello" in the s#it said, >-e have chosen this locality for o#r first contact beca#se it is isolated
and peacef#l% -e ;no" that yo# are the leader here%?
>I'm the sheriff, if that's "hat yo# mean, so spit it o#t% -hat's yo# tro#ble@?
>-e have been caref#l to adopt yo#r mode of dress and even to ass#me yo#r appearance%?
>That's my mode of dress@? He m#st have noticed it for the first time%
>The mode of dress of yo#r dominant social class, that is% -e have also learned yo#r lan#ae%?
Bo# co#ld see the liht brea; in on )ameron% He said, >Bo# #ys foreiners@? )ameron didn't o
m#ch for foreiners, never havin met many o#tside the army, b#t enerally he tried to be fair%
The man from the sa#cer said, >.oreiners@ Indeed "e are% -e come from the "atery place yo#r
people call 5en#s%?
DI "as A#st collectin #p strenth to blin; my eyes, b#t that sent me riht bac; to nothin% I had
seen the flyin sa#cer% I had seen it land% I had to believe thisC These men(or these somethins(came from
5en#s%E
B#t )ameron never blin;ed an eye% He said, >All riht% This is the U%S%A% -e all ot e<#al rihts
reardless of race, creed, color, or nationality% I'm at yo#r service% -hat can I do for yo#@?
>-e "o#ld li;e to have yo# ma;e immediate arranements for the important men of yo#r U%S%A%,
as yo# call it, to be bro#ht here for disc#ssions leadin to yo#r people Aoinin o#r reat orani!ation%?
Slo"ly, )ameron ot red% >O#r people Aoin yo#r orani!ation% -e're already part of the U%*% and
,od ;no"s "hat else% And I s#ppose I'm to et the /resident here, eh@ Riht no"@ In T"in ,#lch@ Send a
h#rry(#p messae@? He loo;ed at me, as tho#h he "anted to see a smile on my face, b#t I co#ldn't as
m#ch as fall do"n if someone had p#shed the chair o#t from #nder me%
The sa#cer man said, >Speed is desirable%?
>Bo# "ant )onress, too@ The S#preme )o#rt@?
>If they "ill help, sheriff%?
And )ameron really "ent to pieces% He baned his income ta$ form and yelled, >-ell, yo#'re not
helpin me, and I have no time for "ise(#y Aer;s "ho come aro#nd, especially foreiners% If yo# don't et
the hell o#t of here pronto, I'll loc; yo# #p for dist#rbin the peace and I'll never let yo# o#t%?
>Bo# "ish #s to leave@? said the man from 5en#s%
>Riht no"C ,et the hell o#t of here and bac; to "herever yo#'re from and don't ever come bac;%
I don't "ant to see yo# and no one else aro#nd here does%?
The t"o men loo;ed at each other, ma;in little t"itches "ith their faces%
Then the one "ho had done all the tal;in said, >I can see in yo#r mind that yo# really "ish, "ith
reat intensity, to be left alone% It is not o#r "ay to force o#rselves or o#r orani!ation on people "ho do
not "ish #s or it% -e "ill respect yo#r privacy and leave% -e "ill not ret#rn% -e "ill irdle yo#r "orld in
"arnin and none "ill enter and yo#r people "ill never have to leave%?
)ameron said, >Mister, I'm tired of this crap, so I'll co#nt to three(?
They t#rned and left, and I A#st ;ne" that everythin they said "as so% I "as listenin to them, yo#
see, "hich )ameron "asn't, beca#se he "as b#sy thin;in of his income ta$, and it "as as tho#h I co#ld
hear their minds, ;no" "hat I mean@ I ;ne" that there "o#ld be a ;ind of fence aro#nd earth, corrallin #s
in, ;eepin #s from leavin, ;eepin others from comin 7 in% I ;ne" it%
And "hen they left, I ot my voice bac;(too late% I screamed, >)ameron, for ,od's sa;e, they're
from space% -hy'd yo# send them a"ay@?
>.rom spaceC? He stared at me%
I yelled, >1oo;C? I don't ;no" ho" I did it, he bein t"enty(five po#nds heavier than I, b#t I
yan;ed him to the "indo" by his shirt collar, b#stin every shirt b#tton off him%
He "as too s#rprised to resist and "hen he recovered his "its eno#h to ma;e li;e he "as oin to
;noc; me do"n, he ca#ht siht of "hat "as oin on o#tside the "indo" and the breath "ent o#t of him%
They "ere ettin into the flyin sa#cer, those t"o men, and the sa#cer sat there, lare, ro#nd,
shiny and ;ind of po"erf#l, yo# ;no"% Then it too; off% It "ent #p easy as a feather and a red(orane lo"
sho"ed #p on one side and ot brihter as the ship ot smaller till it "as a shootin star aain, slo"ly
fadin o#t%
And I said, >Sheriff, "hy'd yo# send them a"ay@ They had to see the /resident% *o" they'll
never come bac;%?
)ameron said, >I tho#ht they "ere foreiners% They said they had to learn o#r lan#ae% And they
tal;ed f#nny%?
>Oh, fine% .oreiners%?
>They said they "ere foreiners and they loo;ed Italian% I tho#ht they "ere Italian%?
>Ho" co#ld they be Italian@ They said they "ere from the planet 5en#s% I heard them% They said
so%?
>The planet 5en#s%? His eyes ot real ro#nd%
>They said it% They called it the "atery place or somethin% Bo# ;no" 5en#s has a lot of "ater on
it%?
B#t yo# see, it "as A#st an error, a st#pid error, the ;ind anyone co#ld ma;e% Only no" Earth is
never oin to have space travel and "e'll never as m#ch as land on the moon or have another 5en#sian
visit #s% That dope, )ameron, and his income ta$C
Beca#se he "hispered, >5en#sC -hen they tal;ed abo#t the "atery place, I tho#ht they meant
5eniceC?
Living Space
)larence Rimbro had no obAections to livin in the only ho#se on an #ninhabited planet, any more
than had any other of Earth's even trillion of inhabitants%
If someone had <#estioned him concernin possible obAections, he "o#ld #ndo#btedly have stared
blan;ly at the <#estioner% His ho#se "as m#ch larer than any ho#se co#ld possibly be on Earth proper and
m#ch more modern% It had its independent air s#pply and "ater s#pply, ample food in its free!in
compartments% It "as isolated from the lifeless planet on "hich it "as located by a force field, b#t the
rooms "ere b#ilt abo#t a five(acre farm D#nder lass, of co#rseE, "hich, in the planet's beneficent s#nliht,
re" flo"ers for pleas#re and veetables for health% It even s#pported a fe" chic;ens% It ave Mrs% Rimbro
somethin to do "ith herself afternoons, and a place for the t"o little Rimbros to play "hen they "ere tired
of indoors%
.#rthermore, if one "anted to be on Earth proper= if one insisted on it= if one had to have people
aro#nd and air one co#ld breathe in the open or "ater to s"im in, one had only to o o#t of the front door
of the ho#se%
So "here "as the diffic#lty@
Remember, too, that on the lifeless planet on "hich the Rimbro ho#se "as located there "as
complete silence e$cept for the occasional monotono#s effects of "ind and rain% There "as absol#te
privacy and the feelin of absol#te o"nership of t"o h#ndred million s<#are miles of planetary s#rface%
)larence Rimbro appreciated all that in his distant "ay% He "as an acco#ntant, s;illed in handlin
very advanced comp#ter models, precise in his manners and clothin, not m#ch iven to smilin beneath
his thin, "ell(;ept m#stache and properly a"are of his o"n "orth% -hen he drove from "or; to"ard home,
he passed the occasional d"ellin place on Earth proper and he never ceased to stare at them "ith a certain
sm#ness%
-ell, either for b#siness reasons or mental perversion, some people simply had to live on Earth
proper% It "as too bad for them% After all, Earth proper's soil had to s#pply the minerals and basic food
s#pply for all the trillion of inhabitants Din fifty years, it "o#ld be t"o trillionE and space "as at a premi#m%
Ho#ses on Earth proper A#st co#ldn't be any bier than that, and people "ho had to live in them had to
adA#st to the fact%
Even the process of enterin his ho#se had its mild pleasantness% He "o#ld enter the comm#nity
t"ist place to "hich he "as assined Dit loo;ed, as did all s#ch, li;e a rather st#mpy obelis;E, and there he
"o#ld invariably find others "aitin to #se it% Still more "o#ld arrive before he reached the head of the
line% It "as a sociable time%
>Ho"'s yo#r planet@? >Ho"'s yo#rs@? The #s#al small tal;% Sometimes someone "o#ld be havin
tro#ble% Machinery brea;do"ns or serio#s "eather that "o#ld alter the terrain #nfavorably% *ot often%
B#t it passed the time% Then Rimbro "o#ld be at the head of the line= he "o#ld p#t his ;ey into the
slot= the proper combination "o#ld be p#nched= and he "o#ld be t"isted into a ne" probability pattern= his
o"n partic#lar probability pattern= the one assined to him "hen he married and became a prod#cin
citi!en= a probability pattern in "hich life had never developed on Earth% And t"istin to this partic#lar
lifeless Earth, he "o#ld "al; into his o"n foyer%
0#st li;e that%
He never "orried abo#t bein in another probability% -hy sho#ld he@ He never ave it any
tho#ht% There "ere an infinite n#mber of possible Earths% Each e$isted in its o"n niche= its o"n
probability pattern% Since on a planet s#ch as Earth there "as, accordin to calc#lation, abo#t a fifty(fifty
chance of life's developin, half of all the possible Earths Dstill infinite, since half of infinity "as infinityE
possessed life, and half Dstill infiniteE did not% And livin on abo#t three h#ndred billion of the #nocc#pied
Earths "ere three h#ndred billion families, each "ith its o"n bea#tif#l ho#se, po"ered by the s#n of that
probability, and each sec#rely at peace% The n#mber of Earths so occ#pied re" by millions each day%
And then one day, Rimbro came home and Sandra Dhis "ifeE said to him, as he entered, >There's
been the most pec#liar noise%?
Rimbro's eyebro"s shot #p and he loo;ed closely at his "ife% E$cept for a certain restlessness of
her thin hands and a pale loo; abo#t the corners of her tiht mo#th, she loo;ed normal%
Rimbro said, still holdin his topcoat half"ay to"ard the servette that "aited patiently for it,
>*oise@ -hat noise@ I don't hear anythin%?
>It's stopped no",? Sandra said% >Really, it "as li;e a deep th#mpin or r#mble% Bo#'d hear it a
bit% Then it "o#ld stop% Then yo#'d hear it a bit and so on% I've never heard anythin li;e it%?
Rimbro s#rrendered his coat% >B#t that's <#ite impossible%?
>I heard it%?
>I'll loo; over the machinery,? he m#mbled% >Somethin may be "ron%?
*othin "as, that his acco#ntant's eyes co#ld discover, and, "ith a shr#, he "ent to s#pper% He
listened to the servettes h#m b#sily abo#t their different chores, "atched one s"eep #p the plates and
c#tlery for disposal and recovery, then said, p#rsin his lips, >Maybe one of the servettes is o#t of order% I'll
chec; them%?
>It "asn't anythin li;e that, )larence%?
Rimbro "ent to bed, "itho#t f#rther concern over the matter, and "a;ened "ith his "ife's hand
cl#tchin his sho#lder% His hand "ent a#tomatically to the contact patch that set the "alls lo"in% >-hat's
the matter@ -hat time is it@?
She shoo; her head% >1istenC 1istenC?
,ood 1ord, tho#ht Rimbro, there is a noise% A definite r#mblin% It came and "ent%
>Earth<#a;e@? he "hispered% It did happen, of co#rse, tho#h, "ith all the planet to choose from,
they co#ld enerally co#nt on havin avoided the fa#lted areas%
>All day lon@? as;ed Sandra fretf#lly% >I thin; it's somethin else%? And then she voiced the
secret terror of every nervo#s ho#seholder% >I thin; there's someone on the planet "ith #s% This Earth is
inhabited%?
Rimbro did the loical thins% -hen mornin came, he too; his "ife and children to his "ife's
mother% He himself too; a day off and h#rried to the Sector's Ho#sin B#rea#%
He "as <#ite annoyed at all his%
Bill )hin of the Ho#sin B#rea# "as short, Aovial and pro#d of his part Monolian ancestry% He
tho#ht probability patterns had solved every last one of h#manity's problems% Alec Mishnoff, also of the
Ho#sin B#rea#, tho#ht probability patterns "ere a snare into "hich h#manity had been hopelessly
tempted% He had oriinally maAored in archeoloy and had st#died a variety of anti<#arian s#bAects "ith
"hich his delicately poised head "as still crammed% His face manaed to loo; sensitive despite overbearin
eyebro"s, and he lived "ith a pet notion that so far he had dared tell no one, tho#h preocc#pation "ith it
had driven him o#t of archeoloy and into ho#sin%
)hin "as fond of sayin, >The hell "ith Malth#sC? It "as almost a verbal trademar; of his% >The
hell "ith Malth#s% -e can't possibly overpop#late no"% Ho"ever fre<#ently "e do#ble and redo#ble,
Homo sapiens remains finite in n#mber, and the #ninhabited Earths remain infinite% And "e don't have to
p#t one ho#se on each planet% -e can p#t a h#ndred, a tho#sand, a million% /lenty of room and plenty of
po"er from each probability s#n%?
>More than one on a planet@? said Mishnoff so#rly%
)hin ;ne" e$actly "hat he meant% -hen probability patterns had first been p#t to #se, sole
o"nership of a planet had been po"erf#l ind#cement for early settlers% It appealed to the snob and despot in
every one% -hat man so poor, ran the sloan, as not to have an empire larer than ,enhis 3han's@ To
introd#ce m#ltiple settlin no" "o#ld o#trae everyone%
)hin said, "ith a shr#, >All riht, it "o#ld ta;e psycholoical preparation% So "hat@ That's
"hat it too; to start the "hole deal in the first place%?
>And food@? as;ed Mishnoff%
>Bo# ;no" "e're p#ttin hydroponic "or;s and yeast plants in other probability patterns% And if
"e had to, "e co#ld c#ltivate their soil%?
>-earin space s#its and importin o$yen%?
>-e co#ld red#ce carbon dio$ide for o$yen till the plants ot oin and they'd do the Aob after
that%?
>,iven a million years%?
>Mishnoff, the tro#ble "ith yo#,? )hin said, >is yo# read too many ancient history boo;s% Bo#'re
an obstr#ctionist%?
B#t )hin "as too ood(nat#red really to mean that, and Mishnoff contin#ed to read boo;s and to
"orry% Mishnoff loned for the day he co#ld et #p the co#rae necessary to see the Head of the Section
and p#t riht o#t in plain vie"(ban, li;e that(e$actly "hat it "as that "as tro#blin him%
B#t no", a Mr% )larence Rimbro faced them, perspirin slihtly and to"erinly anry at the fact
that it had ta;en him the better part of t"o days to reach this far into the B#rea#%
He reached his e$position's clima$ by sayin, >And I say the planet is inhabited and I don't
propose to stand for it%?
Havin listened to his story in f#ll, )hin tried the soothin approach% He said, >*oise li;e that is
probably A#st some nat#ral phenomenon%?
>-hat ;ind of nat#ral phenomenon@? demanded Rimbro% >I "ant an investiation% If it's a nat#ral
phenomenon, I "ant to ;no" "hat ;ind% I say the place is inhabited% It has life on it, by Heaven, and I'm
not payin rent on a planet to share it% And "ith dinosa#rs, from the so#nd of it%?
>)ome, Mr% Rimbro, ho" lon have yo# lived on yo#r Earth@?
>.ifteen and a half years%?
>And has there ever been any evidence of life@?
>There is no", and, as a citi!en "ith a prod#ction record classified as A(I, I demand an
investiation%?
>Of co#rse "e'll investiate, sir, b#t "e A#st "ant to ass#re yo# no" that everythin is all riht%
&o yo# reali!e ho" caref#lly "e select o#r probability patterns@?
>I'm an acco#ntant% I have a pretty ood idea,? said Rimbro at once%
>Then s#rely yo# ;no" o#r comp#ters cannot fail #s% They never pic; a probability "hich has
been pic;ed before% They can't possibly% And they're eared to select only probability patterns in "hich
Earth has a carbon dio$ide atmosphere, one in "hich plant life, and therefore animal life, has never
developed% Beca#se if plants had evolved, the carbon dio$ide "o#ld have been red#ced to o$yen% &o yo#
#nderstand@?
>I #nderstand it all very "ell and I'm not here for lect#res,? said Rimbro% >I "ant an investiation
o#t of yo# and nothin else% It is <#ite h#miliatin to thin; I may be sharin my "orld, my o"n "orld, "ith
somethin or other, and I don't propose to end#re it%?
>*o, of co#rse not,? m#ttered )hin, avoidin Mishnoff's sardonic lance% >-e'll be there before
niht%?
They "ere on their "ay to the t"istin place "ith f#ll e<#ipment%
Mishnoff said, >I "ant to as; yo# somethin% -hy do yo# o thro#h that There's no need to
"orry, sir' ro#tine@ They al"ays "orry any"ay% -here does it et yo#@?
>I've ot to try% They sho#ldn't "orry,? said )hin pet#lantly% >Ever hear of a carbon dio$ide
planet that "as inhabited@ Besides, Rimbro is the type that starts r#mors% I can spot them% By the time he's
thro#h, if he's enco#raed, he'll say his s#n "ent nova%?
>That happens sometimes,? said Mishnoff%
>So@ One ho#se is "iped o#t and one family dies% See, yo#'re an obstr#ctionist% In the old times,
the times yo# li;e, if there "ere a flood in )hina or someplace, tho#sands of people "o#ld die% And that's
o#t of a pop#lation of a measly billion or t"o%?
Mishnoff m#ttered, >Ho" do yo# ;no" the Rimbro planet doesn't have life on it@?
>)arbon dio$ide atmosphere%?
>B#t s#ppose(? It "as no #se% Mishnoff co#ldn't say it% He finished lamely, >S#ppose plant and
animal life develops that can live on carbon dio$ide%?
>It's never been observed%?
>In an infinite n#mber of "orlds, anythin can happen%? He finished that 7 in a "hisper%
>Everythin m#st happen%?
>)hances are one in a d#odecillion,? said )hin, shr#in%
They arrived at the t"istin point then, and, havin #tili!ed the freiht t"ist for their vehicle Dth#s
sendin it into the Rimbro storae areaE, they entered the Rimbro probability pattern themselves% .irst
)hin, then Mishnoff%
>A nice ho#se,? said )hin, "ith satisfaction% >5ery nice model% ,ood taste%?
>Hear anythin@? as;ed Mishnoff%
>*o%?
)hin "andered into the arden% >Hey,? he yelled% >Rhode Island Reds%?
Mishnoff follo"ed, loo;in #p at the lass roof% The s#n loo;ed li;e the s#n of a trillion other
Earths%
He said absently, >There co#ld be plant life, A#st startin o#t% The carbon dio$ide miht A#st be
startin to drop in concentration% The comp#ter "o#ld never ;no"%?
>And it "o#ld ta;e millions of years for animal life to bein and millions more for it to come o#t
of the sea%?
>It doesn't have to follo" that pattern%?
)hin p#t an arm abo#t his partner's sho#lder% >Bo# brood% Someday, yo#'ll tell me "hat's really
botherin yo#, instead of A#st hintin, and "e can straihten yo# o#t%?
Mishnoff shr#ed off the encirclin arm "ith an annoyed fro"n% )hin's tolerance "as al"ays
hard to bear% He bean, >1et's not psychothera(pi!e(? He bro;e off, then "hispered, >1isten%?
There "as a distant r#mble% Aain%
They placed the seismoraph in the center of the room and activated the force field that penetrated
do"n"ard and bo#nd it riidly to bedroc;% They "atched the <#iverin needle record the shoc;s%
Mishnoff said, >S#rface "aves only% 5ery s#perficial% It's not #nderro#nd%?
)hin loo;ed a little more dismal, >-hat is it then@?
>I thin;,? said Mishnoff, >"e'd better find o#t%? His face "as ray "ith apprehension% >-e'll have
to set #p a seismoraph at another point and et a fi$ on the foc#s of the dist#rbance%?
>Obvio#sly,? said )hin% >I'll o o#t "ith the other seismoraph% Bo# stay here%?
>*o,? said Mishnoff, "ith enery% >I'll o o#t%?
Mishnoff felt terrified, b#t he had no choice% If this "ere it, he "o#ld be prepared% He co#ld et a
"arnin thro#h% Sendin o#t an #ns#spectin )hin "o#ld be disastro#s% *or co#ld he "arn )hin, "ho
"o#ld certainly never believe him%
B#t since Mishnoff "as not cast in the heroic mold, he trembled as he ot into his o$yen s#it and
f#mbled the disr#pter as he tried to dissolve the force field locally in order to free the emerency e$it%
>Any reason yo# "ant to o, partic#larly@? as;ed )hin, "atchin the other's inept manip#lations%
>I'm "illin%?
>It's all riht% I'm oin o#t,? said Mishnoff, o#t of a dry throat, and stepped into the loc; that led
o#t onto the desolate s#rface of a lifeless Earth% A pres#mably lifeless Earth%
The siht "as not #nfamiliar to Mishnoff% He had seen its li;e do!ens of times% Bare roc;,
"eathered by "ind and rain, cr#sted and po"dered "ith sand in the #llies= a small and noisy broo; beatin
itself aainst its stony co#rse% All bro"n and ray= no sin of reen% *o so#nd of life%
Bet the s#n "as the same and, "hen niht fell, the constellations "o#ld be the same%
The sit#ation of the d"ellin place "as in that reion "hich on Earth proper "o#ld be called
1abrador% DIt "as 1abrador here, too, really% It had been calc#lated that in not more than one o#t of a
<#adrillion or so Earths "ere there sinificant chanes in the eoloical development% The continents "ere
every"here reconi!able do"n to <#ite small details%E
&espite the sit#ation and the time of the year, "hich "as October, the temperat#re "as stic;y
"arm d#e to the hotho#se effect of the carbon dio$ide in this Earth's dead atmosphere%
.rom inside his s#it, thro#h the transparent visor, Mishnoff "atched it all somberly% If the
epicenter of the noise "ere close by, adA#stin the second seismoraph a mile or so a"ay "o#ld be eno#h
for the fi$% If it "eren't, they "o#ld have to brin in an air scooter% -ell, ass#me the lesser complication to
bein "ith%
Methodically, he made his "ay #p a roc;y hillside% Once at the top, he co#ld choose his spot%
Once at the top, p#ffin and feelin the heat most #npleasantly, he fo#nd he didn't have to%
His heart "as po#ndin so that he co#ld scarcely hear his o"n voice as he yelled into his radio
mo#thpiece, >Hey, )hin, there's constr#ction oin on%?
>-hat@? came bac; the appalled sho#t in his ears%
There "as no mista;e% ,ro#nd "as bein leveled% Machinery "as at "or;% Roc; "as bein
blasted o#t%
Mishnoff sho#ted, >They're blastin% That's the noise%?
)hin called bac;, >B#t it's impossible% The comp#ter "o#ld never pic; the same probability
pattern t"ice% It co#ldn't%?
>Bo# don't #nderstand(? bean Mishnoff%
B#t )hin "as follo"in his o"n tho#ht processes% >,et over there, Mishnoff% I'm comin o#t,
too%?
>*o, damn it% Bo# stay there,? cried Mishnoff in alarm% >3eep me in radio contact, and for ,od's
sa;e be ready to leave for Earth proper on "ins if I ive the "ord%?
>-hy@? demanded )hin% >-hat's oin on@?
>I don't ;no" yet,? said Mishnoff% >,ive me a chance to find o#t%?
To his o"n s#rprise, he noticed his teeth "ere chatterin%
M#tterin breathless c#rses at the comp#ter, at probability patterns and at the insatiable need for
livin space on the part of a trillion h#man beins e$pandin in n#mbers li;e a p#ff of smo;e, Mishnoff
slithered and slipped do"n the other side of the slope, settin stones to rollin and ro#sin pec#liar echoes%
A man came o#t to meet him, dressed in a as(tiht s#it, different in many details from Mishnoff's
o"n, b#t obvio#sly intended for the same p#rpose(to lead o$yen to the l#ns%
Mishnoff asped breathlessly into his mo#thpiece, >Hold it, )hin% There's a man comin% 3eep
in to#ch%? Mishnoff felt his heart p#mp more easily and the bello"s of his l#ns labor less%
The t"o men "ere starin at one another% The other man "as blond and cray of face% The loo;
of s#rprise abo#t him "as too e$treme to be feined%
He said in a harsh voice, >-er sind Sie@ -as machen Sie hier@?
Mishnoff "as th#nderstr#c;% He'd st#died ancient ,erman for t"o years in the days "hen he
e$pected to be an archeoloist and he follo"ed the comment despite the fact that the pron#nciation "as not
"hat he had been ta#ht% The straner "as as;in his identity and his b#siness there%
St#pidly, Mishnoff stammered, >Sprechen Sie &e#tsch@?and then had to m#tter reass#rance to
)hin "hose aitated voice in his earpiece "as demandin to ;no" "hat the ibberish "as all abo#t%
The ,erman(spea;in one made no direct ans"er% He repeated, >-er sind Sie@? and added
impatiently, >Hier ist fiir ein verriic;ten Spass ;eine Peit%?
Mishnoff didn't feel li;e a Ao;e either, partic#larly not a foolish one, b#t he contin#ed, >Sprechen
Sie /lanetisch@?
He did not ;no" the ,erman for >/lanetary Standard 1an#ae? so he had to #ess% Too late, he
tho#ht he sho#ld have referred to it simply as Enlish%
The other man stared "ide(eyed at him% >Sind Sie "ahnsinni@?
Mishnoff "as almost "illin to settle for that, b#t in feeble self(defense, he said, >I'm not cra!y,
damn it% I mean, >A#fderErde "oher Sie e;om(?
He ave it #p for lac; of ,erman, b#t the ne" idea that "as rattlin inside his s;#ll "o#ld not <#it
its nain% He had to find some "ay of testin it% He said desperately, >-elches fahr ist es Aet!t@?
/res#mably, the straner, "ho "as <#estionin his sanity already, "o#ld be convinced of
Mishnoff's insanity no" that he "as bein as;ed "hat year it "as, b#t it "as one <#estion for "hich
Mishnoff had the necessary ,erman%
The other m#ttered somethin that so#nded s#spicio#sly li;e ood ,erman s"earin and then
said, >Es ist doc; !"ei ta#send drei h#ndert vier(#nd(sech!i, #nd "ar#m(?
The stream of ,erman that follo"ed "as completely incomprehensible to Mishnoff, b#t in any
case he had had eno#h for the moment% If he translated the ,erman correctly, the year iven him "as
ILHF, "hich "as nearly t"o tho#sand years in the past% Ho" co#ld that be@
He m#ttered, >P"ei ta#send drei h#ndert vier(#nd sech!i@?
>0a, fa,? said the other, "ith deep sarcasm% >P"ei ta#send drei h#ndert vier(#nd(sech!i% &er
an!e fahr lon ist es so e"esen%?
Mishnoff shr#ed% The statement that it had been so all year lon "as a feeble "itticism even in
,erman and it ained nothin in translation% He pondered%
B#t then the other's ironical tone deepenin, the ,erman(spea;in one "ent on, >P"ei ta#send
drei h#ndert vier(#nd(sech!i nach Hitler% Hilft das Ihnen vielleicht@ *ach HitlerC?
Mishnoff yelled "ith deliht% >That does help me% Es hilftC Horen Sie, bitte(? He "ent on in
bro;en ,erman interspersed "ith scraps of /lanetary, >.or Heaven's sa;e, #rn ,ottes "illen(?
Ma;in it ILHF after Hitler "as different altoether%
He p#t ,erman toether desperately, tryin to e$plain%
The other fro"ned and re" tho#htf#l% He lifted his loved hand to stro;e his chin or ma;e some
e<#ivalent est#re, hit the transparent visor that covered his face and left his hand there #selessly, "hile he
tho#ht%
He said, s#ddenly, >Ich heiss ,eore .allenby%?
To Mishnoff it seemed that the name m#st be of Anlo(Sa$on derivation, altho#h the chane in
vo"el form as prono#nced by the other made it seem Te#tonic%
>,#ten Ta,? said Mishnoff a";"ardly% >Ich heiss Alec Mishnoff,? and "as s#ddenly a"are of
the Slavic derivation of his o"n name%
>3ommen Sie mit mir, Hen Mishnoff,? said .allenby%
Mishnoff follo"ed "ith a strained smile, m#tterin into his transmitter, >It's all riht, )hin% It's
all riht%?
Bac; on Earth proper, Mishnoff faced the Sector's B#rea# Head, "ho had ro"n old in the
Service= "hose every ray hair beto;ened a problem met and solved= and every missin hair a problem
averted% He "as a ca#tio#s man "ith eyes still briht and teeth that "ere still his o"n% His name "as Ber%
He shoo; his head% >And they spea; ,erman+ b#t the ,erman yo# st#died "as t"o tho#sand years
old%?
>Tr#e,? said Mishnoff% >B#t the Enlish Hemin"ay #sed is t"o tho#sand years old and /lanetary
is close eno#h for anyone to be able to read it%?
>Hmp% And "ho's this Hitler@?
>He "as a sort of tribal chief in ancient times% He led the ,erman tribe in one of the "ars of the
t"entieth cent#ry, A#st abo#t the time the Atomic Ae started and tr#e history bean%?
>Before the &evastation, yo# mean@?
>Riht% There "as a series of "ars then% The Anlo(Sa$on co#ntries "on o#t, and I s#ppose that's
"hy the Earth spea;s /lanetary%?
>And if Hitler and his ,ermans had "on o#t, the "orld "o#ld spea; ,erman instead@?
>They have "on o#t on .allenby's Earth, sir, and they do spea; ,erman%?
>And ma;e their dates Kafter Hitler' instead of a%d%@?
>Riht% And I s#ppose there's an Earth in "hich the Slavic tribes "on o#t and everyone spea;s
R#ssian%?
>Someho",? said Ber, >it seems to me "e sho#ld have foreseen it, and yet, as far as I ;no", no
one has% After all, there are an infinite n#mber of inhabited Earths, and "e can't be the only one that has
decided to solve the problem of #nlimited pop#lation ro"th by e$pandin into the "orlds of probability%?
>E$actly,? said Mishnoff earnestly, >and it seems to me that if yo# thin; of it, there m#st be
co#ntless inhabited Earths so doin and there m#st be many m#ltiple occ#pations in the three h#ndred
billion Earths "e o#rselves occ#py% The only reason "e ca#ht this one is that, by sheer chance, they
decided to b#ild "ithin a mile of the d"ellin "e had placed there% This is somethin "e m#st chec;%?
>Bo# imply "e o#ht to search all o#r Earths%?
>I do, sir% -e've ot to ma;e some settlement "ith other inhabited Earths% After all, there is room
for all of #s and to e$pand "itho#t areement may res#lt in all sorts of tro#ble and conflict%?
>Bes,? said Ber tho#htf#lly% >I aree "ith yo#%?
)larence Rimbro stared s#spicio#sly at Ber's old face, creased no" into all manner of
benevolence%
>Bo#'re s#re no"@?
>Absol#tely,? said the B#rea# Head% >-e're sorry that yo#'ve had to accept temporary <#arters
for the last t"o "ee;s(?
>More li;e three%?
>(three "ee;s, b#t yo# "ill be compensated%?
>-hat "as the noise@?
>/#rely eoloical, sir% A roc; "as delicately balanced and, "ith the "ind, it made occasional
contact "ith the roc;s of the hillside% -e've removed it and s#rveyed the area to ma;e certain that nothin
similar "ill occ#r aain%?
Rimbro cl#tched his hat and said, >-ell, than;s for yo#r tro#ble%?
>*o than;s necessary, I ass#re yo#, Mr% Rimbro% This is o#r Aob%?
Rimbro "as #shered o#t, and Ber t#rned to Mishnoff, "ho had remained a <#iet spectator of this
completion of the Rimbro affair%
Ber said, >The ,ermans "ere nice abo#t it, any"ay% They admitted "e had priority and ot off%
Room for everybody, they said% Of co#rse, as it t#rned o#t, they b#ild any n#mber of d"ellins on each
#nocc#pied "orld% % % % And no" there's the proAect of s#rveyin o#r other "orlds and ma;in similar
areements "ith "homever "e find% It's all strictly confidential, too%
It can't be made ;no"n to the pop#lace "itho#t plenty of preparation% % % % Still, none of this is
"hat I "ant to spea; to yo# abo#t%?
>Oh@? said Mishnoff% &evelopments had not noticeably cheered him% His o"n boey still
concerned him%
Ber smiled at the yo#ner man% >Bo# #nderstand, Mishnoff, "e in the B#rea#, and in the
/lanetary ,overnment, too, are very appreciative of yo#r <#ic; thin;in, of yo#r #nderstandin of the
sit#ation% This co#ld have developed into somethin very traic, had it not been for yo#% This appreciation
"ill ta;e some tanible form%?
>Than; yo#, sir%?
>B#t, as I said once before, this is somethin many of #s sho#ld have tho#ht of% Ho" is it yo#
did@ % % % *o" "e've one into yo#r bac;ro#nd a little% Bo#r co("or;er, )hin, tells #s yo# have hinted in
the past at some serio#s daner involved in o#r probability(pattern set#p, and that yo# insisted on oin o#t
to meet the ,ermans altho#h yo# "ere obvio#sly frihtened% Bo# "ere anticipatin "hat yo# act#ally
fo#nd, "ere yo# not@ And ho" did yo# do it@?
Mishnoff said conf#sedly, >*o, no% That "as not in my mind at all% It came as a s#rprise% I(?
S#ddenly he stiffened% -hy not no"@ They "ere ratef#l to him% He had proved that he "as a
man to be ta;en into acco#nt% One #ne$pected thin had already happened%
He said firmly, >There's somethin else%?
>Bes@?
DHo" did one bein@E >There's no life in the Solar System other than the life on Earth%?
>That's riht,? said Ber benevolently%
>And comp#tation has it that the probability of developin any form of interstellar travel is so lo"
as to be infinitesimal%?
>-hat are yo# ettin at@?
>That all this is so in this probabilityC B#t there m#st be some probability patterns in "hich other
life does e$ist in the Solar System or in "hich interstellar drives are developed by d"ellers in other star
systems%?
Ber fro"ned% >Theoretically%?
>In one of these probabilities, Earth may be visited by s#ch intelliences% If it "ere a probability
pattern in "hich Earth is inhabited, it "on't affect #s= they'll have no connection "ith #s in Earth proper%
B#t if it "ere a probability pattern in "hich Earth is #ninhabited and they set #p some sort of a base, they
may find, by happenstance, one of o#r d"ellin places%?
>-hy o#rs@? demanded Ber dryly% >-hat not a d"ellin place of the ,ermans, for instance@?
>Beca#se "e spot o#r d"ellins one to a "orld% The ,erman Earth doesn't% /robably very fe"
others do% The odds are in favor of #s by billions to one% And if e$traterrestrials do find s#ch a d"ellin,
they'll investiate and find the ro#te to Earth proper, a hihly developed, rich "orld%?
>*ot if "e t#rn off the t"istin place,? said Ber%
>Once they ;no" that t"istin places e$ist, they can constr#ct their o"n,? said Mishnoff% >A race
intellient eno#h to travel thro#h space co#ld do that, and from the e<#ipment in the d"ellin they "o#ld
ta;e over, they co#ld easily spot o#r partic#lar probability% % % % And then ho" "o#ld "e handle
e$traterrestrials@ They're not ,ermans, or other Earths% They "o#ld have alien psycholoies and
motivations% And "e're not even on o#r #ard% -e A#st ;eep settin #p more and more "orlds and
increasin the chance every day that(?
His voice had risen in e$citement and Ber sho#ted at him, >*onsense% This is all ridic#lo#s(?
The b#!!er so#nded and the comm#niplate brihtened and sho"ed the face of )hin% )hin's
voice said, >I'm sorry to interr#pt, b#t(?
>-hat is it@? demanded Ber savaely%
>There's a man here I don't ;no" "hat to do "ith% He's dr#n; or cra!y% He complains that his
home is s#rro#nded and that there are thins starin thro#h the lass roof of his arden%?
>Thins@? cried Mishnoff%
>/#rple thins "ith bi red veins, three eyes and some sort of tentacles instead of hair% They
have(?
B#t Mishnoff and Ber didn't hear the rest% They "ere starin at each other in sic; horror%
The essage
They dran; beer and reminisced as men "ill "ho have met after lon separation% They called to
mind the days #nder fire% They remembered sereants and irls, both "ith e$aeration% &eadly thins
became h#moro#s in retrospect, and trifles disrearded for ten years "ere ha#led o#t for airin%
Incl#din, of co#rse, the perennial mystery%
>Ho" do yo# acco#nt for it@? as;ed the first% >-ho started it@?
The second shr#ed% >*o one started it% Everyone "as doin it, li;e a disease% Bo#, too, I
s#ppose%?
The first ch#c;led%
The third one said softly, >I never sa" the f#n in it% Maybe beca#se I came across it first "hen I
"as #nder fire for the first time% *orth Africa%?
>Really@? said the second%
>The first niht on the beaches of Oran% I "as ettin #nder cover, ma;in for some native shac;
and I sa" it in the liht of a flare(?
,eore "as delirio#sly happy% T"o years of red tape and no" he "as finally bac; in the past%
*o" he co#ld complete his paper on the social life of the foot soldier of -orld -ar II "ith some a#thentic
details%
O#t of the "arless, insipid society of the thirtieth cent#ry, he fo#nd himself for one lorio#s
moment in the tense, s#perlative drama of the "arli;e t"entieth%
*orth AfricaC Site of the first reat sea(borne invasion of the "arC Ho" the temporal physicists
had scanned the area for the perfect spot and moment% This shado" of an empty "ooden b#ildin "as it%
*o h#man "o#ld approach for a ;no"n n#mber of min#tes% *o blast "o#ld serio#sly affect it in that time%
By bein there, ,eore "o#ld not affect history% He "o#ld be that ideal of the temporal physicist, the >p#re
observer%?
It "as even more terrific than he had imained% There "as the perpet#al roar of artillery, the
#nseen tearin of planes overhead% There "ere the periodic lines of tracer b#llets splittin the s;y and the
occasional hastly lo" of a flare t"istin do"n"ard%
And he "as hereC He, ,eore, "as part of the "ar, part of an intense ;ind of life forever one
from the "orld of the thirtieth cent#ry, ro"n tame and entle%
He imained he co#ld see the shado"s of an advancin col#mn of soldiers, hear the lo" ca#tio#s
monosyllables slip from one to another% Ho" he loned to be one of them in tr#th, not merely a momentary
intr#der, a >p#re observer%?
He stopped his note ta;in and stared at his styl#s, its micro(liht hypnoti!in him for a moment%
A s#dden idea had over"helmed him and he loo;ed at the "ood aainst "hich his sho#lder pressed% This
moment m#st not pass #nforotten into history% S#rely doin this "o#ld affect nothin% He "o#ld #se the
older Enlish dialect and there "o#ld be no s#spicion%
He did it <#ic;ly and then spied a soldier r#nnin desperately to"ard the str#ct#re, dodin a b#rst
of b#llets% ,eore ;ne" his time "as #p, and, even as he ;ne" it, fo#nd himself bac; in the thirtieth
cent#ry%
It didn't matter% .or those fe" min#tes he had been part of -orld -ar II% A small part, b#t part%
And others "o#ld ;no" it% They miht not ;no" they ;ne" it, b#t someone perhaps "o#ld repeat the
messae to himself%
Someone, perhaps that man r#nnin for shelter, "o#ld read it and ;no" that alon "ith all the
heroes of the t"entieth cent#ry "as the >p#re observer,? the man from the thirtieth cent#ry, ,eore 3ilroy%
He "as thereC
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Tony "as tall and dar;ly handsome, "ith an incredibly patrician air dra"n into every line of his
#nchaneable e$pression, and )laire Belmont rearded him thro#h the crac; in the door "ith a mi$t#re of
horror and dismay%
>I can't, 1arry% I A#st can't have him in the ho#se%? .everishly, she "as searchin her paraly!ed
mind for a stroner "ay of p#ttin it= some "ay that "o#ld ma;e sense and settle thins, b#t she co#ld only
end "ith a simple repetition%
>-ell, I can'tC?
1arry Belmont rearded his "ife stiffly, and there "as that spar; of impatience in his eyes that
)laire hated to see, since she felt her o"n incompetence mirrored in it% >-e're committed, )laire,? he said,
>and I can't have yo# bac;in o#t no"% The company is sendin me to -ashinton on this basis, and it
probably means a promotion% It's perfectly safe and yo# ;no" it% -hat's yo#r obAection@?
She fro"ned helplessly% >It A#st ives me the chills% I co#ldn't bear him%?
>He's as h#man as yo# or I, almost% So, no nonsense% )ome, et o#t there%?
His hand "as in the small of her bac;, shovin= and she fo#nd herself in her o"n livin room,
shiverin% It "as there, loo;in at her "ith a precise politeness, as tho#h appraisin his hostess(to(be of
the ne$t three "ee;s% &r% S#san )alvin "as there, too, sittin stiffly in thin(lipped abstraction% She had the
cold, fara"ay loo; of someone "ho has "or;ed "ith machines so lon that a little of the steel had entered
the blood%
>Hello,? crac;led )laire in eneral, and ineffect#al, reetin%
B#t 1arry "as b#sily savin the sit#ation "ith a sp#rio#s aiety% >Here, )laire, I "ant yo# to meet
Tony, a s"ell #y% This is my "ife, )laire, Tony, old boy%? 1arry's hand draped itself amiably over Tony's
sho#lder, b#t Tony remained #nresponsive and e$pressionless #nder the press#re%
He said, >Ho" do yo# do, Mrs% Belmont%?
And )laire A#mped at Tony's voice% It "as deep and mello", smooth as the hair on his head or the
s;in on his face%
Before she co#ld stop herself, she said, >Oh, my(yo# tal;%?
>-hy not@ &id yo# e$pect that I didn't@?
B#t )laire co#ld only smile "ea;ly% She didn't really ;no" "hat she had e$pected% She loo;ed
a"ay, then let him slide ently into the comer of her eye% His hair "as smooth and blac;, li;e polished
plastic(or "as it really composed of separate hairs@ And "as the even, olive s;in of his hands and face
contin#ed on past the obsc#rement of his formally c#t clothin@
She "as lost in the sh#dderin "onder of it, and had to force her tho#hts bac; into place to meet
&r% )alvin's flat, #nemotional voice%
>Mrs% Belmont, I hope yo# appreciate the importance of this e$periment% Bo#r h#sband tells me
he has iven yo# some of the bac;ro#nd% I "o#ld li;e to ive yo# more, as the senior psycholoist of the
U%S% Robots and Mechanical Men )orporation%
>Tony is a robot% His act#al desination on the company files is T*(L, b#t he "ill ans"er to Tony%
He is not a mechanical monster, nor simply a calc#latin machine of the type that "ere developed d#rin
-orld -ar II, fifty years ao% He has an artificial brain nearly as complicated as o#r o"n% It is an immense
telephone s"itchboard on an atomic scale, so that billions of possible Ktelephone connections' can be
compressed into an instr#ment that "ill fit inside a s;#ll%
>S#ch brains are man#fact#red for each model of robot specifically% Each contains a precalc#lated
set of connections so that each robot ;no"s the Enlish lan#ae to start "ith and eno#h of anythin else
that may be necessary to perform his Aob%
>Until no", U%S% Robots has confined its man#fact#rin activity to ind#strial models for #se in
places "here h#man labor is impractical(in deep mines, for instance, or in #nder"ater "or;% B#t "e "ant
to invade the city and the home% To do so, "e m#st et the ordinary man and "oman to accept these robots
"itho#t fear% Bo# #nderstand that there is nothin to fear%?
>There isn't, )laire,? interposed 1arry earnestly% >Ta;e my "ord for it% It's impossible for him to
do any harm% Bo# ;no" I "o#ldn't leave him "ith yo# other"ise%?
)laire cast a <#ic;, secret lance at Tony and lo"ered her voice% >-hat if I ma;e him anry@?
>Bo# needn't "hisper,? said &r% )alvin calmly% >He cant et anry "ith yo#, my dear% I told yo#
that the s"itchboard connections of his brain "ere predetermined% -ell, the most important connection of
all is "hat "e call The .irst 1a" of Robotics,' and it is merely this+ K*o robot can harm a h#man bein, or,
thro#h inaction, allo" a h#man bein to come to harm%' All robots are b#ilt so% *o robot can be forced in
any "ay to do harm to any h#man% So, yo# see, "e need yo# and Tony as a preliminary e$periment for o#r
o"n #idance, "hile yo#r h#sband is in -ashinton to arrane for overnment(s#pervised leal tests%?
>Bo# mean all this isn't leal@?
1arry cleared his throat% >*ot A#st yet, b#t it's all riht% He "on't leave the ho#se, and yo# m#stn't
let anyone see him% That's all%%%% And, )laire, I'd stay "ith yo#, b#t I ;no" too m#ch abo#t the robots% -e
m#st have a completely ine$perienced tester so that "e can have severe conditions% It's necessary%?
>Oh, "ell,? m#ttered )laire% Then, as a tho#ht str#c; her, >B#t "hat does he do@?
>Ho#se"or;,? said &r% )alvin shortly%
She ot #p to leave, and it "as 1arry "ho sa" her to the front door% )laire stayed behind drearily%
She ca#ht a limpse of herself in the mirror above the mantelpiece, and loo;ed a"ay hastily% She "as very
tired of her small, mo#sy face and her dim, #nimainative hair% Then she ca#ht Tony's eyes #pon her and
almost smiled before she remembered%%%%
He "as only a machine%
1arry Belmont "as on his "ay to the airport "hen he ca#ht a limpse of ,ladys )laffern% She
"as the type of "oman "ho seemed made to be seen in limpses%%%% /erfectly and precisely man#fact#red=
dressed "ith tho#htf#l hand and eye= too leamin to be stared at%
The little smile that preceded her and the faint scent that trailed her "ere a pair of bec;onin
finers% 1arry felt his stride brea;= he to#ched his hat, then h#rried on%
As al"ays he felt that va#e aner% If )laire co#ld only p#sh her "ay into the )laffern cli<#e, it
"o#ld help so m#ch% B#t "hat "as the #se%
)laireC The fe" times she had come face to face "ith ,ladys, the little fool had been ton#e(tied%
He had no ill#sions% The testin of Tony "as his bi chance, and it "as in )laire's hands% Ho" m#ch safer
it "o#ld be in the hands of someone li;e ,ladys )laffern%
)laire "o;e the second mornin to the so#nd of a s#bd#ed ;noc; on the bedroom door% Her mind
clamored, then "ent icy% She had avoided Tony the first day, smilin thinly "hen she met him and br#shin
past "ith a "ordless so#nd of apoloy%
>Is that yo#(Tony@?
>Bes, Mrs% Belmont% May I enter@?
She m#st have said yes, beca#se he "as in the room, <#ite s#ddenly and noiselessly% Her eyes and
nose "ere sim#ltaneo#sly a"are of the tray he "as carryin%
>Brea;fast@? she said%
>If yo# please%?
She "o#ldn't have dared to ref#se, so she p#shed herself slo"ly into a sittin position and
received it+ poached es, b#ttered toast, coffee%
>I have bro#ht the s#ar and cream separately,? said Tony% >I e$pect to learn yo#r preference
"ith time, in this and in other thins%?
She "aited%
Tony, standin there straiht and pliant as a metal r#le, as;ed, after a moment, >-o#ld yo# prefer
to eat in privacy@?
>Bes%%%% I mean, if yo# don't mind%?
>-ill yo# need help later in dressin@?
>Oh, my, noC? She cl#tched frantically at the sheet, so that the coffee hovered at the ede of
catastrophe% She remained so, in rior, then san; helplessly bac; aainst the pillo" "hen the door closed
him o#t of her siht aain%
She ot thro#h brea;fast someho"%%%% He "as only a machine, and if it "ere only more visible
that he "ere it "o#ldn't be so frihtenin% Or if his e$pression "o#ld chane% It A#st stayed there, nailed on%
Bo# co#ldn't tell "hat "ent on behind those dar; eyes and that smooth, olive s;in(st#ff% The coffee c#p
beat a faint castanet for a moment as she set it bac;, empty, on the tray%
Then she reali!ed that she had forotten to add the s#ar and cream after all, and she did so hate
blac; coffee%
She b#rned a straiht path from bedroom to ;itchen after dressin% It "as her ho#se, after all, and
there "asn't anythin frippy abo#t her, b#t she li;ed her ;itchen clean% He sho#ld have "aited for
s#pervision%%%%
B#t "hen she entered, she fo#nd a ;itchen that miht have been minted
fire(ne" from the factory the moment before% v
She stopped, stared, t#rned on her heel and nearly ran into Tony% She yelped%
>May I help@? he as;ed%
>Tony,? and she scraped the aner off the edes of her mind's panic, >yo# m#st ma;e some noise
"hen yo# "al;% I can't have yo# stal;in me, yo# ;no"%%%% &idn't yo# #se this ;itchen@?
>I did, Mrs% Belmont%?
>It doesn't loo; it%?
>I cleaned #p after"ard% Isn't that c#stomary@?
)laire opened her eyes "ide% After all, "hat co#ld one say to that% She opened the oven
compartment that held the pots, too; a <#ic;, #nseein loo; at the metallic litter inside, then said "ith a
tremor, >5ery ood% 2#ite satisfactory%?
If at the moment, he had beamed= if he had smiled= if he had <#ir;ed the corner of his mo#th the
slihtest bit, she felt that she co#ld have "armed to him% B#t he remained an Enlish lord in repose, as he
said, >Than; yo#, Mrs% Belmont% -o#ld yo# come into the livin room@?
She did, and it str#c; her at once% >Have yo# been polishin the f#rnit#re@?
>Is it satisfactory, Mrs% Belmont@?
>B#t "hen@ Bo# didn't do it yesterday%?
>1ast niht, of co#rse%?
>Bo# b#rned the lihts all niht@?
>Oh, no% That "o#ldn't have been necessary% I've a b#ilt(in #ltra(violet so#rce% I can see in
#ltraviolet% And, of co#rse, I don't re<#ire sleep%?
He did re<#ire admiration, tho#h% She reali!ed that, then% He had to ;no" that he "as pleasin
her% B#t she co#ldn't brin herself to s#pply that pleas#re for him%
She co#ld only say so#rly, >Bo#r ;ind "ill p#t ordinary ho#se"or;ers o#t of b#siness%?
>There is "or; of m#ch reater importance they can be p#t to in the "orld, once they are freed of
dr#dery% After all, Mrs% Belmont, thins li;e myself can be man#fact#red% B#t nothin yet can imitate the
creativity and versatility of a h#man brain, li;e yo#rs%?
And tho#h his face ave no hint, his voice "as "armly s#rchared "ith a"e and admiration, so
that )laire fl#shed and m#ttered, >My brainC Bo# can have it%?
Tony approached a little and said, >Bo# m#st be #nhappy to say s#ch a thin% Is there anythin I
can do@?
.or a moment, )laire felt li;e la#hin% It was a ridic#lo#s sit#ation% Here "as an animated carpet(
s"eeper, dish"asher, f#rnit#re(polisher, eneral factot#m, risin from the factory table(and offerin his
services as consoler and confidant%
Bet she said s#ddenly, in a b#rst of "oe and voice, >Mr% Belmont doesn't thin; I have a brain, if
yo# m#st ;no"%%%% And I s#ppose I haven't%? She co#ldn't cry in front of him% She felt, for some reason, that
she had the honor of the h#man race to s#pport aainst this mere creation%
>It's lately,? she added% >It "as all riht "hen he "as a st#dent= "hen he "as A#st startin% B#t I
can't be a bi man's "ife= and he's ettin to be a bi man% He "ants me to be a hostess and an entry into
social life for him(li;e ,(#h(#h(,ladys )laffern%?
Her nose "as red, and she loo;ed a"ay%
B#t Tony "asn't "atchin her% His eyes "andered abo#t the room% >I can help yo# r#n the ho#se%?
>B#t it's no ood,? she said fiercely% >It needs a to#ch I can't ive it% I can only ma;e it
comfortable= I can't ever ma;e it the ;ind they ta;e pict#res of for the Home Bea#tif#l maa!ines%?
>&o yo# "ant that ;ind@?
>&oes it do any ood("antin@?
Tony's eyes "ere on her, f#ll% >I co#ld help%?
>&o yo# ;no" anythin abo#t interior decoration@?
>Is it somethin a ood ho#se;eeper sho#ld ;no"@?
>Oh, yes%?
>Then I have the potentialities of learnin it% )an yo# et me boo;s on the s#bAect@?
Somethin started then%
)laire, cl#tchin her hat aainst the bra"lin liberties of the "ind, had manip#lated t"o fat
vol#mes on the home arts bac; from the p#blic library% She "atched Tony as he opened one of them and
flipped the paes% It "as the first time she had "atched his finers flic;er at anythin li;e fine "or;%
I don't see ho" they do it, she tho#ht, and on a s#dden imp#lse reached for his hand and p#lled it
to"ard herself% Tony did not resist, b#t let it lie limp for inspection%
She said, >It's remar;able% Even yo#r finernails loo; nat#ral%?
>That's deliberate, of co#rse,? said Tony% Then, chattily, >The s;in is a fle$ible plastic, and the
s;eletal frame"or; is a liht metal alloy% &oes that am#se yo#@?
>Oh, no%? She lifted her reddened face% >I A#st feel a little embarrassed at sort of po;in into yo#r
insides% It's none of my b#siness% Bo# don't as; me abo#t mine%?
>My brain paths don't incl#de that type of c#riosity% I can only act "ithin my limitations, yo#
;no"%?
And )laire felt somethin tihten inside her in the silence that follo"ed% -hy did she ;eep
forettin he "as a machine% *o" the thin itself had to remind her% -as she so starved for sympathy that
she "o#ld even accept a robot as e<#al(beca#se he sympathi!ed@
She noticed Tony "as still flippin the paes(almost helplessly(and there "as a <#ic;, shootin
sense of relieved s#periority "ithin her% >Bo# can't read, can yo#@?
Tony loo;ed #p at her= his voice calm, #nreproachf#l% >I am readin, Mrs% Belmont%?
>B#t(? She pointed at the boo; in a meaninless est#re%
>I am scannin the paes, if that's "hat yo# mean% My sense of readin is photoraphic%?
It "as evenin then, and "hen )laire event#ally "ent to bed Tony "as "ell into the second
vol#me, sittin there in the dar;, or "hat seemed dar; to )laire's limited eyes%
Her last tho#ht, the one that clamored at her A#st as her mind let o and t#mbled, "as a <#eer one%
She remembered his hand aain= the to#ch of it% It had been "arm and soft, li;e a h#man bein's%
Ho" clever of the factory, she tho#ht, and softly ebbed to sleep%
It "as the library contin#o#sly, thereafter, for several days% Tony s#ested the fields of st#dy,
"hich branched o#t <#ic;ly% There "ere boo;s on color matchin and on cosmetics= on carpentry and on
fashions= on art and on the history of cost#mes%
He t#rned the paes of each boo; before his solemn eyes, and, as <#ic;ly as he t#rned, he read=
nor did he seem capable of forettin%
Before the end of the "ee;, he had insisted on c#ttin her hair, introd#cin her to a ne" method of
arranin it, adA#stin her eyebro" line a bit and chanin the shade of her po"der and lipstic;%
She had palpitated in nervo#s dread for half an ho#r #nder the delicate to#ch of his inh#man
finers and then loo;ed in the mirror%
>There is more that can be done,? said Tony, >especially in clothes% Ho" do yo# find it for a
beinnin@?
And she hadn't ans"ered= not for <#ite a "hile% *ot #ntil she had absorbed the identity of the
straner in the lass and cooled the "onder at the bea#ty of it all% Then she had said cho;inly, never once
ta;in her eyes from the "armin imae, >Bes, Tony, <#ite ood(for a beinnin%?
She said nothin of this in her letters to 1arry% 1et him see it all at once% And somethin in her
reali!ed that it "asn't only the s#rprise she "o#ld enAoy% It "as oin to be a ;ind of revene%
Tony said one mornin, >It's time to start b#yin, and I'm not allo"ed to leave the ho#se% If I
"rite o#t e$actly "hat "e m#st have, can I tr#st yo# to et it@ -e need drapery, and f#rnit#re fabric,
"allpaper, carpetin, paint, clothin(and any n#mber of small thins%?
>Bo# can't et these thins to yo#r o"n specifications at a stro;e's notice,? said )laire do#btf#lly%
>Bo# can et fairly close, if yo# o thro#h the city and if money is no obAect%?
>B#t, Tony, money is certainly an obAect%?
>*ot at all% Stop off at U%S% Robots in the first place% I'll "rite a note for yo#% Bo# see &r% )alvin,
and tell her that I said it "as part of the e$periment%?
&r% )alvin, someho", didn't frihten her as on that first evenin% -ith her ne" face and a ne"
hat, she co#ldn't be <#ite the old )laire% The psycholoist listened caref#lly, as;ed a fe" <#estions,
nodded(and then )laire fo#nd herself "al;in o#t, armed "ith an #nlimited chare acco#nt aainst the
assets of U%S% Robots and Mechanical Men )orporation%
It is "onderf#l "hat money "ill do% -ith a store's contents at her feet, a saleslady's dict#m "as
not necessarily a voice from above= the #plifted eyebro" of a decorator "as not anythin li;e 0ove's
th#nder%
And once, "hen an E$alted /l#mpness at one of the most lordly of the arment salons had
insistently poohed her description of the "ardrobe she m#st have "ith co#nterprono#ncements in accents
of the p#rest .ifty(seventh Street .rench, she called #p Tony, then held the phone o#t to Monsie#r%
>If yo# don't mind?(voice firm, b#t finers t"istin a bit(?I'd li;e yo# to tal; to my(#h(secretary%?
/#dy proceeded to the phone "ith a solemn arm croo;ed behind his bac;% He lifted the phone in
t"o finers and said delicately, >Bes%? A short pa#se, another >Bes,? then a m#ch loner pa#se, a s<#ea;y
beinnin of an obAection that perished <#ic;ly, another pa#se, a very mee; >Bes,? and the phone "as
restored to its cradle%
>If Madam "ill come "ith me,? he said, h#rt and distant, >I "ill try to s#pply her needs%?
>0#st a second%? )laire r#shed bac; to the phone, and dialed aain% >Hello, Tony% I don't ;no"
"hat yo# said, b#t it "or;ed% Than;s% Bo#'re a(? She str#led for the appropriate "ord, ave #p and
ended in a final little s<#ea;, >(a(a dearC?
It "as ,ladys )laffern loo;in at her "hen she t#rned from the phone aain% A slihtly am#sed
and slihtly ama!ed ,ladys )laffern, loo;in at her o#t of a face tilted a bit to one side%
>Mrs% Belmont@?
It all drained o#t of )laire(A#st li;e that% She co#ld only nod(st#pidly, li;e a marionette%
,ladys smiled "ith an insolence yo# co#ldn't p#t yo#r finer on% >I didn't ;no" yo# shopped
here@? As if the place had, in her eyes, definitely lost caste thro#h the fact%
>I don't, #s#ally,? said )laire h#mbly%
>And haven't yo# done somethin to yo#r hair@ It's <#ite(<#aint%%%% Oh, I hope yo#'ll e$c#se me,
b#t isn't yo#r h#sband's name 1a"rence@ It seems to me that it's 1a"rence%?
)laire's teeth clenched, b#t she had to e$plain% She had to% >Tony is a friend of my h#sband's%
He's helpin me select some thins%?
>I #nderstand% And <#ite a dear abo#t it, I imaine%? She passed on smilin, carryin the liht and
the "armth of the "orld "ith her%
)laire did not <#estion the fact that it "as to Tony that she t#rned for consolation% Ten days had
c#red her of rel#ctance% And she co#ld "eep before him= "eep and rae%
>I "as a complete f(fool,? she stormed, "renchin at her "ater(toed hand;erchief% >She does
that to me% I don't ;no" "hy% She A#st does% I sho#ld have(;ic;ed her% I sho#ld have ;noc;ed her do"n and
stamped on her%?
>)an yo# hate a h#man bein so m#ch@? as;ed Tony, in p#!!led softness% >That part of a h#man
mind is closed to me%?
>Oh, it isn't she,? she moaned% >It's myself, I s#ppose% She's everythin I "ant to be(on the
o#tside, any"ay%%%% And I can't be%?
Tony's voice "as forcef#l and lo" in her ear% >Bo# can be, Mrs% Belmont% Bo# can be% -e have
ten days yet, and in ten days the ho#se "ill no loner be itself% Haven't "e been plannin that@?
>And ho" "ill that help me("ith her@?
>Invite her here% Invite her friends% Have it the evenin before I(before I leave% It "ill be a
ho#se"armin, in a "ay%?
>She "on't come%?
>Bes, she "ill% She'll come to la#h%%%% And she "on't be able to%?
>&o yo# really thin; so@ Oh, Tony, do yo# thin; "e can do it@? She had both his hands in hers%%%%
And then, "ith her face fl#n aside, >B#t "hat ood "o#ld it be@ It "on't be I= it "ill be yo# that's doin
it% I can't ride yo#r bac;%?
>*obody lives in splendid sinleness,? "hispered Tony% >They've p#t that ;no"lede in me%
-hat yo#, or anyone, see in ,ladys )laffern is not A#st ,ladys )laffern% She rides the bac; of all that
money and social position can brin% She doesn't <#estion that% -hy sho#ld yo#@ %%% And loo; at it this
"ay, Mrs% Belmont% I am man#fact#red to obey, b#t the e$tent of my obedience is for myself to determine%
I can follo" orders niardly or liberally% .or yo#, it is liberal, beca#se yo# are "hat I have been
man#fact#red to see h#man beins as% Bo# are ;ind, friendly, #nass#min% Mrs% )laffern, as yo# describe
her, is not, and I "o#ldn't obey her as I "o#ld yo#% So it is yo#, and not I, Mrs% Belmont, that is doin all
this%?
He "ithdre" his hands from hers then, and )laire loo;ed at that e$pressionless face no one co#ld
read("onderin% She "as s#ddenly frihtened K aain in a completely ne" "ay%
She s"allo"ed nervo#sly and stared at her hands, "hich "ere still tinlin K "ith the press#re of
his finers% She hadn't imained it= his finers had pressed hers, ently, tenderly, A#st before they moved
a"ay%
No!
Its finers %%% Its finers%%%%
She ran to the bathroom and scr#bbed her hands(blindly, #selessly%
She "as a bit shy of him the ne$t day= "atchin him narro"ly= "aitin to see "hat miht follo"(
and for a "hile nothin did%
Tony "as "or;in% If there "as any diffic#lty in techni<#e in p#ttin #p "allpaper, or #tili!in the
<#ic;(dryin paint, Tony's activity did not sho" it% His hands moved precisely= his finers "ere deft and
s#re%
He "or;ed all niht% She never heard him, b#t each mornin "as a ne" advent#re% She co#ldn't
co#nt the n#mber of thins that had been done, and by evenin she "as still findin ne" to#ches(and
another niht had come%
She tried to help only once and her h#man cl#msiness marred that% He "as in the ne$t room, and
she "as hanin a pict#re in the spot mar;ed by Tony's mathematical eyes% The little mar; "as there= the
pict#re "as there= and a rev#lsion aainst idleness "as there%
B#t she "as nervo#s, or the ladder "as ric;ety% It didn't matter% She felt it oin, and she cried
o#t% It t#mbled "itho#t her, for Tony, "ith far more than flesh(and(blood <#ic;ness, had been #nder her%
His calm, dar; eyes said nothin at all, and his "arm voice said only "ords% >Are yo# h#rt, Mrs%
Belmont@?
She noticed for an instant that her fallin hand m#st have m#ssed that slee; hair of his, beca#se for
the first time she co#ld see for herself that it "as composed of distinct strands(fine blac; hairs%
And then, all at once, she "as conscio#s of his arms abo#t her sho#lders and #nder her ;nees(
holdin her tihtly and "armly%
She p#shed, and her scream "as lo#d in her o"n ears% She spent the rest of the day in her room,
and thereafter she slept "ith a chair #pended aainst the door;nob of her bedroom door%
She had sent o#t the invitations, and, as Tony had said, they "ere accepted% She had only to "ait
for the last evenin%
It came, too, after the rest of them, in its proper place% The ho#se "as scarcely her o"n% She "ent
thro#h it one last time(and every room had been chaned% She, herself, "as in clothes she "o#ld never
have dared "ear before%%%% And "hen yo# p#t them on, yo# p#t on pride and confidence "ith them%
She tried a polite loo; of contempt#o#s am#sement before the minor, and the mirror sneered bac;
at her masterf#lly%
-hat "o#ld 1arry say@ %%% It didn't matter, someho"% The e$citin days "eren't comin "ith him%
They "ere leavin "ith Tony% *o" "asn't that strane@ She tried to recapt#re her mood of three "ee;s
before and failed completely%
The cloc; shrie;ed eiht at her in eiht breathless installments, and she t#rned to Tony% >They'll
be here soon, Tony% Bo#'d better et into the basement% -e can't let them(?
She stared a moment, then said "ea;ly, >Tony@? and more stronly, >Tony@? and nearly a scream,
>Tony!?
B#t his arms "ere aro#nd her no"= his face "as close to hers= the press#re of his embrace "as
relentless% She heard his voice thro#h a ha!e of emotional A#mble%
>)laire,? the voice said, >there are many thins I am not made to #nderstand, and this m#st be one
of them% I am leavin tomorro", and I don't "ant to% I find that there is more in me than A#st a desire to
please yo#% Isn't it strane@?
His face "as closer= his lips "ere "arm, b#t "ith no breath behind them (for machines do not
breathe% They "ere almost on hers%
%%% And the bell so#nded%
.or a moment, she str#led breathlessly, and then he "as one and no"here in siht, and the bell
"as so#ndin aain% Its intermittent shrillness "as insistent%
The c#rtains on the front "indo"s had been p#lled open% They had been closed fifteen min#tes
earlier% She ;ne" that%
They m#st have seen, then% They m#st all have seen(everythinC
They came in so politely, all in a b#nch(the pac; come to ho"l("ith their sharp, dartin eyes
piercin every"here% They had seen% -hy else "o#ld ,ladys as; in her Aabbinest manner after 1arry@
And )laire "as sp#rred to a desperate and rec;less defiance%
Bes, he is a"ay% He'll be bac; tomorro", I s#ppose% *o, I haven't been lonely here myself% *ot a
bit% I've had an e$citin time% And she la#hed at them% -hy not@ -hat co#ld they do@ 1arry "o#ld ;no"
the tr#th, if it ever came to him, the story of "hat they tho#ht they sa"%
B#t they didn't la#h%
She co#ld read that in the f#ry in ,ladys )laffern's eyes= in the false spar;le of her "ords= in her
desire to leave early% And as she parted "ith them, she ca#ht one last, anonymo#s "hisper(disAointed%
>%%% never sa" anythin li;e %%% so handsome(?
And she ;ne" "hat it "as that had enabled her to finer(snap them so% 1et each cat me"= and let
each cat ;no"(that she miht be prettier than )laire Belmont, and rander, and richer(b#t not one, not one,
co#ld have so handsome a loverC
And then she remembered aain(aain(aain, that Tony "as a machine, and her s;in cra"led%
>,o a"ayC 1eave me beC? she cried to the empty room and ran to her bed% She "ept "a;ef#lly all
that niht and the ne$t mornin, almost before da"n, "hen the streets "ere empty, a car dre" #p to the
ho#se and too; Tony a"ay%
1a"rence Belmont passed &r% )alvin's office, and, on imp#lse, ;noc;ed% He fo#nd her "ith
Mathematician /eter Boert, b#t did not hesitate on that acco#nt%
He said, >)laire tells me that U%S% Robots paid for all that "as done at my ho#se(?
>Bes,? said &r% )alvin% >-e've "ritten it off, as a val#able and necessary part of the e$periment%
-ith yo#r ne" position as Associate Enineer, yo#'ll be able to ;eep it #p, I thin;%?
>That's not "hat I'm "orried abo#t% -ith -ashinton areein to the tests, "e'll be able to et a
T* model of o#r o"n by ne$t year, I thin;%? He t#rned hesitantly, as tho#h to o, and as hesitantly t#rned
bac; aain%
>-ell, Mr% Belmont@? as;ed &r% )alvin, after a pa#se%
>I "onder(? bean 1arry% >I "onder "hat really happened there% She( )laire, I mean(seems so
different% It's not A#st her loo;s(tho#h, fran;ly, I'm ama!ed%? He la#hed nervo#sly% >It's her! She's not
my "ife, really(I can't e$plain it%?
>-hy try@ Are yo# disappointed "ith any part of the chane@?
>On the contrary% B#t it's a little frihtenin, too, yo# see(?
>I "o#ldn't "orry, Mr% Belmont% Bo#r "ife has handled herself very "ell% .ran;ly, I never
e$pected to have the e$periment yield s#ch a thoro#h and complete test% -e ;no" e$actly "hat
corrections m#st be made in the T* model, and the credit belons entirely to Mrs% Belmont% If yo# "ant me
to be very honest, I thin; yo#r "ife deserves yo#r promotion more than yo# do%?
1arry flinched visibly at that% >As lon as it's in the family,? he m#rm#red #nconvincinly and
left%
S#san )alvin loo;ed after him, >I thin; that h#rt(I hope%%%% Have yo# read Tony's report, /eter@?
>Thoro#hly,? said Boert% >And "on't the T*(L model need chanes@?
>Oh, yo# thin; so, too@? <#estioned )alvin sharply% >-hat's yo#r reasonin@?
Boert fro"ned% >I don't need any% It's obvio#s on the face of it that "e can't have a robot loose
"hich ma;es love to his mistress, if yo# don't mind the p#n%?
>1oveC /eter, yo# sic;en me% Bo# really don't #nderstand@ That machine had to obey the .irst
1a"% He co#ldn't allo" harm to come to a h#man bein, and harm "as comin to )laire Belmont thro#h
her o"n sense of inade<#acy% So he made love to her, since "hat "oman "o#ld fail to appreciate the
compliment of bein able to stir passion in a machine(in a cold, so#lless machine% And he opened the
c#rtains that niht deliberately, that the others miht see and envy("itho#t any ris; possible to )laire's
marriae% I thin; it "as clever of Tony(?
>&o yo#@ -hat's the difference "hether it "as pretense or not, S#san@ It still has its horrifyin
effect% Read the report aain% She avoided him% She screamed "hen he held her% She didn't sleep that last
niht(in hysterics% -e can't have that%?
>/eter, yo#'re blind% Bo#'re as blind as I "as% The T* model "ill be reb#ilt entirely, b#t not for
yo#r reason% 2#ite other"ise= <#ite other"ise% Strane that I overloo;ed it in the first place,? her eyes "ere
opa<#ely tho#htf#l, >b#t perhaps it reflects a shortcomin in myself% Bo# see, /eter, machines can't fall in
love, b#t(even "hen it's hopeless and horrifyin( "omen canC?
!ell"Fire
There "as a stir as of a very polite first(niht a#dience% Only a handf#l of scientists "ere present,
a sprin;lin of hih brass, some )onressmen, a fe" ne"smen%
Alvin Homer of the -ashinton B#rea# of the )ontinental /ress fo#nd himself ne$t to 0oseph
5incen!o of 1os Alamos, and said, >*o" "e o#ht to learn somethin%?
5incen!o stared at him thro#h bifocals and said, >*ot the important thin%?
Homer fro"ned% This "as to be the first s#per(slo"(motion films of an atomic e$plosion% -ith
tric; lenses chanin directional polari!ation in flic;ers, the moment of e$plosion "o#ld be divided into
billionth(second snaps% Besterday, an A(bomb had e$ploded% Today, those snaps "o#ld sho" the e$plosion
in incredible detail%
Horner said, >Bo# thin; this "on't "or;@?
5incen!o loo;ed tormented% >It "ill "or;% -e've r#n pilot tests% B#t the important thin(?
>-hich is@?
>That these bombs are man's death sentence% -e don't seem to be able to learn that%? 5incen!o
nodded% >1oo; at them here% They're e$cited and thrilled, b#t not afraid%?
The ne"sman said, >They ;no" the daner% They're afraid, too%?
>*ot eno#h,? said the scientist% >I've seen men "atch an H(bomb blo" an island into a hole and
then o home and sleep% That's the "ay men are%
.or tho#sands of years, hell(fire has been preached to them, and it's made no real impression%?
>Hell(fire+ Are yo# reliio#s, sir@?
>-hat yo# sa" yesterday "as hell(fire% An e$plodin atom bomb is hell(fire% 1iterally%?
That "as eno#h for Homer% He ot #p and chaned his seat, b#t "atched the a#dience #neasily%
-ere any afraid@ &id any "orry abo#t hell(fire@ It didn't seem so to him%
The lihts "ent o#t, the proAector started% On the screen, the firin to"er stood a#nt% The
a#dience re" tensely <#iet%
Then a dot of liht appeared at the ape$ of the to"er, a brilliant, b#rnin point, slo"ly b#ddin in
a la!y, o#t"ard elbo"in, this "ay and that, ta;in on #neven shapes of liht and shado", ro"in oval%
A man cried o#t cho;inly, then others% A hoarse babble of noise, follo"ed by thic; silence%
Horner co#ld smell fear, taste terror in his o"n mo#th, feel his blood free!e%
The oval fireball had spro#ted proAections, then pa#sed a moment in stasis, before e$pandin
rapidly into a briht and feat#reless sphere%
That moment of stasis(the fireball had sho"n dar; spots for eyes, "ith dar; lines for thin, flarin
eyebro"s, a hairline comin do"n 5(shaped, a mo#th t"isted #p"ard, la#hin "ildly in the hell(fire(and
horns%
The Last Trump
The Archanel ,abriel "as <#ite cas#al abo#t the "hole thin% Idly, he let the tip of one "in
ra!e the planet Mars, "hich, bein of mere matter, "as #naffected by the contact%
He said, >It's a settled matter, Etheriel% There's nothin to be done abo#t it no"% The &ay of
Res#rrection is d#e%?
Etheriel, a very A#nior seraph "ho had been created not <#ite a tho#sand years earlier as men
co#nted time, <#ivered so that distinct vortices appeared in the contin##m% Ever since his creation, he had
been in immediate chare of Earth and environs% As a Aob, it "as a sinec#re, a c#bbyhole, a dead end, b#t
thro#h the cent#ries he had come to ta;e a perverse pride in the "orld%
>B#t yo#'ll be disr#ptin my "orld "itho#t notice%?
>*ot at all% *ot at all% )ertain passaes occ#r in the Boo; of &aniel and in the Apocalypse of St%
0ohn "hich are clear eno#h%?
>They are@ Havin been copied from scribe to scribe@ I "onder if t"o "ords in a ro" are left
#nchaned%?
>There are hints in the Ri(5eda, in the )onf#cian Analects(?
>-hich are the property of isolated c#lt#ral ro#ps "hich e$ist as a thin aristocracy(?
>The ,ilamesh )hronicle spea;s o#t plainly%?
>M#ch of the ,ilamesh )hronicle "as destroyed "ith the library of Ash#rbanipal si$teen
h#ndred years, Earth(style, before my creation%?
>There are certain feat#res of the ,reat /yramid and a pattern in the inlaid Ae"els of the TaA
Mahal(?
>-hich are so s#btle that no man has ever rihtly interpreted them%? A ,abriel said "earily, >If
yo#'re oin to obAect to everythin, there's no #se disc#ssin the matter% In any case, yo# o#ht to ;no"
abo#t it% In matters concernin Earth, yo#'re omniscient%?
>Bes, if I choose to be% I've had m#ch to concern me here and investiatin the possibilities of
Res#rrection did not, I confess, occ#r to me%?
>-ell, it sho#ld have% All the papers involved are in the files of the )o#ncil of Ascendants% Bo#
co#ld have availed yo#rself of them at any time%?
>I tell yo# all my time "as needed here% Bo# have no idea of the deadly efficiency of the
Adversary on this planet% It too; all my efforts to c#rb him, and even so(?
>-hy, yes?(,abriel stro;ed a comet as it passed(?he does seem to have "on his little victories% I
note as I let the interloc;in fact#al pattern of this miserable little "orld flo" thro#h me that this is one of
those set#ps "ith matter(enery e<#ivalence%?
>So it is,? said Etheriel% >And they are playin "ith it%?
>I'm afraid so%?
>Then "hat better time for endin the matter@?
>I'll be able to handle it, I ass#re yo#% Their n#clear bombs "ill not destroy them%?
>I "onder% -ell, no" s#ppose yo# let me contin#e, Etheriel% The appointed moment approaches%?
The seraph said st#bbornly, >I "o#ld li;e to see the doc#ments in the case%?
>If yo# insist%? The "ordin of an Act of Ascendancy appeared in litterin symbols aainst the
deep blac; of the airless firmament%
Etheriel read alo#d+ >It is hereby directed by order of )o#ncil that the Archanel ,abriel, Serial
n#mber etcetera, etcetera D"ell, that's yo#, at any rateE, "ill approach /lanet, )lass A, n#mber ,:9L88G,
hereinafter ;no"n as Earth, and on 0an#ary 7, 789:, at 7I+G7 p%m%, #sin local time val#es(? He finished
readin in loomy silence%
>Satisfied@?
>*o, b#t I'm helpless%?
,abriel smiled% A tr#mpet appeared in space, in shape li;e an earthly tr#mpet, b#t its b#rnished
old e$tended from Earth to s#n% It "as raised to ,abriel's litterin bea#tif#l lips%
>)an't yo# let me have a little time to ta;e this #p "ith the )o#ncil@? as;ed Etheriel desperately%
>-hat ood "o#ld it do yo#@ The act is co#ntersined by the )hief, and yo# ;no" that an act
co#ntersined by the )hief is absol#tely irrevocable%
And no", if yo# don't mind, it is almost the stip#lated second and I "ant to be done "ith this as I
have other matters of m#ch reater moment on my mind% -o#ld yo# step o#t of my "ay a little@ Than;
yo#%?
,abriel ble", and a clean, thin so#nd of perfect pitch and crystalline delicacy filled all the
#niverse to the f#rthest star% As it so#nded, there "as a tiny moment of stasis as thin as the line separatin
past from f#t#re, and then the fabric of "orlds collapsed #pon itself and matter "as athered bac; into the
primeval chaos from "hich it had once spr#n at a "ord% The stars and neb#lae "ere one, and the cosmic
d#st, the s#n, the planets, the moon= all, all, all e$cept Earth itself, "hich sp#n as before in a #niverse no"
completely empty%
The 1ast Tr#mp had so#nded%
R% E% Mann, D;no"n to all "ho ;ne" him simply as R%E%E eased himself into the offices+ of the
Billi;an Bitsies factory and stared somberly at the tall man Da#nt b#t "ith a certain faded eleance abo#t
his neat ray m#stacheE "ho bent intently over a sheaf of papers on his des;%
R%E% loo;ed at his "rist"atch, "hich still said :+G7, havin ceased r#nnin at that time% It "as
Eastern standard time, of co#rse= 7I+G7 p%m% ,reen"ich time% His dar; bro"n eyes, starin sharply o#t over
a pair of prono#nced chee;bones, ca#ht those of the other%
.or a moment, the tall man stared at him blan;ly% Then he said, >)an I do anythin for yo#@?
>Horatio 0% Billi;an, I pres#me@ O"ner of this place@?
>Bes%?
>I'm R% E% Mann and I co#ldn't help b#t stop in "hen I finally fo#nd someone at "or;% &on't yo#
;no" "hat today is@?
>Today@?
>It's Res#rrection &ay%?
>Oh, thatC I ;no" it% I heard the blast% .it to "a;e the dead% % % % That's rather a ood one, don't yo#
thin;@? He ch#c;led for a moment, then "ent on% >It "o;e me at seven in the mornin% I n#ded my "ife%
She slept thro#h it, of co#rse% I al"ays said she "o#ld% KIt's the 1ast Tr#mp, dear,' I said% Hortense, that's
my "ife, said, KAll riht,' and "ent bac; to sleep% I bathed, shaved, dressed and came to "or;%?
>B#t "hy@'>
>-hy not@?K
>*one of yo#r "or;ers have come in%?
>*o, poor so#ls% They'll ta;e a holiday A#st at first% Bo#'ve ot to e$pect that% After all, it isn't
every day that the "orld comes to an end% .ran;ly, it's A#st as "ell% It+ ives me a chance to straihten o#t
my personal correspondence "itho#t interr#ptions% Telephone hasn't r#n once%?
He stood #p and "ent to the "indo"% >It's a reat improvement% *o blindin s#n any more and
the sno"'s one% There's a pleasant liht and a pleasant "armth% 5ery ood arranement% % % % B#t no", if
yo# don't mind, I'm rather b#sy, so if yo#'ll e$c#se me(?
A reat, hoarse voice interr#pted "ith a, >0#st a min#te, Horatio,? and a entleman, loo;in
remar;ably li;e Billi;an in a some"hat craier "ay, follo"ed his prominent nose into the office and
str#c; an attit#de of offended dinity "hich "as scarcely spoiled by the fact that he "as <#ite na;ed% >May
I as; "hy yo#'ve sh#t do"n Bitsies@?
Billi;an loo;ed faint% >,ood Heavens,? he said, >it's .ather% -herever did yo# come from@?
>.rom the raveyard,? roared Billi;an, Senior% >-here on Earth else@ They're comin o#t of the
ro#nd there by the do!ens% Every one of them na;ed% -omen, too%?
Billi;an cleared his throat% >I'll et yo# some clothes, .ather% I'll brin them to yo# from home%?
>*ever mind that% B#siness first% B#siness first%?
R%E% came o#t of his m#sin% >Is everyone comin o#t of their raves at the same time, sir@?
He stared c#rio#sly at Billi;an, Senior, as he spo;e% The old man's appearance "as one of rob#st
ae% His chee;s "ere f#rro"ed b#t lo"ed "ith health% His ae, R%E% decided, "as e$actly "hat it "as at
the moment of his death, b#t his body "as as it sho#ld have been at that ae if it f#nctioned ideally%
Billi;an, Senior, said, >*o, sir, they are not% The ne"er raves are comin #p first% /ottersby died
five years before me and came #p abo#t five min#tes after me% Seein him made me decide to leave% I had
had eno#h of him "hen % % % And that reminds me%? He bro#ht his fist do"n on the des;, a very solid fist%
>There "ere no ta$is, no b#sses% Telephones "eren't "or;in% I had to "al;% I had to "al; t"enty miles%?
>1i;e that@? as;ed his son in a faint and appalled voice%
Billi;an, Senior, loo;ed do"n #pon his bare s;in "ith cas#al approval% >It's "arm% Almost
everyone else is na;ed% % % % Any"ay, son, I'm not here to ma;e small tal;% -hy is the factory sh#t do"n@?
>It isn't sh#t do"n% It's a special occasion%?
>Special occasion, my foot% Bo# call #nion head<#arters and tell them Res#rrection &ay isn't in
the contract% Every "or;er is bein doc;ed for every min#te he's off the Aob%?
Billi;an's lean face too; on a st#bborn loo; as he peered at his father% >I "ill not% &on't foret,
no", yo#'re no loner in chare of this plant% I am%?
>Oh, yo# are@ By "hat riht@?
>By yo#r "ill%?
>All riht% *o" here I am and I void my "ill%?
>Bo# can't, .ather% Bo#'re dead% Bo# may not loo; dead, b#t I have "itnesses% I have the doctor's
certificate% I have receipted bills from the #nderta;er% I can et testimony from the pallbearers%?
Billi;an, Senior, stared at his son, sat do"n, placed his arm over the bac; of the chair, crossed his
ies and said, >If it conies to that, "e're all dead, aren't "e@ The "orld's come to an end, hasn't it@?
>B#t yo#'ve been declared leally dead and 7 haven't%?
>Oh, "e'll chane that, son% There are oin to be more of #s than of yo# and votes co#nt%?
Billi;an, 0#nior, tapped the des; firmly "ith the flat of his hand and fl#shed slihtly% >.ather, I
hate to brin #p this partic#lar point, b#t yo# force me to% May I remind yo# that by no" 7 am s#re that
Mother is sittin at home "aitin for yo#= that she probably had to "al; the streets(#h( na;ed, too= and that
she probably isn't in a ood h#mor%?
Billi;an, Senior, "ent l#dicro#sly pale% >,ood HeavensC?
>And yo# ;no" she al"ays "anted yo# to retire%?
Billi;an, Senior, came to a <#ic; decision% >I'm not oin home% -hy, this is a nihtmare% Aren't
there any limits to this Res#rrection b#siness@ It's (it's(it's sheer anarchy% There's s#ch a thin as
overdoin it% I'm A#st not oin home%?
At "hich point, a some"hat rot#nd entleman "ith a smooth, pin; face and fl#ffy "hite sideb#rns
Dm#ch li;e pict#res of Martin 5an B#renE stepped in and said coldly, >,ood day%?
>.ather,? said Billi;an, Senior%
>,randfather,? said Billi;an, 0#nior%
Billi;an, ,randsenior, loo;ed at Billi;an, 0#nior, "ith disapproval% >If yo# are my randson,? he
said, >yo#'ve aed considerably and the chane has not improved yo#%?
Billi;an, 0#nior, smiled "ith dyspeptic feebleness, and made no ans"er%
Billi;an, ,randsenior, did not seem to re<#ire one% He said, >*o" if yo# t"o "ill brin me #p to
date on the b#siness, I "ill res#me my manaerial f#nction%?
There "ere t"o sim#ltaneo#s ans"ers, and Billi;an, ,randsenior's, florid(ity "a$ed danero#sly
as he beat the ro#nd peremptorily "ith an imainary cane and bar;ed a retort%
R%E% said, >,entlemen%?
He raised his voice% >,entlemenC?
He shrie;ed at f#ll lon(po"er, >,E*T1EME*C?
)onversation snapped off sharply and all t#rned to loo; at him% R%E%'s an#lar face, his oddly
attractive eyes, his sardonic mo#th seemed s#ddenly to dominate the atherin%
He said, >I don't #nderstand this ar#ment% -hat is it that yo# man#fact#re@?
>Bitsies,? said Billi;an, 0#nior%
>-hich, I ta;e it, are a pac;aed cereal brea;fast food(?
>Teemin "ith enery in every olden, crispy fla;e(? cried Billi;an, 0#nior%
>)overed "ith honey(s"eet, crystalline s#ar= a confection and a food( ro"led Billi;an, Senior%
>To tempt the most Aaded appetite,? roared Billi;an, ,randsenior%
>E$actly,? said R%E% >-hat appetite@?
They stared stolidly at him% >I be yo#r pardon,? said Billi;an, 0#nior%
>Are any of yo# h#nry@? as;ed R%E% >I'm not%?
>-hat is this fool ma#nderin abo#t@? demanded Billi;an, ,randsenior, anrily% His invisible
cane "o#ld have been proddin R%E% in the navel had it Dthe cane, not the navelE e$isted%
R%E% said, >I'm tryin to tell yo# that no one "ill ever eat aain% It is the hereafter, and food is
#nnecessary%?
The e$pressions on the faces of the Billi;ans needed no interpretation% It "as obvio#s that they
had tried their o"n appetites and fo#nd them "antin%
Billi;an, 0#nior, said ashenly, >R#inedC?
Billi;an, ,randsenior, po#nded the floor heavily and noiselessly "ith his imainary cane% >This is
confiscation of property "itho#t d#e process of la"%
I'll s#e% I'll s#e%?
>2#ite #nconstit#tional,? areed Billi;an, Senior%
>If yo# can find anyone to s#e, I "ish yo# all ood fort#ne,? said R%E% areeably% >And no" if
yo#'ll e$c#se me I thin; I'll "al; to"ard the raveyard%?
He p#t his hat on his head and "al;ed o#t the door%
Etheriel, his vortices <#iverin, stood before the lory of a si$("ined cher#b% The cher#b said, >If
I #nderstand yo#, yo#r partic#lar #niverse has been dismantled%?
>E$actly%?
>-ell, s#rely, no", yo# don't e$pect me to set it #p aain@?
>I don't e$pect yo# to do anythin,? said Etheriel, >e$cept to arrane an appointment for me "ith
the )hief%?
The cher#b est#red his respect instantly at hearin the "ord% T"o "in(tips covered his feet, t"o
his eyes and t"o his mo#th% He restored himself to normal and said, >The )hief is <#ite b#sy% There are a
myriad score of matters for him to decide%?
>-ho denies that@ I merely point o#t that if matters stand as they are no", there "ill have been a
#niverse in "hich Satan "ill have "on the final victory%?
>Satan@?
>It's the Hebre" "ord for Adversary,? said Etheriel impatiently% I co#ld say Ahriman, "hich is
the /ersian "ord% In any case, I mean the Adversary%?
The cher#b said, >B#t "hat "ill an intervie" "ith the )hief accomplish@ The doc#ment
a#thori!in the 1ast Tr#mp "as co#ntersined by the )hief, and yo# ;no" that it is irrevocable for that
reason% The )hief "o#ld never limit his o"n omnipotence by cancelin a "ord he had spo;en in his official
capacity%?
>Is that final@ Bo# "ill not arrane an appointment@?
>I cannot%?
Etheriel said, >In that case, 7 shall see; o#t the )hief "itho#t one% I "ill invade the /rim#m
Mobile% If it means my destr#ction, so be it%? He athered his eneries% % % %
The cher#b m#rm#red in horror, >SacrileeC? and there "as a faint atherin of th#nder as
Etheriel spran #p"ard and "as one%
R% E% Mann passed thro#h the cro"din streets and re" #sed to the siht of people be"ildered,
disbelievin, apathetic, in ma;eshift clothin or, #s#ally, none at all%
A irl, "ho loo;ed abo#t t"elve, leaned over an iron ate, one foot on a crossbar, s"inin it to
and fro, and said as he passed, >Hello, mister%?
>Hello,? said R%E% The irl "as dressed% She "as not one of the(#h( ret#rnees%
The irl said, >-e ot a ne" baby in o#r ho#se% She's a sister I once had% Mommy is cryin and
they sent me here%?
R%E% said, >-ell, "ell,? passed thro#h the ate and #p the paved "al; to the ho#se, one "ith
modest pretensions to middle(class entility% He ran the bell, obtained no ans"er, opened the door and
"al;ed in%
He follo"ed the so#nd of sobbin and ;noc;ed at an inner door% A sto#t man of abo#t fifty "ith
little hair and a comfortable s#pply of chee; and chin loo;ed o#t at him "ith minled astonishment and
resentment%
>-ho are yo#@?
R%E% removed his hat% >I tho#ht I miht be able to help% Bo#r little irl o#tside(?
A "oman loo;ed #p at him hopelessly from a chair by a do#ble bed% Her hair "as beinnin to
ray% Her face "as p#ffed and #nsihtly "ith "eepin and the veins stood o#t bl#ely on the bac; of her
hands% A baby lay on the bed, pl#mp and na;ed% It ;ic;ed its feet lan#idly and its sihtless baby eyes
t#rned aimlessly here and there%
>This is my baby,? said the "oman% >She "as born t"enty(three years ao in this ho#se and she
died "hen she "as ten days old in this ho#se% I "anted her bac; so m#ch%?
>And no" yo# have her,? said R%E%
>B#t it's too late,? cried the "oman vehemently% >I've had three other children% My oldest irl is
married= my son is in the army% I'm too old to have a baby no"% And even if(even if(?
Her feat#res "or;ed in a heroic effort to ;eep bac; the tears and failed%
Her h#sband said "ith flat tonelessness, >It's not a real baby% It doesn't cry% It doesn't soil itself% It
"on't ta;e mil;% -hat "ill "e do@ It'll never ro"% It'll al"ays be a baby%?
R%E% shoo; his head% >I don't ;no",? he said% >I'm afraid I can do nothin to help%?
2#ietly he left% 2#ietly he tho#ht of the hospitals% Tho#sands of babies m#st be appearin at each
one%
/lace them in rac;s, he tho#ht, sardonically% Stac; them li;e cord"ood% They need no care% Their
little bodies are merely each the c#stodian of an indestr#ctible spar; of life%
He passed t"o little boys of apparently e<#al chronoloical ae, perhaps ten% Their voices "ere
shrill% The body of one listened "hite in the s#nless liht so he "as a ret#rnee% The other "as not% R%E%
pa#sed to listen%
The bare one said, >I had scarlet fever%?
A spar; of envy at the other's claim to notoriety seemed to enter the clothed one's voice% >,ee%?
>That's "hy I died%?
>,ee% &id they #se pensill#n or a#romysim@?
>-hat@?
>They're medicines%?
>I never heard of them%?
>Boy, yo# never heard of m#ch%?
>I ;no" as m#ch as yo#%?
>Beah@ -ho's /resident of the United States@?
>-arren Hardin, that's "ho%?
>Bo#'re cra!y% It's Eisenho"er%?
>-ho's he@?
>Ever see television@?
>-hat's that@?
The clothed boy hooted earsplittinly% >It's somethin yo# t#rn on and see comedians, movies,
co"boys, roc;et raners, anythin yo# "ant%?
>1et's see it%?
There "as a pa#se and the boy from the present said, >It ain't "or;in%?
The other boy shrie;ed his scorn% >Bo# mean it ain't never "or;ed% Bo# made it all #p%? f% R%E%
shr#ed and passed on%
The cro"ds thinned as he left to"n and neared the cemetery% Those "ho "ere left "ere all
"al;in into to"n, all "ere n#de%
A man stopped him= a cheerf#l man "ith pin;ish s;in and "hite hair "ho had the mar;s of pince(
ne! on either side of the bride of his nose, b#t no lasses to o "ith them%
>,reetins, friend%?
>Hello,? said R%E%
>Bo#'re the first man "ith clothin that I've seen% Bo# "ere alive "hen the tr#mpet ble", I
s#ppose%?
>Bes, I "as%?
>-ell, isn't this reat@ Isn't this Aoyo#s and delihtf#l@ )ome reAoice "ith me%?
>Bo# li;e this, do yo#@? said R%E%
>1i;e it@ A p#re and radiant Aoy fills me% -e are s#rro#nded by the liht of the first day= the liht
that lo"ed softly and serenely before s#n, moon and stars "ere made% DBo# ;no" yo#r ,enesis, of
co#rse%E There is the comfortable "armth that m#st have been one of the hihest blisses of Eden= not
enervatin heat or assa#ltin cold% Men and "omen "al; the streets #nclothed and are not ashamed% All is
"ell, my friend, all is "ell%?
R%E% said, >-ell, it's a fact that I haven't seemed to mind the feminine display all abo#t%?
>*at#rally not,? said the other% >1#st and sin as "e remember it in o#r earthly e$istence no loner
e$ists% 1et me introd#ce myself, friend, as I "as in earthly times% My name on Earth "as -inthrop Hester%
I "as bom in 7M7I and died in 7MMF as "e co#nted time then% Thro#h the last forty years of my life I
labored to brin my little floc; to the 3indom and I o no" to co#nt the ones I have "on%?
R%E% rearded the e$(minister solemnly, >S#rely there has been no 0#dment yet%?
>-hy not@ The 1ord sees "ithin a man and in the same instant that all thins of the "orld ceased,
all men "ere A#ded and "e are the saved%?
>There m#st be a reat many saved%?
>On the contrary, my son, those saved are b#t as a remnant%?
>A pretty lare remnant% As near as 7 can ma;e o#t, everyone's comin bac; to life% I've seen
some pretty #nsavory characters bac; in to"n as alive as yo# are%?
>1ast(min#te repentance(?
>I never repented%?
>Of "hat, my son@?
>Of the fact that I never attended ch#rch%?
-inthrop Hester stepped bac; hastily% >-ere yo# ever bapti!ed@?
>*ot to my ;no"lede%?
-inthrop Hester trembled% >S#rely yo# believe in ,od@?
>-ell,? said R%E%, >I believed a lot of thins abo#t Him that "o#ld probably startle yo#%?
-inthrop Hester t#rned and h#rried off in reat aitation%
In "hat remained of his "al; to the cemetery DR%E% had no "ay of estimatin time, nor did it occ#r
to him to tryE no one else stopped him% He fo#nd the cemetery itself all b#t empty, its trees and rass one
Dit occ#rred to him that there "as nothin reen in the "orld= the ro#nd every"here "as a hard,
feat#reless, rainless ray= the s;y a l#mino#s "hiteE, b#t its headstones still standin%
On one of these sat a lean and f#rro"ed man "ith lon, blac; hair on his head and a mat of it,
shorter, tho#h more impressive, on his chest and #pper arms%
He called o#t in a deep voice, >Hey, there, yo#C?
R%E% sat do"n on a neihborin headstone% >Hello%?
Blac;(hair said, >Bo#r clothes don't loo; riht% -hat year "as it "hen it happened@?
>789:%?
>I died in 7MG:% .#nnyC I e$pected to be one pretty hot boy riht abo#t no", "ith the eternal
flames shootin #p my innards%?
>Aren't yo# comin alon to to"n@? as;ed R%E%
>My name's Peb,? said the ancient% >That's short for Peb#lon, b#t Peb's ood eno#h% -hat's the
to"n li;e@ )haned some, I rec;on@?
>It's ot nearly a h#ndred tho#sand people in it%?
Peb's mo#th ya"ned some"hat% >,o on% Miht nih bier'n /hiladelphia% % % % Bo#'re ma;in
f#n%?
>/hiladelphia's ot(? R%E% pa#sed% Statin the fi#re "o#ld do him no ood% Instead, he said, >The
to"n's ro"n in a h#ndred fifty years, yo# ;no"%?
>)o#ntry, too@?
>.orty(eiht states,? said R%E% >All the "ay to the /acific%?
>*oC? Peb slapped his thih in deliht and then "inced at the #ne$pected absence of ro#h
homesp#n to ta;e #p the "orst of the blo"% >I'd head o#t "est if I "asn't needed here% Bes, sir%? His face
re" lo"erin and his thin lips too; on a definite rimness% >I'll stay riht here, "here I'm needed%?
>-hy are yo# needed@?
The e$planation came o#t briefly, bitten off hard% >InA#nsC?
>Indians@?
>Millions of Kem% .irst the tribes "e fo#ht and lic;ed and then tribes "ho ain't never seen a "hite
man% They'll all come bac; to life% I'll need my old b#ddies% Bo# city fellers ain't no ood at it% %%% Ever
seen an InA#n@?
R%E% said, >*ot aro#nd here lately, no%?
Peb loo;ed his contempt, and tried to spit to one side b#t fo#nd no saliva for the p#rpose% He said,
>Bo# better it bac; to the city, then% After a "hile, it ain't oin to be safe noho" ro#nd here% -ish I had
my m#s;et%?
R%E% rose, tho#ht a moment, shr#ed and faced bac; to the city% The headstone he had been
sittin #pon collapsed as he rose, fallin into a po"der of ray stone that melted into the feat#reless ro#nd%
He loo;ed abo#t% Most of the headstones "ere one% The rest "o#ld not last lon% Only the one #nder Peb
still loo;ed firm and stron%
R%E% bean the "al; bac;% Peb did not t#rn to loo; at him% He remained "aitin <#ietly and
calmly(for Indians%
Etheriel pl#ned thro#h the heavens in rec;less haste% The eyes of the Ascendants "ere on him,
he ;ne"% .rom late(born seraph, thro#h cher#bs and anels, to the hihest archanel, they m#st be
"atchin%
Already he "as hiher than any Ascendant, #ninvited, had ever been before and he "aited for the
<#iver of the -ord that "o#ld red#ce his vortices to non(e$istence%
B#t he did not falter% Thro#h non(space and non(time, he pl#ned to"ard #nion "ith the /rim#m
Mobile= the seat that encompassed all that Is, -as, -o#ld Be, Had Been, )o#ld Be and Miht Be%
And as he tho#ht that, he b#rst thro#h and "as part of it, his bein e$pandin so that
momentarily he, too, "as part of the All% B#t then it "as mercif#lly veiled from his senses, and the )hief
"as a still, small voice "ithin him, yet all the more impressive in its infinity for all that%
>My son,? the voice said, >I ;no" "hy yo# have come%?
>Then help me, if that be yo#r "ill%?
>By my o"n "ill,? said the )hief, >an act of mine is irrevocable% All yo#r man;ind, my son,
yearned for life% All feared death% All evolved tho#hts and dreams of life #nendin% *o t"o ro#ps of
men= no t"o sinle men= evolved the same afterlife, b#t all "ished life% I "as petitioned that I miht rant
the common denominator of all these "ishes(life #nendin% I did so%?
>*o servant of yo#rs made that re<#est%?
>The Adversary did, my son%?
Etheriel trailed his feeble lory in deAection and said in a lo" voice, >I am d#st in yo#r siht and
#n"orthy to be in yo#r presence, yet I m#st as; a <#estion% Is then the Adversary yo#r servant also@?
>-itho#t him I can have no other,? said the )hief, >for "hat then is ,ood b#t the eternal fiht
aainst Evil@?
And in that fiht, tho#ht Etheriel, I have lost%
R%E% pa#sed in siht of to"n% The b#ildins "ere cr#mblin% Those that "ere made of "ood "ere
already heaps of r#bble% R%E% "al;ed to the nearest s#ch heap and fo#nd the "ooden splinters po"dery and
dry%
He penetrated deeper into to"n and fo#nd the bric; b#ildins still standin, b#t there "as an
omino#s ro#ndness to the edes of the bric;s, a threatenin fla;iness%
>They "on't last lon,? said a deep voice, >b#t there is this consolation, if consolation it be= their
collapse can ;ill no one%?
R%E% loo;ed #p in s#rprise and fo#nd himself face to face "ith a cadavero#s &on 2#i$ote of a
man, lantern(Aa"ed, s#n;en(chee;ed% His eyes "ere sad and his bro"n hair "as lan; and straiht% His
clothes h#n loosely and s;in sho"ed clearly thro#h vario#s rents%
>My name,? said the man, >is Richard 1evine% I "as a professor of history once(before this
happened%?
>Bo#'re "earin clothes,? said R%E% >Bo#'re not one of those res#rrected%?
>*o, b#t that mar; of distinction is vanishin% )lothes are oin%?
R%E% loo;ed at the throns that drifted past them, movin slo"ly and aimlessly li;e motes in a
s#nbeam% 5anishinly fe" "ore clothes% He loo;ed do"n at himself and noticed for the first time that the
seam do"n the lenth of each tro#ser le had parted% He pinched the fabric of his Aac;et bet"een th#mb
and forefiner and the "ool parted and came a"ay easily%
>I #ess yo#'re riht,? said R%E%
>If yo#'ll notice,? "ent on 1evine, >Mellon's Hill is flattenin o#t%?
R%E% t#rned to the north "here ordinarily the mansions of the aristocracy Ds#ch aristocracy as there
"as in to"nE st#dded the slopes of Mellon's Hill, and fo#nd the hori!on nearly flat%
1evine said, >Event#ally, there'll be nothin b#t flatness, feat#relessness, nothinness(and #s%?
>And Indians,? said R%E% >There's a man o#tside of to"n "aitin for Indians and "ishin he had a
m#s;et%?
>I imaine,? said 1evine, >the Indians "ill ive no tro#ble% There is no pleas#re in fihtin an
enemy that cannot be ;illed or h#rt% And even if that "ere not so, the l#st for battle "o#ld be one, as are
all l#sts%?
>Are yo# s#re@?
>I am positive% Before all this happened, altho#h yo# may not thin; it to loo; at me, I derived
m#ch harmless pleas#re in a consideration of the female fi#re% *o", "ith the #ne$ampled opport#nities at
my disposal, I find myself irritatinly #ninterested% *o, that is "ron% I am not even irritated at my
disinterest%?
R%E% loo;ed #p briefly at the passers(by% >I see "hat yo# mean%?
>The comin of Indians here,? said 1evine, >is nothin compared "ith the sit#ation in the Old
-orld% Early d#rin the Res#rrection, Hitler and his -ehrmacht m#st have come bac; to life and m#st no"
be facin and interminled "ith Stalin and the Red Army all the "ay from Berlin to Stalinrad% To
complicate the sit#ation, the 3aisers and )!ars "ill arrive% The men at 5erd#n and the Somme are bac; in
the old battlero#nds% *apoleon and his marshals are scattered over "estern E#rope% And Mohammed m#st
be bac; to see "hat follo"in aes have made of Islam, "hile the Saints and Apostles consider the paths of
)hristianity% And even the Monols, poor thins, the 3hans from Tem#Ain to A#ran!eb, m#st be
"anderin the steppes helplessly, lonin for their horses%?
>As a professor of history,? said R%E%, >yo# m#st lon to be there and observe%?
>Ho" co#ld I be there@ Every man's position on Earth is restricted to the distance he can "al;%
There are no machines of any ;ind, and, as I have A#st mentioned, no horses% And "hat "o#ld I find in
E#rope any"ay@ Apathy, I thin;C As here%?
A soft ploppin so#nd ca#sed R%E% to t#rn aro#nd% The "in of a neihborin bric; b#ildin had
collapsed in d#st% /ortions of bric;s lay on either side of him% Some m#st have h#rtled thro#h him "itho#t
his bein a"are of it% He loo;ed abo#t% The heaps of r#bble "ere less n#mero#s% Those that remained "ere
smaller in si!e%
He said, >I met a man "ho tho#ht "e had all been A#ded and are in Heaven%?
>0#ded@? said 1evine% >-hy, yes, I imaine "e are% -e face eternity no"% -e have no #niverse
left, no o#tside phenomena, no emotions, no passions% *othin b#t o#rselves and tho#ht% -e face an
eternity of introspection, "hen all thro#h history "e have never ;no"n "hat to do "ith o#rselves on a
rainy S#nday%?
>Bo# so#nd as tho#h the sit#ation bothers yo#%?
>It does more than that% The &antean conceptions of Inferno "ere childish and #n"orthy of the
&ivine imaination+ fire and tort#re% Boredom is m#ch more s#btle% The inner tort#re of a mind #nable to
escape itself in any "ay, condemned to fester in its o"n e$#din mental p#s for all time, is m#ch more
fittin% Oh, yes, my friend, "e have been A#ded, and condemned, too, and this is not Heaven, b#t hell%?
And 1evine rose "ith sho#lders droopin deAectedly, and "al;ed a"ay%
R%E% a!ed tho#htf#lly abo#t and nodded his head% He "as satisfied%
The self(admission of fail#re lasted b#t an instant in Etheriel, and then, <#ite s#ddenly, he lifted
his bein as brihtly and hihly as he dared in the presence of the )hief and his lory "as a tiny dot of liht
in the infinite /rim#m Mobile%
>If it be yo#r "ill, then,? he said% >I do not as; yo# to defeat yo#r "ill b#t to f#lfill it%?
>In "hat "ay, my son@?
>The doc#ment, approved by the )o#ncil of Ascendants and sined by yo#rself, a#thori!es the
&ay of Res#rrection at a specific time of a specific day of the year 789: as Earthmen co#nt time%?
>So it did%?
>B#t the year 789: is #n<#alified% -hat then is 789:@ To the dominant c#lt#re on Earth the year
"as a%d% 789:% That is tr#e% Bet from the time yo# breathed e$istence into Earth and its #niverse there have
passed 9,8HG years% Based on the internal evidence yo# created "ithin that #niverse, nearly fo#r billion
years have passed% Is the year, #n<#alified, then 789:, 98HG, or FGGGGGGGGG@
>*or is that all,? Etheriel "ent on% >The year Q%d% 789: is the year :FHF of the By!antine era, 9:7H
by the 0e"ish calendar% It is I:GM a%#%c%, that is, the I,:GMth year since the fo#ndin of Rome, if "e adopt
the Roman calendar% It is the year 7L:9 in the Mohammedan calendar, and the h#ndred eihtieth year of the
independence of the United States%
>H#mbly I as; then if it does not seem to yo# that a year referred to as 789: alone and "itho#t
<#alification has no meanin%?
The )hief's still small voice said, >I have al"ays ;no"n this, my son= it "as yo# "ho had to
learn%?
>Then,? said Etheriel, <#iverin l#mino#sly "ith Aoy, >let the very letter of yo#r "ill be f#lfilled
and let the &ay of Res#rrection fall in 789:, b#t only "hen all the inhabitants of Earth #nanimo#sly aree
that a certain year shall be n#mbered 789: and none other%?
>So let it be,? said the )hief, and this -ord re(created Earth and all it contained, toether "ith the
s#n and moon and all the hosts of Heaven%
It "as : a%m% on 0an#ary 7, 789:, "hen R% E% Mann a"o;e "ith a start% The very beinnins of a
melodio#s note that o#ht to have filled all the #niverse had so#nded and yet had not so#nded%
.or a moment, he coc;ed his head as tho#h to allo" #nderstandin to flo" in, and then a trifle of
rae crossed his face to vanish aain% It "as b#t another battle%
He sat do"n at his des; to compose the ne$t plan of action% /eople already spo;e of calendar
reform and it "o#ld have to be stim#lated% A ne" era m#st bein "ith &ecember I, 78FF, and someday a
ne" year 789: "o#ld come= 789: of the Atomic Era, ac;no"leded as s#ch by all the "orld%
A strane liht shone on his head as tho#hts passed thro#h his more(than(h#man mind and the
shado" of Ahriman on the "all seemed to have small horns at either temple%
The Fun They !ad
Marie even "rote abo#t it that niht in her diary% On the pae headed May 7:, I79:, she "rote,
>Today Tommy fo#nd a real boo;C?
It "as a very old boo;% Marie's randfather once said that "hen he "as a little boy his
randfather told him that there "as a time "hen all stories "ere printed on paper%
They t#rned the paes, "hich "ere yello" and crin;ly, and it "as a"f#lly f#nny to read "ords
that stood still instead of movin the "ay they "ere s#pposed to(on a screen, yo# ;no"% And then, "hen
they t#rned bac; to the pae before, it had the same "ords on it that it had had "hen they read it the first
time%
>,ee,? said Tommy, >"hat a "aste% -hen yo#'re thro#h "ith the boo;, yo# A#st thro" it a"ay, I
#ess% O#r television screen m#st have had a million boo;s on it and it's ood for plenty more% 7 "o#ldn't
thro" it a"ay%?
>Same "ith mine,? said Marie% She "as eleven and hadn't seen as many teleboo;s as Tommy
had% He "as thirteen%
She said, >-here did yo# find it@?
>In my ho#se%? He pointed "itho#t loo;in, beca#se he "as b#sy readin% >In the attic%?
>-hat's it abo#t@?
>School%?
Marie "as scornf#l% >School@ -hat's there to "rite abo#t school@ I hate school%?
Marie al"ays hated school, b#t no" she hated it more than ever% The mechanical teacher had
been ivin her test after test in eoraphy and she had been doin "orse and "orse #ntil her mother had
sha;en her head sorro"f#lly and sent for the )o#nty Inspector%
He "as a ro#nd little man "ith a red face and a "hole bo$ of tools "ith dials and "ires% He smiled
at Marie and ave her an apple, then too; the teacher apart% Marie had hoped he "o#ldn't ;no" ho" to
p#t it toether aain, b#t he ;ne" ho" all riht, and, after an ho#r or so, there it "as aain, lare and blac;
and #ly, "ith a bi screen on "hich all the lessons "ere sho"n and the <#estions "ere as;ed% That "asn't
so bad% The part Marie hated most "as the slot "here she had to p#t home"or; and test papers% She
al"ays had to "rite them o#t in a p#nch code they made her leam "hen she "as si$ years old, and the
mechanical teacher calc#lated the mar; in no time%
The Inspector had smiled after he "as finished and patted Marie's head% He said to her mother,
>It's not the little irl's fa#lt, Mrs% 0ones% I thin; the eoraphy sector "as eared a little too <#ic;% Those
thins happen sometimes% I've slo"ed it #p to an averae ten(year level% Act#ally, the over(all pattern of
her proress is <#ite satisfactory%? And he patted Marie's head aain%
Marie "as disappointed% She had been hopin they "o#ld ta;e the teacher a"ay altoether% They
had once ta;en Tommy's teacher a"ay for nearly a month beca#se the history sector had blan;ed o#t
completely%
So she said to Tommy, >-hy "o#ld anyone "rite abo#t school@?
Tommy loo;ed at her "ith very s#perior eyes% >Beca#se it's not o#r ;ind of school, st#pid% This is
the old ;ind of school that they had h#ndreds and h#ndreds of years ao%? He added loftily, prono#ncin
the "ord caref#lly, >)ent#ries ao%?
Marie "as h#rt% >-ell, I don't ;no" "hat ;ind of school they had all that time ao%? She read the
boo; over his sho#lder for a "hile, then said, >Any"ay, they had a teacher%?
>S#re they had a teacher, b#t it "asn't a re#lar teacher% It "as a man%?
>A man@ Ho" co#ld a man be a teacher@?
>-ell, he A#st told the boys and irls thins and ave them home"or; and as;ed them <#estions%?
>A man isn't smart eno#h%?
>S#re he is% My father ;no"s as m#ch as my teacher%?
>He can't% A man can't ;no" as m#ch as a teacher%?
>He ;no"s almost as m#ch, I betcha%?
Marie "asn't prepared to disp#te that% She said, >I "o#ldn't "ant a strane man in my ho#se to
teach me%?
Tommy screamed "ith la#hter% >Bo# don't ;no" m#ch, Marie% The teachers didn't live in the
ho#se% They had a special b#ildin and all the ;ids "ent there%?
>And all the ;ids learned the same thin@?
>S#re, if they "ere the same ae%?
>B#t my mother says a teacher has to be adA#sted to fit the mind of each boy and irl it teaches and
that each ;id has to be ta#ht differently%?
>0#st the same they didn't do it that "ay then% If yo# don't li;e it, yo# don't have to read the
boo;%?
>I didn't say I didn't li;e it,? Marie said <#ic;ly% She "anted to read abo#t those f#nny schools%
They "eren't even half(finished "hen Marie's mother called, >MarieC SchoolC?
Marie loo;ed #p% >*ot yet, Mamma%?
>*o"C? said Mrs% 0ones% >And it's probably time for Tommy, too%?
Marie said to Tommy, >)an I read the boo; some more "ith yo# after school@?
>Maybe,? he said nonchalantly% He "al;ed a"ay "histlin, the d#sty old boo; t#c;ed beneath his
arm%
Marie "ent into the schoolroom% It "as riht ne$t to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher
"as on and "aitin for her% It "as al"ays on at the same time every day e$cept Sat#rday and S#nday,
beca#se her mother said little irls learned better if they learned at re#lar ho#rs%
The screen "as lit #p, and it said+ >Today's arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions%
/lease insert yesterday's home"or; in the proper slot%?
Marie did so "ith a sih% She "as thin;in abo#t the old schools they had "hen her randfather's
randfather "as a little boy% All the ;ids from the "hole neihborhood came, la#hin and sho#tin in the
schoolyard, sittin toether in the schoolroom, oin home toether at the end of the day% They learned the
same thins, so they co#ld help one another on the home"or; and tal; abo#t it%
And the teachers "ere people% % % %
The mechanical teacher "as flashin on the screen+ >-hen "e add the fractions 7RI and lRF(?
Marie "as thin;in abo#t ho" the ;ids m#st have loved it in the old days% She "as thin;in
abo#t the f#n they had%
#okester
*oel Meyerhof cons#lted the list he had prepared and chose "hich item "as to be first% As #s#al,
he relied mainly on int#ition%
He "as d"arfed by the machine he faced, tho#h only the smallest portion of the latter "as in
vie"% That didn't matter% He spo;e "ith the offhand confidence of one "ho thoro#hly ;ne" he "as
master%
>0ohnson,? he said, >came home #ne$pectedly from a b#siness trip to find his "ife in the arms of
his best friend% He staered bac; and said, KMa$C I'm married to the lady so I have to% B#t "hy yo#@' >
Meyerhof tho#ht+ O;ay, let that tric;le do"n into its #ts and #rle abo#t a bit%
And a voice behind him said, >Hey%?
Meyerhof erased the so#nd of that monosyllable and p#t the circ#it he "as #sin into ne#tral% He
"hirled and said, >I'm "or;in% &on't yo# ;noc;@?
He did not smile as he c#stomarily did in reetin Timothy -histler, a senior analyst "ith "hom
he dealt as often as "ith any% He fro"ned as he "o#ld have for an interr#ption by a straner, "rin;lin his
thin face into a distortion that seemed to e$tend to his hair, r#mplin it more than ever%
-histler shr#ed% He "ore his "hite lab coat "ith his fists pressin do"n "ithin its poc;ets and
creasin it into tense vertical lines% >I ;noc;ed% Bo# didn't ans"er% The operations sinal "asn't on%?
Meyerhof r#nted% It "asn't at that% He'd been thin;in abo#t this ne" proAect too intensively and
he "as forettin little details%
And yet he co#ld scarcely blame himself for that% This thin "as important%
He didn't ;no" "hy it "as, of co#rse% ,rand Masters rarely did% That's "hat made them ,rand
Masters= the fact that they "ere beyond reason% Ho" else co#ld the h#man mind ;eep #p "ith that ten(mile(
lon l#mp of solidified reason that men called M#ltivac, the most comple$ comp#ter ever b#ilt@
Meyerhof said, >I am "or;in% Is there somethin important on yo#r mind@?
>*othin that can't be postponed% There are a fe" holes in the ans"er on the hyperspatial(?
-histler did a do#ble ta;e and his face too; on a r#ef#l loo; of #ncertainty% >or!ing@?
>Bes% -hat abo#t it@?
>B#t(? He loo;ed abo#t, starin into the crannies of the shallo" room that faced the ban;s #pon
ban;s of relays that formed a small portion of M#ltivac% >There isn't anyone here at that%?
>-ho said there "as, or sho#ld be@?
>Bo# "ere tellin one of yo#r Ao;es, "eren't yo#@?
>And@?
-histler forced a smile% >&on't tell me yo# "ere tellin a Ao;e to M#ltivac@?
Meyerhof stiffened% >-hy not@?
>-ere yo#@?
>Bes%?
>-hy@?
Meyerhof stared the other do"n% >I don't have to acco#nt to yo#% Or to anyone%?
>,ood 1ord, of co#rse not% I "as c#rio#s, that's all%%%% B#t then, if yo#'re "or;in, I'll leave%? He
loo;ed abo#t once more, fro"nin%
>&o so,? said Meyerhof% His eyes follo"ed the other o#t and then he activated the operations
sinal "ith a savae p#nch of his finer%
He strode the lenth of the room and bac;, ettin himself in hand% &amn -histlerC &amn them
allC Beca#se he didn't bother to hold those technicians, analysts and mechanics at the proper social
distance, beca#se he treated them as tho#h they, too, "ere creative artists, they too; these liberties%
He tho#ht rimly+ They can't even tell Ao;es decently%
And instantly that bro#ht him bac; to the tas; in hand% He sat do"n aain% &evil ta;e them all%
He thre" the proper M#ltivac circ#it bac; into operation and said, >The ship's ste"ard stopped at
the rail of the ship d#rin a partic#larly ro#h ocean crossin and a!ed compassionately at the man "hose
sl#mped position over the rail and "hose intensity of a!e to"ard the depths beto;ened all too "ell the
ravaes of seasic;ness%
>,ently, the ste"ard patted the man's sho#lder% K)heer #p, sir,' he m#rm#red% KI ;no" it seems
bad, b#t really, yo# ;no", nobody ever dies of seasic;ness%'
>The afflicted entleman lifted his reenish, tort#red face to his comforter and asped in hoarse
accents, K&on't say that, man% .or Heaven's sa;e, don't say that% It's only the hope of dyin that's ;eepin
me alive%' >
Timothy -histler, a bit preocc#pied, nevertheless smiled and nodded as he passed the secretary's
des;% She smiled bac; at him%
Here, he tho#ht, "as an archaic item in this comp#ter(ridden "orld of the t"enty(first cent#ry, a
h#man secretary% B#t then perhaps it "as nat#ral that s#ch an instit#tion sho#ld s#rvive here in the very
citadel of comp#terdom= in the iantic "orld corporation that handled M#ltivac% -ith M#ltivac fillin the
hori!ons, lesser comp#ters for trivial tas;s "o#ld have been in poor taste%
-histler stepped into Abram Tras;'s office% That overnment official pa#sed in his caref#l tas; of
lihtin a pipe= his dar; eyes flic;ed in -histler's direction and his bea;ed nose stood o#t sharply and
prominently aainst the rectanle of "indo" behind him%
>Ah, there, -histler% Sit do"n% Sit do"n%?
-histler did so% >I thin; "e've ot a problem, Tras;%?
Tras; half(smiled% >*ot a technical one, I hope% I'm A#st an innocent politician%? DIt "as one of his
favorite phrases%E
>It involves Meyerhof%?
Tras; sat do"n instantly and loo;ed ac#tely miserable% >Are yo# s#re@?
>Reasonably s#re%?
-histler #nderstood the other's s#dden #nhappiness "ell% Tras; "as the overnment official in
chare of the &ivision of )omp#ters and A#tomation of the &epartment of the Interior% He "as e$pected to
deal "ith matters of policy involvin the h#man satellites of M#ltivac, A#st as those technically trained
satellites "ere e$pected to deal "ith M#ltivac itself%
B#t a ,rand Master "as more than A#st a satellite% More, even, than A#st a h#man%
Early in the history of M#ltivac, it had become apparent that the bottlenec; "as the <#estionin
proced#re% M#ltivac co#ld ans"er the problem of h#manity, all the problems, if(if it "ere as;ed
meaninf#l <#estions% B#t as ;no"lede acc#m#lated at an ever(faster rate, it became ever more diffic#lt to
locate those meaninf#l <#estions%
Reason alone "o#ldn't do% -hat "as needed "as a rare type of int#ition= the same fac#lty of mind
Donly m#ch more intensifiedE that made a rand master at chess% A mind "as needed of the sort that co#ld
see thro#h the <#adrillions of chess patterns to find the one best move, and do it in a matter of min#tes%
Tras; moved restlessly% >-hat's Meyerhof been doin@?
>He's introd#ced a line of <#estionin that I find dist#rbin%?
>Oh, come on, -histler% Is that all@ Bo# can't stop a ,rand Master from oin thro#h any line of
<#estionin he chooses% *either yo# nor I are e<#ipped to A#de the "orth of his <#estions% Bo# ;no" that%
I ;no" yo# ;no" that%?
>I do% Of co#rse% B#t I also ;no" Meyerhof% Have yo# ever met him socially@?
>,ood 1ord, no% &oes anyone meet any ,rand Master socially@?
>&on't ta;e that attit#de, Tras;% They're h#man and they're to be pitied% Have yo# ever tho#ht
"hat it m#st be li;e to be a ,rand Master= to ;no" there are only some t"elve li;e yo# in the "orld= to
;no" that only one or t"o come #p per eneration= that the "orld depends on yo#= that a tho#sand
mathematicians, loicians, psycholoists and physical scientists "ait on yo#@?
Tras; shr#ed and m#ttered, >,ood 1ord, I'd feel ;in of the "orld%?
>I don't thin; yo# "o#ld,? said the senior analyst impatiently% >They feel ;ins of nothin% They
have no e<#al to tal; to, no sensation of belonin% 1isten, Meyerhof never misses a chance to et toether
"ith the boys% He isn't married, nat#rally= he doesn't drin;= he has no nat#ral social to#ch(yet he forces
himself into company beca#se he m#st% And do yo# ;no" "hat he does "hen he ets toether "ith #s, and
that's at least once a "ee;@?
>I haven't the least idea,? said the overnment man% >This is all ne" to me%?
>He's a Ao;ester%?
>-hat@?
>He tells Ao;es% ,ood ones% He's terrific% He can ta;e any story, ho"ever old and d#ll, and ma;e it
so#nd ood% It's the "ay he tells it% He has a flair%?
>I see% -ell, ood%?
>Or bad% These Ao;es are important to him%? -histler p#t both elbo"s on Tras;'s des;, bit at a
th#mbnail and stared into the air% >He's different, he ;no"s he's different and these Ao;es are the one "ay
he feels he can et the rest of #s ordinary schmoes to accept him% -e la#h, "e ho"l, "e clap him on the
bac; and even foret he's a ,rand Master% It's the only hold he has on the rest of #s%?
>This is all interestin% I didn't ;no" yo# "ere s#ch a psycholoist% Still, "here does this lead@?
>0#st this% -hat do yo# s#ppose happens if Meyerhof r#ns o#t of Ao;es@?
>-hat@? The overnment man stared blan;ly%
>If he starts repeatin himself@ If his a#dience starts la#hin less heartily, or stops la#hin
altoether@ It's his only hold on o#r approval% -itho#t it, he'll be alone and then "hat "o#ld happen to
him@ After all, Tras;, he's one of the do!en men man;ind can't do "itho#t% -e can't let anythin happen
to him% I don't mean A#st physical thins% -e can't even let him et too #nhappy% -ho ;no"s ho" that
miht affect his int#ition@?
>-ell, has he started repeatin himself@?
>*ot as far as I ;no", b#t I thin; he thin;s he has%?
>-hy do yo# say that@?
>Beca#se I've heard him tellin Ao;es to M#ltivac%?
>Oh, no%?
>AccidentallyC I "al;ed in on him and he thre" me o#t% He "as savae% He's #s#ally ood(
nat#red eno#h, and I consider it a bad sin that he "as so #pset at the intr#sion% B#t the fact remains that
he "as tellin a Ao;e to M#ltivac, and I'm convinced it "as one of a series%?
>B#t "hy@?
-histler shr#ed and r#bbed a hand fiercely across his chin% >I have a tho#ht abo#t that% I thin;
he's tryin to b#ild #p a store of Ao;es in M#ltivac's memory ban;s in order to et bac; ne" variations%
Bo# see "hat I mean@ He's plannin a mechanical Ao;ester, so that he can have an infinite n#mber of Ao;es
at hand and never fear r#nnin o#t%?
>,ood 1ordC?
>ObAectively, there may be nothin "ron "ith that, b#t I consider it a bad sin "hen a ,rand
Master starts #sin M#ltivac for his personal problems% Any ,rand Master has a certain inherent mental
instability and he sho#ld be "atched% Meyerhof may be approachin a borderline beyond "hich "e lose a
,rand Master%?
Tras; said blan;ly, >-hat are yo# s#estin I do@?
>Bo# can chec; me% I'm too close to him to A#de "ell, maybe, and A#din h#mans isn't my
partic#lar talent, any"ay% Bo#'re a politician= it's more yo#r talent%?
>0#din h#mans, perhaps, not ,rand Masters%?
>They're h#man, too% Besides, "ho else is to do it@?
The finers of Tras;'s hand str#c; his des; in rapid s#ccession over and over li;e a slo" and
m#ted roll of dr#ms%
>I s#ppose I'll have to,? he said%
Meyerhof said to M#ltivac, >The ardent s"ain, pic;in a bo#<#et of "ildflo"ers for his loved one,
"as disconcerted to find himself, s#ddenly, in the same field "ith a lare b#ll of #nfriendly appearance
"hich, a!in at him steadily, pa"ed the ro#nd in a threatenin manner% The yo#n man, spyin a farmer
on the other side of a fairly distant fence, sho#ted, KHey, mister, is that b#ll safe@' The farmer s#rveyed the
sit#ation "ith critical eye, spat to one side and called bac;, KHe's safe as anythin%' He spat aain, and
added, K)an't say the same abo#t yo#, tho#h%?
>
Meyerhof "as abo#t to pass on to the ne$t "hen the s#mmons came%
It "asn't really a s#mmons% *o one co#ld s#mmon a ,rand Master% It "as only a messae that
&ivision Head Tras; "o#ld li;e very m#ch to see ,rand Master Meyerhof if ,rand Master Meyerhof co#ld
spare him the time%
Meyerhof miht, "ith imp#nity, have tossed the messae to one side and contin#ed "ith "hatever
he "as doin% He "as not s#bAect to discipline%
On the other hand, "ere he to do that, they "o#ld contin#e to bother him(oh, very respectf#lly, b#t
they "o#ld contin#e to bother him%
So he ne#trali!ed the pertinent circ#its of M#ltivac and loc;ed them into place% He p#t the free!e
sinal on his office so that no one "o#ld dare enter in his absence and left for Tras;'s office%
Tras; co#hed and felt a bit intimidated by the s#llen fierceness of the other's loo;% He said, >-e
have not had occasion to ;no" one another, ,rand Master, to my reat reret%?
>I have reported to yo#,? said Meyerhof stiffly%
Tras; "ondered "hat lay behind those ;een, "ild eyes% It "as diffic#lt for him to imaine
Meyerhof "ith his thin face, his dar;, straiht hair, his intense air, even #nbendin lon eno#h to tell
f#nny stories%
He said, >Reports are not social ac<#aintance% I(I have been iven to #nderstand yo# have a
marvelo#s f#nd of anecdotes%?
>I am a Ao;ester, sir% That's the phrase people #se% A Ao;ester%?
>They haven't #sed the phrase to me, ,rand Master% They have said(?
>The hell "ith themC I don't care "hat they've said% See here, Tras;, do yo# "ant to hear a Ao;e@?
He leaned for"ard across the des;, his eyes narro"ed%
>By all means% )ertainly,? said Tras;, "ith an effort at heartiness%
>All riht% Here's the Ao;e+ Mrs% 0ones stared at the fort#ne card that had emered from the
"eihin machine in response to her h#sband's penny% She said, KIt says here, ,eore, that yo#'re s#ave,
intellient, farseein, ind#strio#s and attractive to "omen%' -ith that, she t#rned the card over and added,
KAnd they have yo#r "eiht "ron, too%' >
Tras; la#hed% It "as almost impossible not to% Altho#h the p#nch line "as predictable, the
s#rprisin facility "ith "hich Meyerhof had prod#ced A#st the tone of contempt#o#s disdain in the
"oman's voice, and the cleverness "ith "hich he had contorted the lines of his face to s#it that tone carried
the politician helplessly into la#hter%
Meyerhof said sharply, >-hy is that f#nny@?
Tras; sobered% >I be yo#r pardon%?
>I said, "hy is that f#nny@ -hy do yo# la#h@?
>-ell,? said Tras;, tryin to be reasonable, >the last line p#t every thin that preceded in a ne"
liht% The #ne$pectedness(?
>The point is,? said Meyerhof, >that I have pict#red a h#sband bein h#miliated by his "ife= a
marriae that is s#ch a fail#re that the "ife is convinced that her h#sband lac;s any virt#e% Bet yo# la#h at
that% If yo# "ere the h#sband, "o#ld yo# find it f#nny@?
He "aited a moment in tho#ht, then said, >Try this one, Tras;+ Abner "as seated at his "ife's
sic;bed, "eepin #ncontrollably, "hen his "ife, m#sterin the dres of her strenth, dre" herself #p to one
elbo"%
>KAbner,' she "hispered, KAbner, I cannot o to my Ma;er "itho#t confessin my misdeed%'
>K*ot no",' m#ttered the stric;en h#sband% K*ot no", my dear% 1ie bac; and rest%'
>KI cannot,' she cried% KI m#st tell, or my so#l "ill never ;no" peace% I have been #nfaithf#l to
yo#, Abner% In this very ho#se, not one month ao('
>KH#sh, dear,' soothed Abner% KI ;no" all abo#t it% -hy else have I poisoned yo#@' >
Tras; tried desperately to maintain e<#animity b#t did not entirely s#cceed% He s#ppressed a
ch#c;le imperfectly%
Meyerhof said, >So that's f#nny, too% Ad#ltery% M#rder% All f#nny%?
>-ell, no",? said Tras;, >boo;s have been "ritten analy!in h#mor%?
>Tr#e eno#h,? said Meyerhof, >and I've read a n#mber of them% -hat's more, I've read most of
them to M#ltivac% Still, the people "ho "rite the boo;s are A#st #essin% Some of them say "e la#h
beca#se "e feel s#perior to the people in the Ao;e% Some say it is beca#se of a s#ddenly reali!ed
inconr#ity, or a s#dden relief from tension, or a s#dden reinterpretation of events% Is there any simple
reason@ &ifferent people la#h at different Ao;es% *o Ao;e is #niversal% Some people don't la#h at any
Ao;e% Bet "hat may be most important is that man is the only animal "ith a tr#e sense of h#mor+ the only
animal that la#hs%?
Tras; said s#ddenly, >I #nderstand% Bo#'re tryin to analy!e h#mor% That's "hy yo#'re
transmittin a series of Ao;es to M#ltivac%?
>-ho told yo# I "as doin that@%%% *ever mind, it "as -histler% I remember, no"% He s#rprised
me at it% -ell, "hat abo#t it@?
>*othin at all%?
>Bo# don't disp#te my riht to add anythin I "ish to M#ltivac's eneral f#nd of ;no"lede, or to
as; any <#estion I "ish@?
>*o, not at all,? said Tras; hastily% >As a matter of fact, I have no do#bt that this "ill open the
"ay to ne" analyses of reat interest to psycholoists%?
>Hmp% Maybe% 0#st the same there's somethin pla#in me that's more important than A#st the
eneral analysis of h#mor% There's a specific <#estion I have to as;% T"o of them, really%?
>Oh@ -hat's that@? Tras; "ondered if the other "o#ld ans"er% There "o#ld be no "ay of
compellin him if he chose not to%
B#t Meyerhof said, >The first <#estion is this+ -here do all these Ao;es come from@?
>-hat@?
>-ho ma;es them #p@ 1istenC Abo#t a month ao, I spent an evenin s"appin Ao;es% As #s#al, I
told most of them and, as #s#al, the fools la#hed% Maybe they really tho#ht the Ao;es "ere f#nny and
maybe they "ere A#st h#morin me% In any case, one creat#re too; the liberty of slappin me on the bac;
and sayin, KMeyerhof, yo# ;no" more Ao;es than any ten people I ;no"%'
>I'm s#re he "as riht, b#t it ave rise to a tho#ht% I don't ;no" ho" many h#ndreds, or perhaps
tho#sands, of Ao;es I've told at one time or another in my life, yet the fact is I never made #p one% *ot one%
I'd only repeated them% My only contrib#tion "as to tell them% To bein "ith, I'd either heard them or read
them% And the so#rce of my hearin or readin didn't ma;e #p the Ao;es, either% I never met anyone "ho
ever claimed to have constr#cted a Ao;e% It's al"ays KI heard a ood one the other day,' and KHeard any
ood ones lately@'
>All the "o!es are oldC That's "hy Ao;es e$hibit s#ch a social la% They still deal "ith seasic;ness,
for instance, "hen that's easily prevented these days and never e$perienced% Or they'll deal "ith fort#ne(
ivin "eihin machines, li;e the Ao;e I told yo#, "hen s#ch machines are fo#nd only in anti<#e shops%
-ell, then, "ho ma;es #p the Ao;es@?
Tras; said, >Is that "hat yo#'re tryin to find o#t@? It "as on the tip of Tras;'s ton#e to add+
,ood 1ord, "ho cares@ He forced that imp#lse do"n% A ,rand Master's <#estions "ere al"ays
meaninf#l%
>Of co#rse that's "hat I'm tryin to find o#t% Thin; of it this "ay% It's not A#st that Ao;es happen to
be old% They m#st be old to be enAoyed% It's essential that a Ao;e not be oriinal% There's one variety of
h#mor that is, or can be, oriinal and that's the p#n% I've heard p#ns that "ere obvio#sly made #p on the
sp#r of the moment% I have made some #p myself% B#t no one la#hs at s#ch p#ns% Bo#'re not s#pposed to%
Bo# roan% The better the p#n, the lo#der the roan% Oriinal h#mor is not la#h(provo;in% -hy@?
>I'm s#re I don't ;no"%?
>All riht% 1et's find o#t% Havin iven M#ltivac all the information I tho#ht advisable on the
eneral topic of h#mor, I am no" feedin it selected Ao;es%?
Tras; fo#nd himself intri#ed% >Selected ho"@? he as;ed%
>I don't ;no",? said Meyerhof% >They felt li;e the riht ones% I'm ,rand Master, yo# ;no"%?
>Oh, areed% Areed%?
>.rom those Ao;es and the eneral philosophy of h#mor, my first re<#est "ill be for M#ltivac to
trace the oriin of the Ao;es, if it can% Since -histler is in on this and since he has seen fit to report it to
yo#, have him do"n in Analysis day after tomorro"% I thin; he'll have a bit of "or; to do%?
>)ertainly% May I attend, too@?
Meyerhof shr#ed% Tras;'s attendance "as obvio#sly a matter of indifference to him%
Meyerhof had selected the last in the series "ith partic#lar care% -hat that care consisted of, he
co#ld not have said, b#t he had revolved a do!en possibilities in his mind, and over and over aain had
tested each for some indefinable <#ality of meaninf#lness%
He said, >U, the caveman, observed his mate r#nnin to him in tears, her leopard(s;in s;irt in
disorder% KU,' she cried, distra#ht, Kdo somethin <#ic;ly% A saber(toothed tier has entered Mother's
cave% &o somethinC' U r#nted, pic;ed #p his "ell(na"ed b#ffalo bone and said, K-hy do anythin@
-ho the hell cares "hat happens to a saber(toothed tier@' >
It "as then that Meyerhof as;ed his t"o <#estions and leaned bac;, closin his eyes% He "as done%
>I sa" absol#tely nothin "ron,? said Tras; to -histler% >He told me "hat he "as doin readily
eno#h and it "as odd b#t leitimate%?
>-hat he claimed he "as doin,? said -histler%
>Even so, I can't stop a ,rand Master on opinion alone% He seemed <#eer b#t, after all, ,rand
Masters are s#pposed to seem <#eer% I didn't thin; him insane%?
>Usin M#ltivac to find the so#rce of Ao;es@? m#ttered the senior analyst in discontent% >That's
not insane@?
>Ho" can "e tell@? as;ed Tras; irritably% >Science has advanced to the point "here the only
meaninf#l <#estions left are the ridic#lo#s ones% The sensible ones have been tho#ht of, as;ed and
ans"ered lon ao%?
>It's no #se% I'm bothered%?
>Maybe, b#t there's no choice no", -histler% -e'll see Meyerhof and yo# can do the necessary
analysis of M#ltivac's response, if any% As for me, my only Aob is to handle the red tape% ,ood 1ord, I don't
even ;no" "hat a senior analyst s#ch as yo#rself is s#pposed to do, e$cept analy!e, and that doesn't help
me any%?
-histler said, >It's simple eno#h% A ,rand Master li;e Meyerhof as;s <#estions and M#ltivac
a#tomatically form#lates it into <#antities and operations% The necessary machinery for convertin "ords to
symbols is "hat ma;es #p most of the b#l; of M#ltivac% M#ltivac then ives the ans"er in <#antities and
operations, b#t it doesn't translate that bac; into "ords e$cept in the most simple and ro#tine cases% If it
"ere desined to solve the eneral retranslation problem, its b#l; "o#ld have to be <#adr#pled at least%?
>I see% Then it's yo#r Aob to translate these symbols into "ords@?
>My Aob and that of other analysts% -e #se smaller, specially desined comp#ters "henever
necessary%? -histler smiled rimly% >1i;e the &elphic priestess of ancient ,reece, M#ltivac ives orac#lar
and obsc#re ans"ers% Only "e have translators, yo# see%?
They had arrived% Meyerhof "as "aitin%
-histler said bris;ly, >-hat circ#its did yo# #se, ,rand Master@?
Meyerhof told him and -histler "ent to "or;%
Tras; tried to follo" "hat "as happenin, b#t none of it made sense% The overnment official
"atched a spool #nreel "ith a pattern of dots in endless incomprehensibility% ,rand Master Meyerhof stood
indifferently to one side "hile -histler s#rveyed the pattern as it emered% The analyst had p#t on
headphones and a mo#thpiece and at intervals m#rm#red a series of instr#ctions "hich, at some far(off
place, #ided assistants thro#h electronic contortions in other comp#ters%
Occasionally, -histler listened, then p#nched combinations on a comple$ ;eyboard mar;ed "ith
symbols that loo;ed va#ely mathematical b#t "eren't%
A ood deal more than an ho#r's time elapsed%
The fro"n on -histler's face re" deeper% Once, he loo;ed #p at the t"o others and bean, >This
is #nbel(? and t#rned bac; to his "or;%
.inally, he said hoarsely, >I can ive yo# an #nofficial ans"er%? His eyes "ere red(rimmed% >The
official ans"er a"aits complete analysis% &o yo# "ant it #nofficial@?
>,o ahead,? said Meyerhof%
Tras; nodded%
-histler darted a hando lance at the ,rand Master% >As; a foolish <#estion(? he said% Then,
r#ffly, >M#ltivac says, e$traterrestrial oriin%?
>-hat are yo# sayin@? demanded Tras;%
>&on't yo# hear me@ The Ao;es "e la#h at "ere not made #p by any man% M#ltivac has analy!ed
all data iven it and the one ans"er that best fits that data is that some e$traterrestrial intellience has
composed the Ao;es, all of them, and placed them in selected h#man minds at selected times and places in
s#ch a "ay that no man is conscio#s of havin made one #p% All s#bse<#ent Ao;es are minor variations and
adaptations of these rand oriinals%?
Meyerhof bro;e in, face fl#shed "ith the ;ind of tri#mph only a ,rand Master can ;no" "ho
once aain has as;ed the riht <#estion% >All comedy "riters,? he said, >"or; by t"istin old Ao;es to ne"
p#rposes% That's "ell ;no"n% The ans"er fits%?
>B#t "hy@? as;ed Tras;% >-hy ma;e #p the Ao;es@?
>M#ltivac says,? said -histler, >that the only p#rpose that fits all the data is that the Ao;es are
intended to st#dy h#man psycholoy% -e st#dy rat psycholoy by ma;in the rats solve ma!es% The rats
don't ;no" "hy and "o#ldn't even if they "ere a"are of "hat "as oin on, "hich they're not% These
o#ter intelliences st#dy man's psycholoy by notin individ#al reactions to caref#lly selected anecdotes%
Each man reacts differently%%%% /res#mably, these o#ter intelliences are to #s as "e are to rats%? He
sh#ddered%
Tras;, eyes starin, said, >The ,rand Master said man is the only animal "ith a sense of h#mor% It
"o#ld seem then that the sense of h#mor is foisted #pon #s from "itho#t%?
Meyerhof added e$citedly, >And for possible h#mor created from "ithin, "e have no la#hter%
/#ns, I mean%?
-histler said, >/res#mably, the e$traterrestrials cancel o#t reactions to spontaneo#s Ao;es to avoid
conf#sion%?
Tras; said in s#dden aony of spirit, >)ome on, no", ,ood 1ord, do either of yo# believe this@?
The senior analyst loo;ed at him coldly% >M#ltivac says so% It's all that can be said so far% It has
pointed o#t the real Ao;esters of the #niverse, and if "e "ant to ;no" more, the matter "ill have to be
follo"ed #p%? He added in a "hisper, >If anyone dares follo" it #p%?
,rand Master Meyerhof said s#ddenly, >I as;ed t"o <#estions, yo# ;no"% So far only the first has
been ans"ered% I thin; M#ltivac has eno#h data to ans"er the second%?
-histler shr#ed% He seemed a half(bro;en man% >-hen a ,rand Master thin;s there is eno#h
data,? he said, >I'll ma;e boo; on it% -hat is yo#r second <#estion@?
>I as;ed this% -hat "ill be the effect on the h#man race of discoverin the ans"er to my first
<#estion@?
>-hy did yo# as; that@? demanded Tras;%
>0#st a feelin that it had to be as;ed,? said Meyerhof%
Tras; said, >Insane% It's all insane,? and t#rned a"ay% Even he himself felt ho" stranely he and
-histler had chaned sides% *o" it "as Tras; cryin insanity%
Tras; closed his eyes% He miht cry insanity all he "ished, b#t no man in fifty years had do#bted
the combination of a ,rand Master and M#ltivac and fo#nd his do#bts verified%
-histler "or;ed silently, teeth clenched% He p#t M#ltivac and its s#bsidiary machines thro#h
their paces aain% Another ho#r passed and he la#hed harshly% >A ravin nihtmareC?
>-hat's the ans"er@? as;ed Meyerhof% >I "ant M#ltivac's remar;s, not yo#rs%?
>All riht% Ta;e it% M#ltivac states that, once even a sinle h#man discovers the tr#th of this
method of psycholoical analysis of the h#man mind, it "ill become #seless as an obAective techni<#e to
those e$traterrestrial po"ers no" #sin it%?
>Bo# mean there "on't be any more Ao;es handed o#t to h#manity@? as;ed Tras; faintly% >Or
"hat do yo# mean@?
>*o more Ao;es,? said -histler, >nowC M#ltivac says nowC The e$periment is ended nowC A ne"
techni<#e "ill have to be introd#ced%?
They stared at each other% The min#tes passed%
Meyerhof said slo"ly, >M#ltivac is riht%?
-histler said haardly, >I ;no"%?
Even Tras; said in a "hisper, >Bes% It m#st be%?
It "as Meyerhof "ho p#t his finer on the proof of it, Meyerhof the accomplished Ao;ester% He
said, >It's over, yo# ;no", all over% I've been tryin for five min#tes no" and I can't thin; of one sinle
Ao;e, not oneC And if I read one in a boo;, I "o#ldn't la#h% I ;no"%?
>The ift of h#mor is one,? said Tras; drearily% >*o man "ill ever la#h aain%?
And they remained there, starin, feelin the "orld shrin; do"n to the dimensions of an
e$perimental rat cae("ith the ma!e removed and somethin, somethin abo#t to be p#t in its place%
The $mmortal %ard
>Oh, yes,? said &r% /hineas -elch, >I can brin bac; the spirits of the ill#strio#s dead%?
He "as a little dr#n;, or maybe he "o#ldn't have said it% Of co#rse, it "as perfectly all riht to et
a little dr#n; at the ann#al )hristmas party%
Scott Robertson, the school's yo#n Enlish instr#ctor, adA#sted his lasses and loo;ed to riht
and left to see if they "ere overheard% >Really, &r% -elch%?
>I mean it% And not A#st the spirits% I brin bac; the bodies, too%?
>I "o#ldn't have said it "ere possible,? said Robertson primly%
>-hy not@ A simple matter of temporal transference%?
>Bo# mean time travel@ B#t that's <#ite(#h(#n#s#al%?
>*ot if yo# ;no" ho"%?
>-ell, ho", &r% -elch@?
>Thin; I'm oin to tell yo#@? as;ed the physicist ravely% He loo;ed va#ely abo#t for another
drin; and didn't find any% He said, >I bro#ht <#ite a fe" bac;% Archimedes, *e"ton, ,alileo% /oor
fello"s%?
>&idn't they li;e it here@ I sho#ld thin; they'd have been fascinated by o#r modern science,? said
Robertson% He "as beinnin to enAoy the conversation%
>Oh, they "ere% They "ere% Especially Archimedes% I tho#ht he'd o mad "ith Aoy at first after I
e$plained a little of it in some ,ree; I'd boned #p on, b#t no(no(?
>-hat "as "ron@?
>0#st a different c#lt#re% They co#ldn't et #sed to o#r "ay Si life% They ot terribly lonely and
frihtened% I had to send them bac;%?
>That's too bad%?
>Bes% ,reat minds, b#t not fle$ible minds% *ot #niversal% So I tried Sha;espeare%?
>-hat@? yelled Robertson% This "as ettin closer to home%
>&on't yell, my boy,? said -elch% >It's bad manners%?
>&id yo# say yo# bro#ht bac; Sha;espeare@?
>I did% I needed someone "ith a #niversal mind= someone "ho ;ne" people "ell eno#h to be
able to live "ith them cent#ries "ay from his o"n time% Sha;espeare "as the man% I've ot his sinat#re%
As a memento, yo# ;no"%?
>On yo#@? as;ed Robertson, eyes b#in%
>Riht here%? -elch f#mbled in one vest poc;et after another% >Ah, here it is%?
A little piece of pasteboard "as passed to the instr#ctor% On one side it said+ >1% 3lein T Sons,
-holesale Hard"are%? On the other side, in straly script, "as "ritten, >-ill
m
Sha;esper%?
A "ild s#rmise filled Robertson% >-hat did he loo; li;e@?
>*ot li;e his pict#res% Bald and an #ly m#stache% He spo;e in a thic; bro#e% Of co#rse, I did my
best to please him "ith o#r times% I told him "e tho#ht hihly of his plays and still p#t them on the boards%
In fact, I said "e tho#ht they "ere the reatest pieces of literat#re in the Enlish lan#ae, maybe in any
lan#ae%?
>,ood% ,ood,? said Robertson breathlessly%
>I said people had "ritten vol#mes of commentaries on his plays% *at#rally he "anted to see one
and I ot one for him from the library%?
>And@?
>Oh, he "as fascinated% Of co#rse, he had tro#ble "ith the c#rrent idioms and references to events
since 7HGG, b#t I helped o#t% /oor fello"% I don't thin; he ever e$pected s#ch treatment% He ;ept sayin,
K,od ha' mercyC -hat cannot be rac;ed from "ords in five cent#ries@ One co#ld "rin, methin;s, a flood
from a damp clo#tC' >
>He "o#ldn't say that%?
>-hy not@ He "rote his plays as <#ic;ly as he co#ld% He said he had to on acco#nt of the
deadlines% He "rote Hamlet in less than si$ months% The plot "as an old one% He A#st polished it #p%?
>That's all they do to a telescope mirror% 0#st polish it #p,? said the Enlish instr#ctor indinantly%
The physicist disrearded him% He made o#t an #nto#ched coc;tail on the bar some feet a"ay and
sidled to"ard it% >I told the immortal bard that "e even ave collee co#rses in Sha;espeare%?
>I ive one%?
>I ;no"% I enrolled him in yo#r evenin e$tension co#rse% I never sa" a man so eaer to find o#t
"hat posterity tho#ht of him as poor Bill "as% He "or;ed hard at it%?
>Bo# enrolled -illiam Sha;espeare in my co#rse@? m#mbled Robertson% Even as an alcoholic
fantasy, the tho#ht staered him% And "as it an alcoholic fantasy@ He "as beinnin to recall a bald man
"ith a <#eer "ay of tal;in% %%%
>*ot #nder his real name, of co#rse,? said &r% -elch% >*ever mind "hat he "ent #nder% It "as a
mista;e, that's all% A bi mista;e% /oor fello"%? He had the coc;tail no" and shoo; his head at it%
>-hy "as it a mista;e@ -hat happened@?
>I had to send him bac; to 7HGG,? roared -elch indinantly% >Ho" m#ch h#miliation do yo# thin;
a man can stand@?
>-hat h#miliation are yo# tal;in abo#t@?
&r% -elch tossed off the coc;tail% >-hy, yo# poor simpleton, yo# fl#n;ed him%?
Someday
*iccolo Ma!etti lay stomach do"n on the r#, chin b#ried in the palm of one small hand, and
listened to the Bard disconsolately% There "as even the s#spicion of tears in his dar; eyes, a l#$#ry an
eleven(year(old co#ld allo" himself only "hen alone%
The Bard said, >Once #pon a time in the middle of a deep "ood, there lived a poor "oodc#tter and
his t"o motherless da#hters, "ho "ere each as bea#tif#l as the day is lon% The older da#hter had lon
hair as blac; as a feather from a raven's "in, b#t the yo#ner da#hter had hair as briht and olden as the
s#nliht of an a#t#mn afternoon%
>Many times "hile the irls "ere "aitin for their father to come home from his day's "or; in the
"ood, the older irl "o#ld sit before a mirror and sin(?
-hat she san, *iccolo did not hear, for a call so#nded from o#tside the room+ >Hey, *ic;ie%?
And *iccolo, his face clearin on the moment, r#shed to the "indo" and sho#ted, >Hey, /a#l%?
/a#l 1oeb "aved an e$cited hand% He "as thinner than *iccolo and not as tall, for all he "as si$
months older% His face "as f#ll of repressed tension "hich sho"ed itself most clearly in the rapid blin;in
of his eyelids% >Hey, *ic;ie, let me in% I've ot an idea and a half% -ait till yo# hear it%? He loo;ed rapidly
abo#t him as tho#h to chec; on the possibility of eavesdroppers, b#t the front yard "as <#ite patently
empty% He repeated, in a "hisper, >-ait till yo# hear it%?
>All riht% I'll open the door%?
The Bard contin#ed smoothly, oblivio#s to the s#dden loss of attention on the part of *iccolo% As
/a#l entered, the Bard "as sayin% >% % % There#pon, the lion said, KIf yo# "ill find me the lost e of the
bird "hich flies over the Ebony Mo#ntain once every ten years, I "ill(' >
/a#l said, >Is that a Bard yo#'re listenin to@ I didn't ;no" yo# had one%?
*iccolo reddened and the loo; of #nhappiness ret#rned to his face% >0#st an old thin I had "hen I
"as a ;id% It ain't m#ch ood%? He ;ic;ed at the Bard "ith his foot and ca#ht the some"hat scarred and
discolored plastic coverin a lancin blo"%
The Bard hicc#pped as its spea;in attachment "as Aarred o#t of contact a moment, then it "ent
on+ >(for a year and a day #ntil the iron shoes "ere "orn o#t% The princess stopped at the side of the
road% % % %?
/a#l said, >Boy, that is an old model,? and loo;ed at it critically%
&espite *iccolo's o"n bitterness aainst the Bard, he "inced at the other's condescendin tone%
.or the moment, he "as sorry he had allo"ed /a#l in, at least before he had restored the Bard to its #s#al
restin place in the basement% It "as only in the desperation of a d#ll day and a fr#itless disc#ssion "ith his
father that he had res#rrected it% And it t#rned o#t to be A#st as st#pid as he had e$pected%
*ic;ie "as a little afraid of /a#l any"ay, since /a#l had special co#rses at school and everyone
said he "as oin to ro" #p to be a )omp#tin Enineer%
*ot that *iccolo himself "as doin badly at school% He ot ade<#ate mar;s in loic, binary
manip#lations, comp#tin and elementary circ#its= all the #s#al rammar(school s#bAects% B#t that "as itC
They "ere A#st the #s#al s#bAects and he "o#ld ro" #p to be a control(board #ard li;e everyone else%
/a#l, ho"ever, ;ne" mysterio#s thins abo#t "hat he called electronics and theoretical
mathematics and proramin% Especially proramin% *iccolo didn't even try to #nderstand "hen /a#l
b#bbled over abo#t it%
/a#l listened to the Bard for a fe" min#tes and said, >Bo# been #sin it m#ch@?
>*oC? said *iccolo, offended% >I've had it in the basement since before yo# moved into the
neihborhood% I A#st ot it o#t today(? He lac;ed an e$c#se that seemed ade<#ate to himself, so he
concl#ded, >I A#st ot it o#t%?
/a#l said, >Is that "hat it tells yo# abo#t+ "oodc#tters and princesses and tal;in animals@?
*iccolo said, >It's terrible% My dad says "e can't afford a ne" one% I said to him this mornin(?
The memory of the mornin's fr#itless pleadins bro#ht *iccolo danero#sly near tears, "hich he
repressed in a panic% Someho", he felt that /a#l's thin chee;s never felt the stain of tears and that /a#l
"o#ld have only contempt for anyone else less stron than himself%
*iccolo "ent on, >So I tho#ht I'd try this old thin aain, b#t it's no ood%?
/a#l t#rned off the Bard, pressed the contact that led to a nearly instantaneo#s reorientation and
recombination of the vocab#lary, characters, plot lines and clima$es stored "ithin it% Then he reactivated it%
The Bard bean smoothly, >Once #pon a time there "as a little boy named -illi;ins "hose
mother had died and "ho lived "ith a stepfather and a stepbrother% Altho#h the stepfather "as very "ell(
to(do, he ber#ded poor -illi;ins the very bed he slept in so that -illi;ins "as forced to et s#ch rest as
he co#ld on a pile of stra" in the stable ne$t to the horses(?
>HorsesC? cried /a#l%
>They're a ;ind of animal,? said *iccolo% >I thin;%?
>I ;no" thatC I A#st mean imaine stories abo#t horses%?
>It tells abo#t horses all the time,? said *iccolo% >There are thins called co"s, too% Bo# mil;
them b#t the Bard doesn't say ho"%?
>-ell, ee, "hy don't yo# fi$ it #p@?
>I'd li;e to ;no" ho"%?
The Bard "as sayin, >Often -illi;ins "o#ld thin; that if only he "ere rich and po"erf#l, he
"o#ld sho" his stepfather and stepbrother "hat it meant to be cr#el to a little boy, so one day he decided to
o o#t into the "orld and see; his fort#ne%?
/a#l, "ho "asn't listenin to the Bard, said, >It's easy% The Bard has memory cylinders all fi$ed
#p for plot lines and clima$es and thins% -e don't have to "orry abo#t that% It's A#st vocab#lary "e've ot
to fi$ so it'll ;no" abo#t comp#ters and a#tomation and electronics and real thins abo#t today% Then it can
tell interestin stories, yo# ;no", instead of abo#t princesses and thins%?
*iccolo said despondently, >I "ish "e co#ld do that%?
/a#l said, >1isten, my dad says if I et into special comp#tin school ne$t year, he'll et me a real
Bard, a late model% A bi one "ith an attachment for space stories and mysteries% And a vis#al attachment,
tooC?
>Bo# mean see the stories@?
>S#re% Mr% &a#herty at school says they've ot thins li;e that, no", b#t not for A#st everybody%
Only if I et into comp#tin school, &ad can et a fe" brea;s%?
*iccolo's eyes b#led "ith envy% >,ee% Seein a story%?
>Bo# can come over and "atch anytime, *ic;ie%?
>Oh, boy% Than;s%?
>That's all riht% B#t remember, I'm the #y "ho says "hat ;ind of story "e hear%?
>S#re% S#re%? *iccolo "o#ld have areed readily to m#ch more onero#s conditions%
/a#l's attention ret#rned to the Bard%
It "as sayin, > KIf that is the case,' said the ;in, stro;in his beard and fro"nin till clo#ds filled
the s;y and lihtnin flashed, Kyo# "'? see to it that my entire land is freed of flies by this time day after
tomorro" or(' >
>All "e've ot to do,? said /a#l, >is open it #p(? He sh#t the Bard off aain and "as pryin at its
front panel as he spo;e%
>Hey,? said *iccolo, in s#dden alarm% >&on't brea; it%?
>I "on't brea; it,? said /a#l impatiently% >I ;no" all abo#t these thins%? Then, "ith s#dden
ca#tion, >Bo#r father and mother home@?
>*o%?
>All riht, then%? He had the front panel off and peered in% >Boy, this is a one(cylinder thin%?
He "or;ed a"ay at the Bard's innards% *iccolo, "ho "atched "ith painf#l s#spense, co#ld not
ma;e o#t "hat he "as doin%
/a#l p#lled o#t a thin, fle$ible metal strip, po"dered "ith dots% >That's the Bard's memory
cylinder% I'll bet its capacity for stories is #nder a trillion%?
>-hat are yo# oin to do, /a#l@? <#avered *iccolo%
>I'll ive it vocab#lary%?
>Ho"@?
>Easy% I've ot a boo; here% Mr% &a#herty ave it to me at school%?
/a#l p#lled the boo; o#t of his poc;et and pried at it till he had its plastic Aac;et off% He #nreeled
the tape a bit, ran it thro#h the vocali!er, "hich he t#rned do"n to a "hisper, then placed it "ithin the
Bard's vitals% He made f#rther attachments%
>-hat'll that do@?
>The boo; "ill tal; and the Bard "ill p#t it all on its memory tape%?
>-hat ood "ill that do@?
>Boy, yo#'re a dopeC This boo; is all abo#t comp#ters and a#tomation and the Bard "ill et all
that information% Then he can stop tal;in abo#t ;ins ma;in lihtnin "hen they fro"n%?
*iccolo said, >And the ood #y al"ays "ins any"ay% There's no e$citement%?
>Oh, "ell,? said /a#l, "atchin to see if his set#p "as "or;in properly, >that's the "ay they
ma;e Bards% They ot to have the ood #y "in and ma;e the bad #ys lose and thins li;e that% I heard
my father tal;in abo#t it once% He says that "itho#t censorship there'd be no tellin "hat the yo#ner
eneration "o#ld come to% He says it's bad eno#h as it is% %%% There, it's "or;in fine%?
/a#l br#shed his hands aainst one another and t#rned a"ay from the Bard% He said, >B#t listen, I
didn't tell yo# my idea yet% It's the best thin yo# ever heard, I bet% I came riht to yo#, beca#se I fi#red
yo#'d come in "ith me%?
>S#re, /a#l, s#re%?
>O;ay% Bo# ;no" Mr% &a#herty at school@ Bo# ;no" "hat a f#nny ;ind of #y he is% -ell, he
li;es me, ;ind of%?
>I ;no"%?
>I "as over at his ho#se after school today%?
>Bo# "ere@?
>S#re% He says I'm oin to be enterin comp#ter school and he "ants to enco#rae me and thins
li;e that% He says the "orld needs more people "ho can desin advanced comp#ter circ#its and do proper
proramin%?
>Oh@?
/a#l miht have ca#ht some of the emptiness behind that monosyllable% He said impatiently,
>/roraminC I told yo# a h#ndred times% That's "hen yo# set #p problems for the iant comp#ters li;e
M#ltivac to "or; on% Mr% &a#herty says it ets harder all the time to find people "ho can really r#n
comp#ters% He says anyone can ;eep an eye on the controls and chec; off ans"ers and p#t thro#h ro#tine
problems% He says the tric; is to e$pand research and fi#re o#t "ays to as; the riht <#estions, and that's
hard%
>Any"ay, *ic;ie, he too; me to his place and sho"ed me his collection of old comp#ters% It's
;ind of a hobby of his to collect old comp#ters% He had tiny comp#ters yo# had to p#sh "ith yo#r hand,
"ith little ;nobs all over it% And he had a h#n; of "ood he called a slide r#le "ith a little piece of it that
"ent in and o#t% And some "ires "ith balls on them% He even had a h#n; of paper "ith a ;ind of thin he
called a m#ltiplication table%?
*iccolo, "ho fo#nd himself only moderately interested, said, >A paper table@?
>It "asn't really a table li;e yo# eat on% It "as different% It "as to help people comp#te% Mr%
&a#herty tried to e$plain b#t he didn't have m#ch time and it "as ;ind of complicated, any"ay%?
>-hy didn't people A#st #se a comp#ter@?
>That "as before they had comp#ters,? cried /a#l%
>Before@?
>S#re% &o yo# thin; people al"ays had comp#ters@ &idn't yo# ever hear of cavemen@?
*iccolo said, >Ho"'d they et alon "itho#t comp#ters@?
>I don't ;no"% Mr% &a#herty says they A#st had children any old time and did anythin that came
into their heads "hether it "o#ld be ood for everybody or not% They didn't even ;no" if it "as ood or
not% And farmers re" thins "ith their hands and people had to do all the "or; in the factories and r#n all
the machines%?
>I don't believe yo#%?
>That's "hat Mr% &a#herty said% He said it "as A#st plain messy and everyone "as miserable% % % %
Any"ay, let me et to my idea, "ill yo#@?
>-ell, o ahead% -ho's stoppin yo#@? said *iccolo, offended%
>All riht% -ell, the hand comp#ters, the ones "ith the ;nobs, had little s<#iles on each ;nob%
And the slide r#le had s<#iles on it% And the
m#ltiplication table "as all s<#iles% I as;ed "hat they "ere% Mr% &a#herty said they "ere
n#mbers%?
>-hat@?
>Each different s<#ile stood for a different n#mber% .or Kone' yo# made a ;ind of mar;, for
Kt"o' yo# ma;e another ;ind of mar;, for Kthree' another one and so on%?
>-hat for@?
>So yo# co#ld comp#te%?
>-hat for@ Bo# A#st tell the comp#ter(?
>0iminy,? cried /a#l, his face t"istin "ith aner, >can't yo# et it thro#h yo#r head@ These slide
r#les and thins didn't tal;%?
>Then ho"(?
>The ans"ers sho"ed #p in s<#iles and yo# had to ;no" "hat the s<#iles meant% Mr%
&a#herty says that, in olden days, everybody learned ho" to ma;e s<#iles "hen they "ere ;ids and
ho" to decode them, too% Ma;in s<#iles "as called K"ritin' and decodin them "as Kreadin%' He says
there "as a different ;ind of s<#ile for every "ord and they #sed to "rite "hole boo;s in s<#iles% He
said they had some at the m#se#m and I co#ld loo; at them if I "anted to% He said if I "as oin to be a
real comp#ter and proramer I "o#ld have to ;no" abo#t the history of comp#tin and that's "hy he "as
sho"in me all these thins%?
*iccolo fro"ned% He said, >Bo# mean everybody had to fi#re o#t s<#iles for every "ord and
remember them@ %%% Is this all real or are yo# ma;in it #p@?
>It's all real% Honest% 1oo;, this is the "ay yo# ma;e a Kone%' > He dre" his finer thro#h the air
in a rapid do"nstro;e% >This "ay yo# ma;e Kt"o,' and this "ay Kthree%' I learned all the n#mbers #p to
Knine%' >
*iccolo "atched the c#rvin finer #ncomprehendinly% >-hat's the ood of it@?
>Bo# can learn ho" to ma;e "ords% I as;ed Mr% &a#herty ho" yo# made the s<#ile for K/a#l
1oeb' b#t he didn't ;no"% He said there "ere people at the m#se#m "ho "o#ld ;no"% He said there "ere
people "ho had learned ho" to decode "hole boo;s% He said comp#ters co#ld be desined to decode boo;s
and #sed to be #sed that "ay b#t not any more beca#se "e have real boo;s no", "ith manetic tapes that
o thro#h the vocali!er and come o#t tal;in, yo# ;no"%?
>S#re%?
>So if "e o do"n to the m#se#m, "e can et to learn ho" to ma;e "ords in s<#iles% They'll let
#s beca#se I'm oin to comp#ter school%?
*iccolo "as riddled "ith disappointment% >Is that yo#r idea@ Holy Smo;es, /a#l, "ho "ants to do
that@ Ma;e st#pid s<#ilesC?
>&on't yo# et it@ &on't yo# et it@ Bo# dope% It'll be secret messae st#ffC?
>-hat@?
>S#re% -hat ood is tal;in "hen everyone can #nderstand yo#@ -ith s<#iles yo# can send
secret messaes% Bo# can ma;e them on paper and nobody in the "orld "o#ld ;no" "hat yo# "ere sayin
#nless they ;ne" the s<#iles, too% And they "o#ldn't, yo# bet, #nless "e ta#ht them% -e can have a
real cl#b, "ith initiations and r#les and a cl#bho#se% Boy(?
A certain e$citement bean stirrin in *iccolo's bosom% >-hat ;ind of secret messaes@?
>Any ;ind% Say I "ant to tell yo# to come over my place and "atch my ne" 5is#al Bard and I
don't "ant any of the other fello"s to come% I ma;e the riht s<#iles on paper and I ive it to yo# and
yo# loo; at it and yo# ;no" "hat to do% *obody else does% Bo# can even sho" it to them and they
"o#ldn't ;no" a thin%?
>Hey, that's somethin,? yelled *iccolo, completely "on over% >-hen do "e learn ho"@?
>Tomorro",? said /a#l% >I'll et Mr% &a#herty to e$plain to the m#se#m that it's all riht and
yo# et yo#r mother and father to say o;ay% -e can o do"n riht after school and start learnin%?
>S#reC? cried *iccolo% >-e can be cl#b officers%?
>I'll be president of the cl#b,? said /a#l matter(of(factly% >Bo# can be vice(president%?
>All riht% Hey, this is oin to be tots more f#n than the Bard%? He "as s#ddenly reminded of the
Bard and said in s#dden apprehension, >Hey, "hat abo#t my old Bard@?
/a#l t#rned to loo; at it% It "as <#ietly ta;in in the slo"ly #nreelin boo;, and the so#nd of the
boo;'s vocali!ations "as a dimly heard m#rm#r%
He said, >I'll disconnect it%?
He "or;ed a"ay "hile *iccolo "atched an$io#sly% After a fe" moments, /a#l p#t his
reassembled boo; into his poc;et, replaced the Bard's panel and activated it%
The Bard said, >Once #pon a time, in a lare city, there lived a poor yo#n boy named .air
0ohnnie "hose only friend in the "orld "as a small comp#ter% The comp#ter, each mornin, "o#ld tell the
boy "hether it "o#ld rain that day and ans"er any problems he miht have% It "as never "ron% B#t it so
happened that one day, the ;in of that land, havin heard of the little comp#ter, decided that he "o#ld
have it as his o"n% -ith this p#rpose in mind, he called in his ,rand 5i!ier and said(?
*iccolo t#rned off the Bard "ith a <#ic; motion of his hand% >Same old A#n;,? he said
passionately, >A#st "ith a comp#ter thro"n in%?
>-ell,? said /a#l, >they ot so m#ch st#ff on the tape already that the comp#ter b#siness doesn't
sho" #p m#ch "hen random combinations are made% -hat's the difference, any"ay@ Bo# A#st need a ne"
model%?
>-e'll never be able to afford one% 0#st this dirty old miserable thin%? He ;ic;ed at it aain,
hittin it more s<#arely this time% The Bard moved bac;"ard "ith a s<#eal of castors%
>Bo# can al"ays "atch mine, "hen I et it,? said /a#l% >Besides, don't foret o#r s<#ile cl#b%?
*iccolo nodded%
>I tell yo# "hat,? said /a#l% >1et's o over to my place% My father has some boo;s abo#t old
times% -e can listen to them and maybe et some ideas% Bo# leave a note for yo#r fol;s and maybe yo# can
stay over for s#pper% )ome on%?
>O;ay,? said *iccolo, and the t"o boys ran o#t toether% *iccolo, in his eaerness, ran almost
s<#arely into the Bard, b#t he only r#bbed at the spot on his hip "here he had made contact and ran on%
The activation sinal of the Bard lo"ed% *iccolo's collision closed a circ#it and, altho#h it "as
alone in the room and there "as none to hear, it bean a story, nevertheless%
B#t not in its #s#al voice, someho"= in a lo"er tone that had a hint of throatiness in it% An ad#lt,
listenin, miht almost have tho#ht that the voice carried a hint of passion in it, a trace of near feelin%
The Bard said+ >Once #pon a time, there "as a little comp#ter named the Bard "ho lived all alone
"ith cr#el step(people% The cr#el step(people contin#ally made f#n of the little comp#ter and sneered at
him, tellin him he "as ood(for(nothin and that he "as a #seless obAect% They str#c; him and ;ept him in
lonely rooms for months at a time%
>Bet thro#h it all the little comp#ter remained brave% He al"ays did the best he co#ld, obeyin all
orders cheerf#lly% *evertheless, the step(people "ith "hom he lived remained cr#el and heartless%
>One day, the little comp#ter learned that in the "orld there e$isted a reat many comp#ters of all
sorts, reat n#mbers of them% Some "ere Bards li;e himself, b#t some ran factories, and some ran farms%
Some orani!ed pop#lation and some analy!ed all ;inds of data% Many "ere very po"erf#l and very "ise,
m#ch more po"erf#l and "ise than the step(people "ho "ere so cr#el to the little comp#ter%
>And the little comp#ter ;ne" then that comp#ters "o#ld al"ays ro" "iser and more po"erf#l
#ntil someday(someday(someday(?
B#t a valve m#st finally have st#c; in the Bard's ain and corrodin vitals, for as it "aited alone
in the dar;enin room thro#h the evenin, it co#ld only "hisper over and over aain, >Someday(someday(
someday%?
The &uthor's (rdeal
D"ith apoloies to -% S% ilbertE
/lots, helter(s;elter, teem "ithin yo#r brain=
/lots, s%f% plots, devised "ith Aoy and ladness=
/lots cro"d yo#r s;#ll and st#bbornly remain,
Until yo#'re driven into hopeless madness%
-hen yo#'re "ith yo#r best irl and yo#r mind's in a "hirl and yo# don't hear a thin that she's sayin=
Or at Symphony Hall yo# are one past recall and yo# can't tell a note that they're playin=
Or yo#'re drivin a car and have not one too far "hen yo# find that yo#'ve sped thro#h a red liht,
And on top of that, lordC yo# have sides"iped a .ord, and have bro;en yo#r one "or;in headliht=
Or yo#r boss slaps yo#r bac; Dhavin made some smart crac;E and yo# stare at him, st#pidly blin;in=
Then yo# say somethin d#mb so he's s#re yo#'re a cr#mb, and are possibly iven to drin;in%
-hen events s#ch as that have been ;noc;in yo# flat, do not blame s#pernat#ral forces=
If yo# "rite s%f% tales, yo#'ll be ;noc;ed off yo#r rails, A#st as s#re as the stars in their co#rses%
.or yo#r plot(ma;in mind "ill stay deaf, d#mb and blind to the d#ll facts of life that "ill ho#nd yo#,
-hile the "onders of space have yo# close in embrace and the lory of star beams s#rro#nd yo#%
Bo# bein "ith a ship that is ca#ht on a s;ip into hyperspace en ro#te for )astor,
And has fo#nd to its cost that it seems to be lost in a ,ala$y li;e o#rs, b#t vaster%
Bo#'re a little perple$ed as to "hat may come ne$t and yo# ma;e #p a series of creat#res
-ho are villains and liars "ith s#ch evil desires and "ith perfectly horrible feat#res%
O#r brave heroes are faced "ith these hordes and are placed in a terribly cr#cial position,
.or the enemy's bo#nd Donce o#r ,ala$y's fo#ndE that they'll beat man;ind into s#bmission%
*o" yo# m#st ma;e it ro#h "hen developin st#ff so's to ;eep the yarn p#lsin "ith tension,
So the Earthmen are fo#r Donly fo#r and no moreE "hile the n#mbers of foes are past mention%
O#r fo#r heroes are ca#ht and accordinly bro#ht to the sneerin, tyrannical leaders%
>-here is Earth@? they demand, b#t the men m#tely stand "ith a co#rae that pleases the readers%
B#t, no", "ait A#st a bit= let's see, this isn't it, since yo# haven't provided a maiden,
-ho is both ood and p#re Dyet "ith se$y all#reE and "ith not many clothes overladen%
She is part of the cre", and so she's capt#red, too, and is oled by foes "ho are l#stf#l=
There's desire in each eye and there's ood reason "hy, for of bea#ty o#r irl has a b#stf#l%
0#st the same yo# o fast till this section is passed so the reader "on't raise any r#ction,
-hen recallin the foe are all reptiles and so have no interest in h#man sed#ction%
Then they tr#ss #p the irl and they ma;e the "hips s"irl A#st in order to brea; Earthmen's silence,
And so that's "hen o#r men brea; their handc#ffs and then "e are treated to scenes f#ll of violence%
Every hero from Earth is a fihter from birth and his fists are a match for a do!en,
And then A#st "hen this spot has been reached in yo#r plot yo# come to "ith yo#r mind all a b#!!in'%
Bo# don't ;no" "here yo# are, or the site of yo#r car, and yo#r tie is as;e" and yo# haven't a cl#e of the
time of the day or of "hat people say or the fact that they stare at yo#r soc;s Dnot a pairE and decide it's
a fad, or else that yo#'re mad, "hich is A#st a s#rmise from the leam in yo#r eyes, till at last they
concl#de from yo#r eneral mood, yo#'ll be mad from riht no" till yo#'re hoary%
B#t the tort#re is done and it's no" for the f#n and the paper that's "hite and the "ords that are riht, for
yo#'ve "or;ed #p a ne" s%f% story%
Dreaming $s a Private Thing
0esse -eill loo;ed #p from his des;% His old, spare body, his sharp, hih(brided nose, deep(set,
shado"y eyes and ama!in shoc; of "hite hair had trademar;ed his appearance d#rin the years that
&reams, Inc%, had become "orld(famo#s%
He said, >Is the boy here already, 0oe@?
0oe &ooley "as short and heavy(set% A ciar caressed his moist lo"er lip% He too; it a"ay for a
moment and nodded% >His fol;s are "ith him% They're all scared%?
>Bo#'re s#re this is not a false alarm, 0oe@ I haven't ot m#ch time%? He loo;ed at his "atch%
>,overnment b#siness at t"o%?
>This is a s#re thin, Mr% -eill%? &ooley's face "as a st#dy in earnestness% His Ao"ls <#ivered
"ith pers#asive intensity% >1i;e I told yo#, I pic;ed him #p playin some ;ind of bas;etball ame in the
schoolyard% Bo# sho#ld've seen the ;id% He st#n;% -hen he had his hands on the ball, his o"n team had to
ta;e it a"ay, and fast, b#t A#st the same he had all the stance of a star player% 3no" "hat I mean@ To me it
"as a ivea"ay%?
>&id yo# tal; to him@?
>-ell, s#re% I stopped him at l#nch% Bo# ;no" me%? &ooley est#red e$pansively "ith his ciar
and ca#ht the severed ash "ith his other hand% >3id, I said(?
>And he's dream material@?
>I said, K3id, I A#st came from Africa and(' >
>All riht%? -eill held #p the palm of his hand% >Bo#r "ord I'll al"ays ta;e% Ho" yo# do it I don't
;no", b#t "hen yo# say a boy is a potential dreamer, I'll amble% Brin him in%?
The yo#nster came in bet"een his parents% &ooley p#shed chairs for"ard and -eill rose to sha;e
hands% He smiled at the yo#nster in a "ay that t#rned the "rin;les of his face into benevolent creases%
>Bo#'re Tommy Sl#ts;y@?
Tommy nodded "ordlessly% He "as abo#t ten and a little small for that% His dar; hair "as
plastered do"n #nconvincinly and his face "as #nrealistically clean%
-eill said, >Bo#'re a ood boy@?
The boy's mother smiled at once and patted Tommy's head maternally Da est#re "hich did not
soften the an$io#s e$pression on the yo#nster's faceE% She said, >He's al"ays a very ood boy%?
-eill let this d#bio#s statement pass% >Tell me, Tommy,? he said, and held o#t a lollipop "hich
"as first hesitated over, then accepted, >do yo# ever listen to dreamies@?
>Sometimes,? said Tommy trebly%
Mr% Sl#ts;y cleared his throat% He "as broad(sho#ldered and thic;(finered, the type of laborin
man "ho, every once in a "hile, to the conf#sion of e#enics, sired a dreamer% >-e rented one or t"o for
the boy% Real old ones%?
-eill nodded% He said, >&id yo# li;e them, Tommy@?
>They "ere sort of silly%?
>Bo# thin; #p better ones for yo#rself, do yo#@?
The rin that spread over the ten(year(old face had the effect of ta;in a"ay some of the #nreality
of the slic;ed hair and "ashed face%
-eill "ent on ently, >-o#ld yo# li;e to ma;e #p a dream for me@?
Tommy "as instantly embarrassed% >I #ess not%?
>It "on't be hard% It's very easy% % % % 0oe%?
&ooley moved a screen o#t of the "ay and rolled for"ard a dream recorder%
The yo#nster loo;ed o"lishly at it%
-eill lifted the helmet and bro#ht it close to the boy% >&o yo# ;no" "hat this is@?
Tommy shran; a"ay% >*o%?
>It's a thin;er% That's "hat "e call it beca#se people thin; into it% Bo# p#t it on yo#r head and
thin; anythin yo# "ant%?
>Then "hat happens@?
>*othin at all% It feels nice%?
>*o,? said Tommy, >I #ess I'd rather not%?
His mother bent h#rriedly to"ard him% >It "on't h#rt, Tommy% Bo# do "hat the man says%? There
"as an #nmista;able ede to her voice%
Tommy stiffened, and loo;ed as tho#h he miht cry b#t he didn't% -eill p#t the thin;er on him%
He did it ently and slo"ly and let it remain there for some thirty seconds before spea;in aain,
to let the boy ass#re himself it "o#ld do no harm, to let him et #sed to the insin#atin to#ch of the fibrils
aainst the s#t#res of his s;#ll Dpenetratin the s;in so finely as to be insensible almostE, and finally to let
him et #sed to the faint h#m of the alternatin field vortices%
Then he said, >*o" "o#ld yo# thin; for #s@?
>Abo#t "hat@? Only the boy's nose and mo#th sho"ed%
>Abo#t anythin yo# "ant% -hat's the best thin yo# "o#ld li;e to do "hen school is o#t@?
The boy tho#ht a moment and said, "ith risin inflection, >,o on a stratoAet@?
>-hy not@ S#re thin% Bo# o on a Aet% It's ta;in off riht no"%? He est#red lihtly to &ooley,
"ho thre" the free!er into circ#it%
-eill ;ept the boy only five min#tes and then let him and his mother be escorted from the office
by &ooley% Tommy loo;ed be"ildered b#t #ndamaed by the ordeal%
-eill said to the father, >*o", Mr% Sl#ts;y, if yo#r boy does "ell on this test, "e'll be lad to pay
yo# five h#ndred dollars each year #ntil he finishes hih school% In that time, all "e'll as; is that he spend
an ho#r a "ee; some afternoon at o#r special school%?
>&o I have to sin a paper@? Sl#ts;y's voice "as a bit hoarse%
>)ertainly% This is b#siness, Mr% Sl#ts;y%?
>-ell, I don't ;no"% &reamers are hard to come by, I hear%?
>They are% They are% B#t yo#r son, Mr% Sl#ts;y, is not a dreamer yet% He miht never be% .ive
h#ndred dollars a year is a amble for #s% It's not a amble for yo#% -hen he's finished hih school, it may
t#rn o#t he's not a dreamer, yet yo#'ve lost nothin% Bo#'ve ained maybe fo#r tho#sand dollars altoether%
If he is a dreamer, he'll ma;e a nice livin and yo# certainly haven't lost then%?
>He'll need special trainin, "on't he@?
>Oh, yes, most intensive% B#t "e don't have to "orry abo#t that till after he's finished hih school%
Then, after t"o years "ith #s, he'll be developed% Rely on me, Mr% Sl#ts;y%?
>-ill yo# #arantee that special trainin@?
-eill, "ho had been shovin a paper across the des; at Sl#ts;y, and p#nchin a pen "ron(end(to
at him, p#t the pen do"n and ch#c;led% >A #arantee@ *o% Ho" can "e "hen "e don't ;no" for s#re yet if
he's a real talent@ Still, the five h#ndred a year "ill stay yo#rs%?
Sl#ts;y pondered and shoo; his head% >I tell yo# straiht o#t, Mr% -eill % % % After yo#r man
arraned to have #s come here, I called 1#ster(Thin;% They said they'll #arantee trainin%?
-eill sihed% >Mr% Sl#ts;y, I don't li;e to tal; aainst a competitor% If they say they'll #arantee
schoolin, they'll do as they say, b#t they can't ma;e a boy a dreamer if he hasn't ot it in him, schoolin
or not% If they ta;e a plain boy "itho#t the proper talent and p#t him thro#h a development co#rse, they'll
r#in him% A dreamer he "on't be, I #arantee yo#% And a normal h#man bein, he "on't be, either% &on't
ta;e the chance of doin it+ to yo#r son%
>*o" &reams, Inc%, "ill be perfectly honest "ith yo#% If he can be a dreamer, "e'll ma;e him
one% If not, "e'll ive him bac; to yo# "itho#t havin tampered "ith him and say, K1et him learn a trade%'
He'll be better and healthier that "ay% I tell yo#, Mr% Sl#ts;y((I have sons and da#hters and randchildren
so I ;no" "hat I say((I "o#ld not allo" a child of mine to be p#shed into dreamin if he's not ready for it%
*ot for a million dollars%?
Sl#ts;y "iped his mo#th "ith the bac; of his hand and reached for the /Nn% >-hat does this say@?
>This is A#st an option% -e pay yo# a h#ndred dollars in cash riht no"% *o strins attached% -e
st#dy the boy's reverie% If "e feel it's "orth follo"in #p, "e'll call yo# in aain and ma;e the five(
h#ndred(dollar(a(year deal% 1eave yo#rself in my hands, Mr% Sl#ts;y, and don't "orry% Bo# "on't be
Sorry%?
Sl#ts;y sined%
-eill passed the doc#ment thro#h the file slot and handed an envelope to Sl#ts;y%
.ive min#tes later, alone in the office, he placed the #nfree!er over his o"n head and absorbed the
boy's reverie intently% It "as a typically childish DSaydream% .irst /erson "as at the controls of the plane,
"hich loo;ed li;e a )ompo#nd of ill#strations o#t of the filmed thrillers that still circ#lated amon those
"ho lac;ed the time, desire or money for dream cylinders%
-hen he removed the #nfree!er, he fo#nd &ooley loo;in at him%
>-ell, Mr% -eill, "hat do yo# thin;@? said &ooley, "ith an eaer and proprietary air%
>)o#ld be, 0oe% )o#ld be% He has the overtones and, for a ten(year(old boy "itho#t a scrap of
trainin, it's hopef#l% -hen the plane "ent thro#h a clo#d, there "as a distinct sensation of pillo"s% Also
the smell of clean Sheets, "hich "as an am#sin to#ch% -e can o "ith him a "ays, 0oe%?
>,ood%?
>B#t I tell yo#, 0oe, "hat "e really need is to catch them still sooner% And "hy not@ Someday, 0oe,
every child "ill be tested at birth% A difference in the brain there positively m#st be and it sho#ld be fo#nd%
Then "e co#ld Separate the dreamers at the very beinnin%?
>Hell, Mr% -eill,? said &ooley, loo;in h#rt% >-hat "o#ld happen to my Aob, then@?
-eill la#hed% >*o ca#se to "orry yet, 0oe% It "on't happen in o#r life(times% In mine, certainly
not% -e'll be dependin on ood talent sco#ts li;e yo# for many years% Bo# A#st "atch the playro#nds and
the streets?(( -eill's narled hand dropped to &ooley's sho#lder "ith a entle, approvin
press#re(?and find #s a fe" more Hillarys and 0ano"s and 1#ster((Thin; "on't ever catch #s% %%%
*o" et o#t% I "ant l#nch and then I'll be ready for my t"o o'cloc; appointment% The overnment, 0oe, the
overnment%? And he "in;ed portento#sly%
0esse -eill's t"o o'cloc; appointment "as "ith a yo#n man, apple(chee;ed, spectacled, sandy(
haired and lo"in "ith the intensity of a man "ith a mission% He presented his credentials across -eill's
des; and revealed himself to be 0ohn 0% Byrne, an aent of the &epartment of Arts and Sciences%
>,ood afternoon, Mr% Byrne,? said -eill% >In "hat "ay can I be of service@?
>Are "e private here@? as;ed the aent% He had an #ne$pected baritone%
>2#ite private%?
>Then, if yo# don't mind, I'll as; yo# to absorb this%? Byrne prod#ced a small and battered
cylinder and held it o#t bet"een th#mb and forefiner%
-eill too; it, hefted it, t#rned it this "ay and that and said "ith a dent#re(revealin smile, >*ot
the prod#ct of &reams, Inc%, Mr% Byrne%?
>I didn't thin; it "as,? said the aent% >I'd still li;e yo# to absorb it% I'd set the a#tomatic c#toff
for abo#t a min#te, tho#h%?
>That's all that can be end#red@? -eill p#lled the receiver to his des; and placed the cylinder into
the #nfree!e compartment% He removed it, polished either end of the cylinder "ith his hand;erchief and
tried aain% >It doesn't ma;e ood contact,? he said% >An amate#rish Aob%?
He placed the c#shioned #nfree!e helmet over his s;#ll and adA#sted the temple contacts, then set
the a#tomatic c#toff% He leaned bac; and clasped his hands over his chest and bean absorbin%
His finers re" riid and cl#tched at his Aac;et% After the c#toff had bro#ht absorption to an end,
he removed the #nfree!er and loo;ed faintly anry% >A ra" piece,? he said% >It's l#c;y I'm an old man so
that s#ch thins no loner bother me%?
Byrne said stiffly, >It's not the "orst "e've fo#nd% And the fad is increasin%?
-eill shr#ed% >/ornoraphic dreamies% It's a loical development, I s#ppose%?
The overnment man said, >1oical or not, it represents a deadly daner for the moral fiber of the
nation%?
>The moral fiber,? said -eill, >can ta;e a lot of beatin% Erotica of one form or another have been
circ#lated all thro#h history%?
>*ot li;e this, sir% A direct mind(to(mind stim#lation is m#ch more effective than smo;in room
stories or filthy pict#res% Those m#st be filtered thro#h the senses and lose some of their effect in that
"ay%?
-eill co#ld scarcely ar#e that point% He said, >-hat "o#ld yo# have me do@?
>)an yo# s#est a possible so#rce for this cylinder@?
>Mr% Byrne, I'm not a policeman%?
>*o, no, I'm not as;in yo# to do o#r "or; for #s% The &epartment is <#ite capable of cond#ctin
its o"n investiations% )an yo# help #s, I mean, from yo#r o"n speciali!ed ;no"lede@ Bo# say yo#r
company did not p#t o#t that filth% -ho did@?
>*o rep#table dream distrib#tor% I'm s#re of that% It's too cheaply made%?
>That co#ld have been done on p#rpose%?
>And no professional dreamer oriinated it%?
>Are yo# s#re, Mr% -eill@ )o#ldn't dreamers do this sort of thin for some small, illeitimate
concern for money(or for f#n@?
>They co#ld, b#t not this partic#lar one% *o overtones% It's t"o(dimensional% Of co#rse, a thin
li;e this doesn't need overtones%?
>-hat do yo# mean, overtones@?
-eill la#hed ently% >Bo# are not a dreamie fan@?
Byrne tried not to loo; virt#o#s and did not entirely s#cceed% >I prefer m#sic%?
>-ell, that's all riht, too,? said -eill tolerantly, >b#t it ma;es it a little harder to e$plain
overtones% Even people "ho absorb dreamies "o#ld not be able to e$plain if yo# as;ed them% Still they'd
;no" a dreamie "as no ood if the overtones "ere missin, even if they co#ldn't tell yo# "hy% 1oo;, "hen
an e$perienced dreamer oes into reverie, he doesn't thin; a story li;e in the old(fashioned television or
boo; films% It's a series of little visions% Each one has several meanins% If yo# st#died them caref#lly,
yo#'d find maybe five or si$% -hile absorbin in the ordinary "ay, yo# "o#ld never notice, b#t caref#l
st#dy sho"s it% Believe me, my psycholoical staff p#ts in lon ho#rs on A#st that point% All the overtones,
the different meanins, blend toether into a mass of #ided emotion% -itho#t them, everythin "o#ld be
flat, tasteless%
>*o", this mornin, I tested a yo#n boy% A ten(year(old "ith possibilities% A clo#d to him isn't a
clo#d, it's a pillo", too% Havin the sensations of both, it "as more than either% Of co#rse, the boy's very
primitive% B#t "hen he's thro#h "ith his schoolin, he'll be trained and disciplined% He'll be s#bAected to
all sorts of sensations% He'll store #p e$perience% He'll st#dy and analy!e classic dreamies of the past% He'll
learn ho" to control and direct his tho#hts, tho#h, mind yo#, I have al"ays said that "hen a ood
dreamer improvises(?
-eill halted abr#ptly, then proceeded in less impassioned tones, >I sho#ldn't et e$cited% All I try
to brin o#t no" is that every professional dreamer has his o"n type of overtones "hich he can't mas;% To
an e$pert it's li;e sinin his name on the dreamie% And I, Mr% Byrne, ;no" all the sinat#res% *o" that
piece of dirt yo# bro#ht me has no overtones at all% It "as done by an ordinary person% A little talent,
maybe, b#t li;e yo# and me, he really can't thin;%?
Byrne reddened a trifle% >A lot of people can thin;, Mr% -eill, even if they don't ma;e dreamies%?
>Oh, t#sh,? and -eill "aed his hand in the air% >&on't be anry "ith "hat an old man says% I
don't mean thin; as in reason% I mean thin; as in dream% -e all can dream after a fashion, A#st li;e "e all
can r#n% B#t can yo# and I r#n a mile in fo#r min#tes@ Bo# and I can tal;, b#t are "e &aniel -ebsters@
*o" "hen I thin; of a stea;, I thin; of the "ord% Maybe I have a <#ic; pict#re of a bro"n stea; on a
platter% Maybe yo# have a better pictoriali!ation of it and yo# can see the crisp fat and the onions and the
ba;ed potato% I don't ;no"% B#t a dreamer % % % He sees it and smells it and tastes it and everythin abo#t it,
"ith the charcoal and the satisfied feelin in the stomach and the "ay the ;nife c#ts thro#h it and a
h#ndred other thins all at once% 5ery sens#al% 5ery sens#al% Bo# and I can't do it%?
>-ell, then,? said Byrne, >no professional dreamer has done this% That's somethin any"ay%? He
p#t the cylinder in his inner Aac;et poc;et% >I hope "e'll have yo#r f#ll cooperation in s<#elchin this sort
of thin%?
>/ositively, Mr% Byrne% -ith a "hole heart%?
>I hope so%? Byrne spo;e "ith a conscio#sness of po"er% >It's not #p to me, Mr% -eill, to say
"hat "ill be done and "hat "on't be done, b#t this sort of thin,? he tapped the cylinder he had bro#ht,
>"ill ma;e it a"f#lly temptin to impose a really strict censorship on dreamies%?
He rose% >,ood day, Mr% -eill%?
>,ood day, Mr% Byrne% I'll hope al"ays for the best%?
.rancis Belaner b#rst into 0esse -eill's office in his #s#al steamin ti!!y, his reddish hair
disordered and his face alo" "ith "orry and a mild perspiration% He "as bro#ht #p sharply by the siht
of -eill's head cradled in the croo; of his elbo" and bent on the des; #ntil only the limmer of "hite hair
"as visible%
Belaner s"allo"ed% >Boss@?
-eill's head lifted% >It's yo#, .ran;@?
>-hat's the matter, boss@ Are yo# sic;@?
>I'm old eno#h to be sic;, b#t I'm on my feet% Staerin, b#t on my feet% A overnment man
"as here%?
>-hat did he "ant@?
>He threatens censorship% He bro#ht a sample of "hat's oin ro#nd% )heap dreamies for bottle
parties%?
>,od damnC? said Belaner feelinly%
>The only tro#ble is that morality ma;es for ood campain fodder% They'll be hittin o#t
every"here% And, to tell the tr#th, "e're v#lnerable, .ran;%?
>e are@ O#r st#ff is clean% -e play #p straiht advent#re and romance%?
-eill thr#st o#t his lo"er lip and "rin;led his forehead% >Bet"een #s, .ran;, "e don't have to
ma;e believe% )lean@ It depends on ho" yo# loo; at it% It's not for p#blication, maybe, b#t yo# ;no" and I
;no" that every dreamie has its .re#dian connotations% Bo# can't deny it%?
>S#re, if yo# loo; for it% If yo#'re a psychiatrist(?
>If yo#'re an ordinary person, too% The ordinary observer doesn't ;no" it's there and maybe he
co#ldn't tell a phallic symbol from a mother imae even if yo# pointed it o#t% Still, his s#bconscio#s
;no"s% And it's the connotations that ma;e many a dreamie clic;%?
>All riht, "hat's the overnment oin to do@ )lean #p the s#bconscio#s@?
>It's a problem% I don't ;no" "hat they're oin to do% -hat "e have on o#r side, and "hat I'm
mainly dependin on, is the fact that the p#blic loves its dreamies and "on't ive them #p% %%% Mean"hile,
"hat did yo# come in for@ Bo# "ant to see me abo#t somethin, I s#ppose@?
Belaner tossed an obAect onto -eill's des; and shoved his shirttail deeper into his tro#sers%
-eill bro;e open the listenin plastic cover and too; o#t the enclosed cylinder% At one end "as
enraved in a too fancy script in pastel bl#e >Alon the Himalayan Trail%? It bore the mar; of 1#ster(Thin;%
>The )ompetitor's /rod#ct%? -eill said it "ith capitals, and his lips t"itched% >It hasn't been
p#blished yet% -here did yo# et it, .ran;@?
>*ever mind% I A#st "ant yo# to absorb it%?
-eill sihed% >Today, everyone "ants me to absorb dreams% .ran;, it's not dirty@?
Belaner said testily, >It has yo#r .re#dian symbols% *arro" crevasses bet"een the mo#ntain
pea;s% I hope that "on't bother yo#%?
>I'm an old man% It stopped botherin me years ao, b#t that other thin "as so poorly done, it
h#rt% %%% All riht, let's see "hat yo#'ve ot here%?
Aain the recorder% Aain the #nfree!er over his s;#ll and at the temples% This time, -eill rested
bac; in his chair for fifteen min#tes or more, "hile .rancis Belaner "ent h#rriedly thro#h t"o ciarettes%
-hen -eill removed the headpiece and blin;ed dream o#t of his eyes, Belaner said, >-ell,
"hat's yo#r reaction, boss@?
-eill corr#ated his forehead% >It's not for me% It "as repetitio#s% -ith competition li;e this,
&reams, Inc%, doesn't have to "orry for a "hile%?
>That's yo#r mista;e, boss% 1#ster(Thin;'s oin to "in "ith st#ff li;e this% -e've ot to do
somethin%?
>*o", .ran;(?
>*o, yo# listen% This is the comin thin%?
>ThisC? -eill stared "ith a half(h#moro#s d#biety at the cylinder% >It's amate#rish, it's
repetitio#s% Its overtones are very #ns#btle% The sno" had a distinct lemon sherbet taste% -ho tastes lemon
sherbet in sno" these days, .ran;@ In the old days, yes% T"enty years ao, maybe% -hen 1yman Harrison
first made his Sno" Symphonies for sale do"n so#th, it "as a bi thin% Sherbet and candy(striped
mo#ntaintops and slidin do"n chocolate(covered cliffs% It's slapstic;, .ran;% These days it doesn't o%?
>Beca#se,? said Belaner, >yo#'re not #p "ith the times, boss% I've ot to tal; to yo# straiht%
-hen yo# started the dreamie b#siness, "hen yo# bo#ht #p the basic patents and bean p#ttin them o#t,
dreamies "ere l#$#ry st#ff% The mar;et "as small and individ#al% Bo# co#ld afford to t#rn o#t speciali!ed
dreamies and sell them to people at hih prices%?
>I ;no",? said -eill, >and "e've ;ept that #p% B#t also "e've opened a rental b#siness for the
masses%?
>Bes, "e have and it's not eno#h% O#r dreamies have s#btlety, yes% They can be #sed over and
over aain% The tenth time yo#'re still findin ne" thins, still ettin ne" enAoyment% B#t ho" many
people are connoisse#rs@ And another thin% O#r st#ff is stronly individ#ali!ed% They're .irst /erson%?
>-ell@?
>-ell, 1#ster(Thin; is openin dream palaces% They've opened one "ith three h#ndred booths in
*ashville% Bo# "al; in, ta;e yo#r seat, p#t on yo#r #nfree!er and et yo#r dream% Everyone in the a#dience
ets the same one%?
>I've heard of it, .ran;, and it's been done before% It didn't "or; the first time and it "on't "or;
no"% Bo# "ant to ;no" "hy it "on't "or;@ Beca#se, in the first place, dreamin is a private thin% &o yo#
li;e yo#r neihbor to ;no" "hat yo#'re dreamin@ In the second place, in a dream palace, the dreams have
to start on sched#le, don't they@ So the dreamer has to dream not "hen he "ants to b#t "hen some palace
manaer says he sho#ld% .inally, a dream one person li;es another person doesn't li;e% In those three
h#ndred booths, I #arantee yo#, a h#ndred fifty people are dissatisfied% And if they're dissatisfied, they
"on't come bac;%?
Slo"ly, Belaner rolled #p his sleeves and opened his collar% >Boss,? he said, >yo#'re tal;in
thro#h yo#r hat% -hat's the #se of provin they "on't "or;@ They are "or;in% The "ord came thro#h
today that 1#ster(Thin; is brea;in ro#nd for a tho#sand(booth palace in St% 1o#is% /eople can et #sed to
p#blic dreamin, if everyone else in the same room is havin the same dream% And they can adA#st
themselves to havin it at a iven time, as lon as it's cheap and convenient%
>&amn it, boss, it's a social affair% A boy and a irl o to a dream palace and absorb some cheap
romantic thin "ith stereotyped overtones and commonplace sit#ations, b#t still they come o#t "ith stars
sprin;lin their hair% They've had the same dream toether% They've one thro#h identical sloppy
emotions% They're in t#ne, boss% Bo# bet they o bac; to the dream palace, and all their friends o, too%?
>And if they don't li;e the dream@?
>That's the point% That's the n#b of the "hole thin% They're bo#nd to li;e it% If yo# prepare
Hillary specials "ith "heels "ithin "heels "ithin "heels, "ith s#rprise t"ists on the third(level
#ndertones, "ith clever shifts of sinificance and all the other thins "e're so pro#d of, "hy, nat#rally, it
"on't appeal to everyone% Speciali!ed dreamies are for speciali!ed tastes% B#t 1#ster(Thin; is t#rnin o#t
simple Aobs in Third /erson so both se$es can be hit at once% 1i;e "hat yo#'ve A#st absorbed% Simple,
repetitio#s, commonplace% They're aimin at the lo"est common denominator% *o one "ill love it, maybe,
b#t no one "ill hate it%?
-eill sat silent for a lon time and Belaner "atched him% Then -eill said, >.ran;, I started on
<#ality and I'm stayin there% Maybe yo#'re riht% Maybe dream palaces are the comin thin% If so "e'll
open them, b#t "e'll #se ood st#ff% Maybe 1#ster(Thin; #nderestimates ordinary people% 1et's o slo"ly
and not panic% I have based all my policies on the theory that there's al"ays a mar;et for <#ality%
Sometimes, my boy, it "o#ld s#rprise yo# ho" bi a mar;et%?
>Boss(?
The so#ndin of the intercom interr#pted Belaner%
>-hat is it, R#th@? said -eill%
The voice of his secretary said, >It's Mr% Hillary, sir% He "ants to see yo# riht a"ay% He says it's
important%?
>Hillary@? -eill's voice reistered shoc;% Then, >-ait five min#tes, R#th, then send him in%?
-eill t#rned to Belaner% >Today, .ran;, is definitely not one of my ood days% A dreamer's place
is in his home "ith his thin;er% And Hillary's o#r best dreamer so he especially sho#ld be at home% -hat do
yo# s#ppose is "ron "ith him@?
Belaner, still broodin over 1#ster(Thin; and dream palaces, said shortly, >)all him in and find
o#t%?
>In one min#te% Tell me, ho" "as his last dream@ I haven't tried the one that came in last "ee;%?
Belaner came do"n to earth% He "rin;led his nose% >*ot so ood%?
>-hy not@?
>It "as raed% Too A#mpy% I don't mind sharp transitions for the liveliness, yo# ;no", b#t there's
ot to be some connection, even if only on a deep level%?
>Is it a total loss@?
>*o Hillary dream is a total loss% It too; a lot of editin, tho#h% -e c#t it do"n <#ite a bit and
spliced in some odd pieces he'd sent #s no" and then% Bo# ;no", detached scenes% It's still not ,rade A,
b#t it "ill pass%?
>Bo# told him abo#t this, .ran;@?
>Thin; I'm cra!y, boss@ Thin; I'm oin to say a harsh "ord to a dreamer@?
And at that point the door opened and -eill's comely yo#n secretary smiled Sherman Hillary
into the office%
Sherman Hillary, at the ae of thirty(one, co#ld have been reconi!ed as a dreamer by anyone% His
eyes, #nspectacled, had nevertheless the misty loo; of one "ho either needs lasses or "ho rarely foc#ses
on anythin m#ndane% He "as of averae heiht b#t #nder"eiht, "ith blac; hair that needed c#ttin, a
narro" chin, a pale s;in and a tro#bled loo;%
He m#ttered, >Hello, Mr% -eill,? and half(nodded in hando fashion in the direction of Belaner%
-eill said heartily, >Sherman, my boy, yo# loo; fine% -hat's the matter@ A dream is coo;in only
so(so at home@ Bo#'re "orried abo#t it@ %%% Sit do"n, sit do"n%?
The dreamer did, sittin at the ede of the chair and holdin his thihs stiffly toether as tho#h to
be ready for instant obedience to a possible order to stand #p once more%
He said, >I've come to tell yo#, Mr% -eill, I'm <#ittin%?
>2#ittin@?
>I don't "ant to dream any more, Mr% -eill%?
-eill's old face loo;ed older no" than at any time in the day% >-hy, Sherman@?
The dreamer's lips t"isted% He bl#rted o#t, >Beca#se I'm not living, Mr% -eill% Everythin passes
me by% It "asn't so bad at first% It "as even rela$in% I'd dream evenins, "ee;ends "hen I felt li;e, or any
other time% And "hen I felt li;e I "o#ldn't% B#t no", Mr% -eill, I'm an old pro% Bo# tell me I'm one of the
best in the b#siness and the ind#stry loo;s to me to thin; #p ne" s#btleties and ne" chanes on the old
reliables li;e the flyin reveries, and the "orm(t#rnin s;its%?
-eill said, >And is anyone better than yo#, Sherman@ Bo#r little se<#ence on leadin an orchestra
is sellin steadily after ten years%?
>All riht, Mr% -eill% I've done my part% It's otten so I don't o o#t any more% I nelect my "ife%
My little irl doesn't ;no" me% 1ast "ee;, "e "ent to a dinner party((Sarah made me(and I don't
remember a bit of it% Sarah says I "as sittin on the co#ch all evenin A#st starin at nothin and h#mmin%
She said everyone ;ept loo;in at me% She cried all niht% I'm tired of thins li;e that, Mr% -eill% I "ant to
be a normal person and live in this "orld% I promised her I'd <#it and I "ill, so it's ood(by, Mr% -eill%?
Hillary stood #p and held o#t his hand a";"ardly%
-eill "aved it ently a"ay% >If yo# "ant to <#it, Sherman, it's all riht% B#t do an old man a favor
and let me e$plain somethin to yo#%?
>I'm not oin to chane my mind,? said Hillary%
>I'm not oin to try to ma;e yo#% I A#st "ant to e$plain somethin% I'm an old man and even
before yo# "ere born I "as in this b#siness so I li;e to tal; abo#t it% H#mor me, Sherman@ /lease@?
Hillary sat do"n% His teeth clamped do"n on his lo"er lip and he stared s#llenly at his finernails%
-eill said, >&o yo# ;no" "hat a dreamer is, Sherman@ &o yo# ;no" "hat he means to ordinary
people@ &o yo# ;no" "hat it is to be li;e me, li;e .ran; Belaner, li;e yo#r "ife, Sarah@ To have crippled
minds that can't imaine, that can't b#ild #p tho#hts@ /eople li;e myself, ordinary people, "o#ld li;e to
escape A#st once in a "hile this life of o#rs% -e can't% -e need help%
>In olden times it "as boo;s, plays, radio, movies, television% They ave #s ma;e(believe, b#t that
"asn't important% -hat "as important "as that for a little "hile o#r o"n imainations "ere stim#lated% -e
co#ld thin; of handsome lovers and bea#tif#l princesses% -e co#ld be bea#tif#l, "itty, stron, capable,
everythin "e "eren't%
>B#t, al"ays, the passin of the dream from dreamer to absorber "as not perfect% It had to be
translated into "ords in one "ay or another% The best dreamer in the "orld miht not be able to et any of it
into "ords% And the best "riter in the "orld co#ld p#t only the smallest part of his dreams into "ords% Bo#
#nderstand@
>B#t no", "ith dream recordin, any man can dream% Bo#, Sherman, and a handf#l of men li;e
yo#, s#pply those dreams directly and e$actly% It's straiht from yo#r head into o#rs, f#ll strenth% Bo#
dream for a h#ndred million people every time yo# dream% Bo# dream a h#ndred million dreams at once%
This is a reat thin, my boy% Bo# ive all those people a limpse of somethin they co#ld not have by
themselves%?
Hillary m#mbled, >I've done my share%? He rose desperately to his feet% >I'm thro#h% I don't care
"hat yo# say% And if yo# "ant to s#e me for brea;in o#r contract, o ahead and s#e% I don't care%?
-eill stood #p, too% >-o#ld I s#e yo#@ % % % R#th,? he spo;e into the intercom, >brin in o#r copy
of Mr% Hillary's contract%?
He "aited% So did Hillary and so did Belaner% -eill smiled faintly and his yello"ed finers
dr#mmed softly on his des;%
His secretary bro#ht in the contract% -eill too; it, sho"ed its face to Hillary and said, >Sherman,
my boy, #nless yo# "ant to be "ith me, it's not riht yo# sho#ld stay%?
Then, before Belaner co#ld ma;e more than the beinnin of a horrified est#re to stop him, he
tore the contract into fo#r pieces and tossed them do"n the "aste ch#te% >That's all%?
Hillary's hand shot o#t to sei!e -eill's% >Than;s, Mr% -eill,? he said earnestly, his voice h#s;y%
>Bo#'ve al"ays treated me very "ell, and I'm ratef#l% I'm sorry it had to be li;e this%?
>It's all riht, my boy% It's all riht%?
Half in tears, still m#tterin than;s, Sherman Hillary left%
>.or the love of /ete, boss, "hy did yo# let him o@? demanded Belaner distractedly% >&on't yo#
see the ame@ He'll be oin straiht to 1#ster(Thin;% They've bo#ht him off%?
-eill raised his hand% >Bo#'re "ron% Bo#'re <#ite "ron% I ;no" the boy and this "o#ld not be
his style% Besides,? he added dryly, >R#th is a ood secretary and she ;no"s "hat to brin me "hen I as;
for a dreamer's contract% -hat I had "as a fa;e% The real contract is still in the safe, believe me%
>Mean"hile, a fine day I've had% I had to ar#e "ith a father to ive me a chance at ne" talent,
"ith a overnment man to avoid censorship, "ith yo# to ;eep from adoptin fatal policies and no" "ith
my best dreamer to ;eep him from leavin% The father I probably "on o#t over% The overnment man and
yo#, I don't ;no"% Maybe yes, maybe no% B#t abo#t Sherman Hillary, at least, there is no <#estion% The
dreamer "ill be bac;%?
>Ho" do yo# ;no"@?
-eill smiled at Belaner and crin;led his chee;s into a net"or; of fine lines% >.ran;, my boy, yo#
;no" ho" to edit dreamies so yo# thin; yo# ;no" all the tools and machines of the trade% B#t let me tell
yo# somethin% The most important tool in the dreamie b#siness is the dreamer himself% He is the one yo#
have to #nderstand most of all, and I #nderstand them%
>1isten% -hen I "as a yo#nster((there "ere no dreamies then((I ;ne" a fello" "ho "rote
television scripts% He "o#ld complain to me bitterly that "hen someone met him for the first time and
fo#nd o#t "ho he "as, they "o#ld say+ -here do yo# et those cra!y ideas@
>They honestly didn't ;no"% To them it "as an impossibility to even thin; of one of them% So
"hat co#ld my friend say@ He #sed to tal; to me abo#t it and tell me+ )o#ld I say, I don't ;no"@ -hen I o
to bed, I can't sleep for ideas dancin in my head% -hen I shave, I c#t myself= "hen I tal;, I lose trac; of
"hat I'm sayin= "hen I drive, I ta;e my life in my hands% And al"ays beca#se ideas, sit#ations, dialo#es
are spinnin and t"istin in my mind% I can't tell yo# "here I et my ideas% )an yo# tell me, maybe, yo#r
tric; of not ettin ideas, so I, too, can have a little peace%
>Bo# see, .ran;, ho" it is% Bo# can stop "or; here anytime% So can I% This is o#r Aob, not o#r life%
B#t not Sherman Hillary% -herever he oes, "hatever he does, he'll dream% -hile he lives, he m#st thin;=
"hile he thin;s, he m#st dream% -e don't hold him prisoner, o#r contract isn't an iron "all for him% His
o"n s;#ll is his prisoner, .ran;% So he'll be bac;% -hat can he do@?
Belaner shr#ed% >If "hat yo# say is riht, I'm sort of sorry for the #y(?
-eill nodded sadly% >I'm sorry for all of them% Thro#h the years, I've fo#nd o#t one thin% It's
their b#siness= ma;in people happy% #ther people%?