Short Fiction · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Short Fiction by R. A. Lafferty.
Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.
Chapter 1
The Six Fingers of Time
Charles Vincent, having mastered the ability to accelerate his personal time by a factor of sixty, uses his power to read thousands of books, learn dozens of languages, and play ghostly pranks on the world. He is haunted by a faceless Old Man who warns him of a deadly race between success and failure, and by dreams of a six-fingered hand from the pit. Vincent's gentle interactions with the unafraid spinster Jennifer Parkey contrast with his growing obsession with a book linking genius to extra digits, and his study of cuneiform tablets hints at an ancient, ominous counting system.
Chapter 2
McGonigal's Worm
The chapter describes the global catastrophe of sudden infertility affecting all chordates, the discovery that only McGonigal's Worm remains fertile, and the establishment of the M.W. Institute to study it. It follows Georgina Hickle, a worker at the institute who develops a mysterious condition that turns out to be pregnancy, leading to superstitious beliefs about the worm's fertility powers. The chapter also covers the societal aftermath, including the Last Child betting sweepstakes, the decline of schools and morals, and the futile efforts of various institutes to preserve human knowledge.
Chapter 3
The Polite People of Pudibundia
Marlow learns about the extraordinarily polite alien species known as the Puds from a briefing officer, who explains their customs of never looking directly at others, using color-coded glasses, and speaking in elaborate circumlocutions. Marlow, a homicide captain, reveals he is investigating why no old pilots return from Pudibundia. Upon visiting, Marlow is hosted by the One-Million-Times-Lesser-Marlow, who gives him a deferential ball to maintain politeness. Marlow explores the planet's nightlife with Mitzi, who hints that he will not return. In a final meeting, Marlow demands to see OMTLM's eyes, believing the answer lies there.
Chapter 4
In the Garden
The crew of the Little Probe lands on a moon-town and encounters a man and woman, Ha-Adamah and Hawwah, in a pristine garden. The beings claim to be the only people, possess a preternatural intellect, and live in perfect happiness. After three days, the crew becomes convinced they have found Paradise, but the tycoon Casper Craig immediately plans to exploit it for settlement. Meanwhile, in a cave, a two-legged serpent named Snake-Oil Sam reveals the entire setup is a trap to lure settlers for plunder.
Chapter 5
All the People
Anthony Trotz, a man who suddenly knows every person in the world, interviews a politician, a philosopher, and a priest to understand the limits of human knowledge and connection. He is confronted by Colonel Peter Cooper, who reveals that Anthony is not truly human but an artificial consciousness—an adjunct to a massive brain at a filter center designed to monitor the auras of all people. His purpose is to detect anomalies, such as the arrival of seven beings not born into the world, but Anthony realizes the aliens are actually other restricted persons like himself.
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