Immortality -- Fiction; Physicists -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
The next thirty years of Henry Talbot's life, now devoid of promise,
were fulfilling and content. He worked steadily and drank as the mood
fell upon him, publishing on the average one paper a year. These papers
were thorough, the experiments well worked out, without contrived
results or varnished sloppiness. The publications were accepted
everywhere as solid research papers.
Henry Talbot's name became familiar in the nuclear field. He did not
find his face on the cover of <i>Time</i>, nor was he ever invited to
participate as an "expert" on any television quiz programs, yet he was
well known to nuclear researchers--at least those in his own country.
He was honored with a banquet on his fiftieth birthday. <i>Person to
Person</i> once tentatively proposed to visit him, but the idea was
squelched, a visit to a more buxom personality being substituted.
Sex never reared its ugly head. He had not had time for it when young,
and so had never fallen into the habit.
At the age of sixty-five he retired. He canceled his subscription to
the <i>Physical Review</i>, bought a fishing rod, subscribed to the <i>New
Yorker</i>, and tried Florida. He started at Tallahassee and fished his
way down to Ocala. By the time he had reached St. Petersburg, he had
decided to try California.
In California he took up golf. He bought a hi-fi set and a dozen
progressive jazz records, advertised as unbreakable. They proved not to
be, although in fairness to the advertiser it must be said that Henry
Talbot had to exert himself.
He decided to try a world cruise. He left the scheduled tour in Japan
and visited the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Tokyo, spending
some time there just generally chewing the bilingual rag. When he
returned to the United States, he renewed his subscription to the
<i>Physical Review</i>, canceled his subscription to the <i>New Yorker</i>, and
looked around for another position.
He went to work for the Arnold Research Corporation on a part-time,
semi-retired basis. But he had his own lab, his hours were his own, and
in a few weeks he was working full time. No one was disturbed by this,
he did not apply for more money or recognition, he kept to himself, and
he began publishing his one paper each year.
On the tenth year afterward his paper was missing, though not missed.
He began to spend less time in his lab and more in the library and
behind his desk, scribbling on scraps of paper or staring into space.
He was forgotten by the Arnold Research Corporation. He was content
with his books and his monthly check.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account