FEATURED TITLE
Tales of Horror Fantasy and Science
Fiction
Richard H. Williams
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Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction, by Richard H. Williams, is a collection of
twenty-three speculative short stories.
EXCERPT
David Weiss was a graduate
student in Counseling at Mountain University. This academic institution was
located 3500 feet above sea level in the western part of North Carolina, not
far from Grandfather Mountain and neighboring Rike’s Peak. David had always been
interested in history and in famous people who lived long ago. If he could
somehow invent a time machine he would whisk himself backward in time to visit
some of them.
David knew of a professor
on campus who had published a paper on Time Travel.
He was a Professor of
Electrical Engineering named Frank Wisdom. David thought, I should send him
a note through inter-office mail requesting a reprint of his publication. Maybe
that would lead to a meeting between the two of us.
The next morning David
Weiss found the article in his student mailbox. He immediately perused the
paper, finding the sketches of the time machine intriguing.
The two men ended up
meeting at the campus Rathskeller. Dr. Wisdom was an older faculty member and
David thought he didn’t look healthy. Frank Wisdom wore a Salvador Dali type
mustache and a goatee. His hair was gray.
They occupied a table near
the window and soon a waiter came by requesting their orders. Frank
said,"I’ll have a fish sandwich and a mug of draft beer."
David also requested a mug of draft beer and with it a Reuben sandwich. The Rathskeller was noted for its Reuben sandwiches.
David also requested a mug of draft beer and with it a Reuben sandwich. The Rathskeller was noted for its Reuben sandwiches.
David and Frank decided to
work together on a project designed to create a time machine. Frank Wisdom
said,"I have a grant with a flexible budget and so we can bring in
consulting experts for advice from time to time." Before they were well
into the project, they hired a consultant who was a Professor of Physics.
In six months they
produced a machine that seemed to have the potential, but in its present form,
a modest trial test would be necessary. One day the two of them entered the
cockpit and traveled slowly in a five-year interval, going forward in time and
then backward. Some aberrations occurred, although they landed safely.
Wisdom was skeptical and said,"I am
reticent to set off for a more ambitious trip prematurely." But David
Weiss decided to take the risk and attempt to visit three luminaries that he
and the professor had chosen.
Professor Wisdom was
interested in Oriental poetry and had selected Matsuo, the father of Haiku and
David Weiss’s choice was Fibonacci, famed especially for his Fibonacci numbers
and series. They tossed a coin to see who would select the third choice.
Wisdom won the toss and
said,"I pick Jesus Christ! Why be conservative? Let’s shoot for the
moon."
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