DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Satellite, v. 1, issue 1, October 1938

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Satellite, v. 1, issue 1, October 1938

Page 8

I gave a very derisive snort at that, and wondered how best to get Harris out of the house, and back home for a good sleep. I was just about to speak when he sat down. But he did not sit on the chair behind him -- he just passed through and landed on the floor.

"You see!" he said, "It's happening all the time!"

He walked anxiously round the room, and I sat gaping as his feet sank into the hard floor as though it were a soft carpet. 

"For goodness' sake stand still!" I snapped, getting tired of this weird phenomena, and the annoying, ceaseless meandering about the room.

"I can't," said Arthur, passing his hand through an ornament that he hadn't noticed was there. "If I did I would sink into the solid earth after a time."

"But how do you explain it all?" I demanded, bewildered.

"I don't," said Arthur, "All I can think of is that the atomic power has changed my molecular structure. At first I thought the speed of the evolution of my electrons and protons had been evened up to those of a brick wall, but I soon gave that up -- two bricks presumably have the same speed, but they can't intermingle. I think now that the molecules must be spaced out wider -- or something."

I couldn't help smiling. Both his explanations sounded a bit curious to me, and I don't know much about this atom business. Still, as I've said, Arthur never knew much about the groundwork. He just stumbled on to atomic power by accident, of that I am convinced.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked, "Join a circus or go on the stage? Gosh, Arthur, what a conjurer you could be!"

"I couldn't," he said morosely. "I thought for a while what a boon my power would be to a murderer -- kill a man and walk out of prison without any trouble. But I couldn't kill anyone. I can just

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I gave a very derisive snort at that, and wondered how best to get Harris out of the house, and back home for a good sleep. I was just about to speak when he sat down. But he did not sit on the chair behind him -- he just passed through and landed on the floor. "You see!" he said, "It's happening all the time!" He walked anxiously round the room, and I sat gaping as his feet sank into the hard floor as though it were a soft carpet. "For goodness' sake stand still!" I snapped, getting tired of this weird phenomena, and the annoying, ceaseless meandering about the room. "I can't," said Arthur, passing his hand through an ornament that he hadn't noticed was there. "If I did I would sink into the solid earth after a time." "But how do you explain it all?" I demanded, bewildered. "I don't," said Arthur, "All I can think of is that the atomic power has changed my molecular structure. At first I thought the speed of the evolution of my electrons and protons had been evened up to those of a brick wall, but I soon gave that up -- two bricks presumably have the same speed, but they can't intermingle. I think now that the molecules must be spaced out wider -- or something." I couldn't help smiling. Both his explanations sounded a bit curious to me, and I don't know much about this atom business. Still, as I've said, Arthur never knew much about the groundwork. He just stumbled on to atomic power by accident, of that I am convinced. "What are you going to do now?" I asked, "Join a circus or go on the stage? Gosh, Arthur, what a conjurer you could be!" "I couldn't," he said morosely. "I thought for a while what a boon my power would be to a murderer -- kill a man and walk out of prison without any trouble. But I couldn't kill anyone. I can just

Soltei um bufo irônico ao ouvir isso, e me perguntei qual seria a melhor maneira de tirar Harris dessa casa para que ele pudesse tirar um bom cochilo. Eu estava prestes a falar quando ele se sentou . Mas ele não se sentou na cadeira atrás de si - ele a atravessou e se encostou no chão. "Está vendo!" ele disse, "Está aconteccendo o tempo todo!" Ele andou ansiosamente ao redor do quarto, e eu me sentei estupefato ao passo que seu pé afundou dentro do chão sólido como se fosse um carpet macio. "Pelo amor de Deus fique parado!" Eu disparei, me cansando desse fenômeno estranho, e as incessantes voltas irritantes. "Eu não posso," disse Arthur, passando a mão por um ornamento que ele não tinha percibido que estava ali. "Se eu fizesse eu afundaria na terra solida depois de um tempo." "Mas como você explica isso tudo?" Eu exigi, perplexo. "Não consigo", disse Arthur, "Tudo em que consigo pensar é que a energia atômica mudou minha estrutura molecular. No começo eu pensei que a velocidade da evolução dos meus elétrons e prótons haviam sido igualados aos de um tijolo, mas eu logo desisti disso - dois tijolos, presumivelmente, têm a mesma velocidade, mas eles não podem se misturar. Agora eu acho que as moléculas devem estar espaçadas mais amplamente - ou algo assim." Eu não pude evitar sorrir. Ambas as suas explicações soaram um pouco curiosas pra mim, e eu não sei muito sobre esse négocio de átomo. Ainda assim, como eu havia dito, Arthur nunca soube muito sobre as questões básicas. Ele apenas tropeçou na energia atômica por acidente, disto eu estou convencido. "O que você vai fazer agora?" eu perguntei, "Entrar pra um circo? Deseus, Arthur, que mágico você poderia ser!" "Poderia não," ele disse melancolicamente. "Eu pensei por um mometo em que benção meu poder seria para um assassino - matar um homem e sair da prisão sem problema nenhum. Mas eu não quero matar ninguem. Eu não consigo nem