It was a Sunday
afternoon. We had eaten a delicious roast dinner prepared by the
Professor’s staff, and retired to the library. We sat in our
customary seats, and glasses of brandy and whisky were distributed
among the guests.
Suitably nourished, and
with minds lubricated by alcohol, we were ready for our usual weekly
pasttime. Our host, the Professor, stood dramatically with his hand
resting on the mantel, staring into the flames below.
“Gentlemen, I would
like you to consider this proposal. That, in addition to three
dimensions of space, there are also three dimensions of time.”
He paused, then looked
at the faces around him to see how his guests reacted. The Colonel
made a sort of coughing sound, then studiously swirlled his brandy.
“Your thoughts,
Colonel?”
“Load of nonsense, if
you ask me. Scientific mumbo-jumbo. What good is it?”
“It
may surprise you. Any other thoughts?”
The
Mathematician straightened himself up, hands clasped behind his back.
“It has long been accepted that Minkowski Space, with three
dimensions of space and one of time, is far too simplistic. M-Theory
suggests there are ten or eleven dimensions. How does your theory
relate to that?”
“You
misunderstand. I did not say it was a theory. I state it as a fact.
Gentlemen, let me draw your attention to the screen at the back of
the room. What do you see?”
The
Reporter glanced quickly at it. “It’s a view of this room. What
of it?”
“From
which vantage point, sir?”
The
Reporter examined the picture, then the room. He began to look more
and more puzzled, checking and rechecking the picture. “Where is
your camera? It has to be here somewhere.”
“There
is no camera as such, The image comes from the machine in the
basement. Now, watch this.” The Professor went to a console and
made a few adjustments. The image changed. It was almost dark.
“Colonel,
would you reach into your left jacket pocket?”
The
Colonel did so and, on the screen, they saw the pocket open and
fingers appear. “What the devil?” The Colonel fished around in
his pocket, trying to find a camera.
“Let’s
take this to the next level.” The Professor’s fingers flew around
the console interface, and the image changed again.
“That’s
us.”
“Look
closer. For instance, examine the Chesterfield.”
“Then
this image comes from..”
“...Last
month, when our Politician friend was here. And now...”
The
picture was no longer the library, but the high street. There was
something strange about the view. It sank in when they realised how
many cars were Ford Cortinas and Morris Oxfords. Somehow, they were
looking at the town as it was in the Seventies.
“What,
exactly, is going on here, Professor?”
“Well,
we are used to moving relatively easily in three dimensions of space,
but we can only move in one dimension of time, and that in a single
direction. My viewer makes use of a dimension of time that is
perpendicular to the time dimension we know. Using it, I can view any
place and any time.”
“Surely,
this is a trick. I am well aware of the theories. I have a computer
model of Calabi-Yau that I use in my lectures. What you are claiming
here, though, goes well beyond the theoretical.”
“Indeed
it does. And I now offer you a challenge. Name anywhere in space and
time, and I will show it.”
“Very
well,” The Reporter said, “What about the assassination of John F
Kennedy?”
The
Professor smiled, made a few changes, and there was the motorcade
coming through Dallas. They saw the shot, saw the President die. Then
the Professor froze the picture, zoomed closer until they could see
the bullet’s entry point. Then he reversed the apparent flow of
time. They followed the path of the bullet back...back...until.
“Well,
I’ll be...!”
“So
that’s what happened.”
After
a pause, the Mathematician posed his challenge. “Show us this
planet fifty million years ago.”
Another
smile from the Professor, and he set the controls.
“Well,
Professor?”
“I
don’t understand it.”
“Yes,
the screen appears to be blank. Is this in a cave at night?”
“No.
There should be something. Let’s move forward to one million years
ago.”
“Still
blank, Professor. Try something more recent. Say, five thousand years
ago.”
The
screen sprang to life. The view was of a forest. Birds flew through
the air, and a wolf roamed among the trees.
“OK,
go back to ten thousand years.”
Again,
the screen went black.
The
Professor checked the view every hundred years. It was still blank,
until they reached about six thousand years.
On the screen, clearly displayed, was a message:-
STAGE 5 OF 7. INSTALLATION 75% COMPLETE. PLEASE WAIT.
