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linear dimension into the equivalent displacement along the perpendicular volumetric
axis, at the same time setting up a harmonic which causes a reciprocal epicentric effect,
and "
"How would you go about explaining that to an ordinary mortal?" Lorenzo
interrupted.
"Well, it reduces one of the user's physical dimensions to near zero, and compensates
by a corresponding increase in the density of the matter field in the remaining quasi-two-
dimensional state."
"Better try the idiot version."
"It makes you flat."
"How is wearing a corset going to help us?" Lorenzo yelped.
"I mean really flat! You can slide right between the molecules of ordinary matter
walk through walls, in other words. That's why it's called a flat-walker."
"Good grief, and I was practically outside, sneaking up on that long-legged son of a
Schnauzer who pitched me in here."
"That's the spirit! Now stand fast, Lorenzo, and I'll try this thing out. Let's see,
Pinchcraft said to orient it with the long axis coinciding with my long axis, and the
smooth face parallel to the widest plane of my body, or vice versa . . ."
"I suppose this was all part of their torture plan," Lorenzo muttered, "to lock me in
with a mental case. I should have known better than to get my hopes up. Poor Beverly.
With me put away, there's no one to help her. She'll hold out for as long as she can, but in
the end the ceaseless importuning of her captor combined with the prospects of ruling this
benighted principality will erode her will, and "
"I read the same book," Lafayette said. "It was lousy. How about bottling up your
pessimism while I conduct a test." Lafayette fingered the flat-walker, found the small
bump at the center, and pressed it.
Nothing happened. He peered disappointedly into the surrounding blackness.
"Damn!" Lafayette said with feeling. "But I guess that would have been too easy.
We'll have to think of something else. Listen, Lorenzo: how high is this room? Maybe
there's a hatch in the ceiling, and if one of us stood on the other's shoulders, we could
reach it." He stood on tiptoes and reached as far overhead as he could, but touched
nothing. He jumped, still found no ceiling.
"How about it?" he snapped. "Do you want to climb up on my shoulders, or shall I get
on yours?"
There was no answer. Even the mice had stopped rustling.
"Speak up, Lorenzo! Or have you gone back to sleep?" He moved across toward the
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other's corner, feeling for the wall. After he had taken ten steps, he slowed, advancing
cautiously. After five more steps, he halted.
"That's funny," he said in the circumambient darkness. "I thought the cell was only ten
paces wide ..."
He turned and retraced his steps, counting off fifteen paces, then went on another five,
ten, fifteen steps. Abruptly, blinding light glared in his eyes. He blinked, squinting at
what appeared to be a wall of featureless illumination, like the frosted glass over a light
fixture. As he turned, the wall seemed to flow together; lines and flecks and blots of color
appeared, coalesced into a normal though somewhat distorted scene: a dim-lit corridor,
glass-walled, glass-floored, lined by heavy doors of black glass.
"I'm outside the cell!" he blurted. "It worked! Lorenzo !" He turned, saw the walls
expand as he did, stretching out into featurelessness, like a reflection in a convex mirror.
"Must be some effect of two-dimensionality," he murmured. "Now, let's see what
direction did I come from?"
Squinting, he stepped hesitantly forward; the glare winked out to total darkness. He
took fifteen paces and halted.
"Lorenzo," he hissed. "I made it!"
There was no answer.
"Oh he probably can't hear me or I can't hear him with this gadget turned on . . ."
Lafayette pressed the deactivating switch. There was no apparent change, except for the
almost imperceptible sounds of moving air and a muffled sob.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, buck up," Lafayette snapped. "Crying won't help!"
There was a startled intake of air.
"Lafe?" a familiar voice whispered. "Is it really you?"
Lafayette sniffed: garlic? "Swinehild!" he gasped. "How did you get here?"
"Y-you told me not to follow you," Swinehild was saying five minutes later, having
enjoyed a good cry while O'Leary patted her soothingly. "But I watched the gate and seen
you come through. Happened there was a horse tied in front of a beer joint, so I ups and
takes off after you. The feller on the ferry showed me which way you went. When I
caught up with you, you was smack in the middle of a necktie party "
"It was you that yowled like a panther!"
"It was all I could think of in a hurry."
"You saved my life, Swinehild!"
"Yeah. Well, I beat it out of there, and next thing I knew I was lost. I spent some time
wandering around, and then my horse shied at something and tossed me off in a berry
bush. When I crawled out of that, here was this old lady sitting on a stump, lighting up a
cigar. I was so glad to see a human face, I waltzed right over and said how-do. She
jumped like she'd set on a cactus and give me a look like I was somebody's ghost. 'Good
Lord,' she says. 'Incredible! But after all why not?' I was just starting to ask her if she'd
seen the big bird or whatever that'd spooked my critter, and she outs with a tin can with a
button on top and jams it in my face, and I get a whiff of mothballs, and that's all I know
for a while "
"I believe I know the lady in question," Lafayette said grimly. "That's three scores I
have to settle with her if not more."
"After that I had some crazy dreams about flying through the air. I woke up in a nice
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room with a smooth-looking little buzzard that must of been the old dame's brother or [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]