Classics fantasy – 3

II. VICIOUS CIRCLE

To Wagner it was absolutely thin. He panted, having closed eyes, raved.

«Really this ingenious car – a brain of professor Wagner can be lost from concussion?» – I thought with concern.

The patient raved mathematical formulas and from time to time groaned. The become puzzled housekeeper stood helplessly and only repeated:

– What will be now? Fathers, what will be now?.

I had to give to professor first aid and to look after the patient.

Only for the second day by the morning Wagner recovered. He opened eyes and looked at me quite consciously.

– I thank you … – he poorly spoke.

I allowed it to drink, and it, having nodded me, asked to leave it. Tired with troubles of yesterday and at sleepless night, I, at last, decided to leave the patient of one and came to the yard to breathe fresh, morning air. The unknown device standing in the middle of the yard drew my attention again. I approached it and gave a hand.

– Do not go! Stop! – I heard for the muffled, scared voice of the housekeeper. And at the very same time I felt that my hand suddenly became extraordinary heavy as though to it hung up the huge weight which jerked me with such force down that I fell to the ground. The invisible weight pressed down a brush of my hand.

With big effort I took away a hand back. She was ill and was red.

Near me there was a housekeeper and grievously swung the head.

– And as it you… Unless it is possible?. You do not go on the yard better, and that and absolutely will flatten you!

Without understanding anything, I returned to the house and put a compress on a sore hand.

When professor woke up again, he looked already absolutely vigorous. Obviously, this person had extraordinary healthy organism.

– What is it? – he asked, pointing to my hand.

I explained to him.

– You were exposed to big danger – he told.

I very much wanted to hear rather from Wagner an explanation of all extraordinary that I had to endure, but I kept from questions, without wishing to disturb the patient.

In the evening on the same day Wagner, having asked to move his bed to a window, itself began to say about what so occupied me.

– The science studies manifestations of forces of nature – he began without preface – establishes scientific laws, but knows essence of these forces very little. We speak: «electricity, gravity». We study their properties, we use for the purposes. But they reveal final secrets of the nature to us very reluctantly. And therefore we use them far not fully. Electricity in this regard was more pliable. We enslaved this force, having seized it, forced to work for ourselves. We overtake it from place to place, we save in a stock, we spend as required. But gravity is really the most tenacious force. We have to get on with it, adapt more to it, than adapt it to the needs. If we could change gravity, operate it voluntarily, accumulate as electricity, then what powerful tool we would receive! To seize this rebellious force was my old desire.

– And you seized it! – I exclaimed, beginning to understand all event.

– Yes, I seized it. I found means to regulate gravity voluntarily. You saw my first success… Oh… progress sometimes costs much!. – Wagner sighed, rubbing the hurt knee. – In the form of experience I reduced gravity on the small site near the house. And you saw with what ease I lifted a block. It is made due to increase in gravity on small space of my yard… You nearly paid with life for the curiosity, having approached my «vicious circle».

Yes here, look – it continued, specifying by a hand in a window. – Towards giving the flock of birds flies. Perhaps, at least one of them will fly by over a zone of the strengthened attraction…

He became silent, and I with nervousness watched the approaching birds… Here they fly over the yard…

And suddenly one of them a stone fell to the ground and did not even break, and directly turned into a spot which covered the earth with a layer probably not more thickly than tissue paper.

– Saw?

I shuddered, having imagined, as the same destiny could comprehend me.

– Yes – he guessed my thought – you would be crushed by weight of own head and would turn into flat cake. – And, having again grinned, it continued: – Fima, my housekeeper, says that I invented fine means to keep products from vagrant cats. «Absolutely you do not ruin them – she says – and that paws stuck: at times will not be!» Yes … – he told after a pause – there are cats, even more unruly and dangerous – biped, armed not with claws and teeth, but guns and machine guns.

Imagine what protective means will be a subdued gravity! I can suit a protecting zone on borders of the states, and any enemy will not cross it. Airplanes will stoop down as this bird. It is more than that, even shells not in forces will be to fly this protecting zone. It is possible to make and vice versa: to deprive of the coming enemy of gravity, and soldiers at the slightest movement will highly jump up and to dangle helplessly in air… But all this trifles in comparison with what I reached. I found means to reduce gravity on all surface of the globe, except for poles…

– And how you will reach it?

– I will force the globe to rotate quicker, that’s all – professor Wagner with such look as though business went about a top answered.

– To increase the speed of rotation of Earth?! – I could not refrain from exclamation.

– Yes, I will increase the speed of its movement, and then centrifugal force will begin to increase, and all bodies which are on the earth will become is easier. If you have nothing against to stay for a while with me some more days…

– With pleasure!

– I will begin experience as soon as I get up, and you will see a lot of interesting.

III. «SPINS»

In several days professor Wagner recovered absolutely, except for the fact that he limped a little. He for a long time left in the underground laboratory which is in a yard corner, providing the home library in my order. But in laboratory he did not invite me.

Once, when I sat in library, Wagner, very brisk entered, and still immediately shouted to me:

– Spins! I started the device, and now we will look, what will be farther!

I expected that there will be something extraordinary. But there passed hours, there passed day, nothing changed.

– Wait – professor in the hung moustaches smiled – centrifugal force increases in proportion to a speed square. And Earth – a decent top, you will not shake it soon!

Next morning, rising from a bed, I felt some ease. To check itself, I lifted a chair. It seemed to me much easier, than usually. Obviously, centrifugal force began to work. I came to a verandah and took seat with the book in hands. On the book the shadow from a column fell. Involuntarily I paid attention that the shadow moves quickly enough. What could it mean? As though the sun began to move quicker on the sky.

– Aha, you noticed? – I heard a voice of Wagner who watched me. – The earth rotates quicker, and change of day and night becomes shorter.

– What will be farther? – bewildered I asked.

– Time will tell – professor answered.

The sun this day set for two hours before usual.

– I represent what alarm was made by this event around the world! – I told professor. – It would be interesting to know…

– You can learn about it in my office, there is a radio receiver – Wagner answered.

I hurried in an office and could be convinced that the population of all globe is in extraordinary nervousness.

But it was only the beginning. Rotation of Earth everything increased. Days equaled to only four hours.

– Now all bodies which are on the equator lost the one fortieth part in weight – Wagner told.

– Why only on the equator?

– There the attraction of Earth is less, and the radius of rotation is more, so and centrifugal force works stronger.

Scientists already understood imminent danger. Great resettlement of the people from the equatorial areas to higher latitudes where centrifugal force was less began. But so far simplification of weight brought even benefit: trains could lift huge freights, there was enough weak-willed motorcycle motor to carry the big passenger airplane, the speed of the movement increased. People became suddenly easier and stronger. I tested this everything the increasing ease. Amazingly pleasant feeling!

Radio began to bring also more sad messages soon. Trains even more often began to derail on biases and curves of a way, however, without special accidents: cars, even falling under a slope, did not break. Wind, lifting clouds of dust which did not fall by the earth any more, passed into a hurricane. From everywhere came to conduct about terrible floods.

When the speed of rotation increased by seventeen times, objects and people on the equator absolutely lost weight.

Somehow in the evening I heard awful news on radio: in the equatorial Africa and America several cases when the people deprived of weight under influence everything the growing centrifugal force fell up were noted. Soon also the new terrifying news came: on the equator people began to choke.

– Centrifugal force breaks an air cover of the globe which was «attached» to the earth by force of terrestrial inclination – professor explained to me quietly.

– But… then we will choke? – with nervousness I asked Wagner.

He shrugged shoulders.

– We are well prepared for all changes.

– But why all of you made it? Same world accident, death of a civilization!. – I could not refrain from exclamation.

Wagner remained unperturbable.

– Why I made it, you learn then.

– Really only for scientific experience?

– I do not understand what so surprises you – he answered. – At least and only for experience. It is strange! When the hurricane blows over or there is a volcanic eruption and ruins thousands of people, comes to nobody to mind to accuse a volcano. You look at it, as at natural disaster…

This answer did not satisfy me. At me to professor Wagner the feeling of not goodwill involuntarily began to appear.

«It is necessary to be the monster, not to have heart that for the sake of scientific experience to doom to death millions of people» – I thought.

My hostility to Wagner increased as my own health more and more worsened and was from what: these awful, extraordinary messages about the perishing world, all this accelerating flashing of day and night though whom will enrage. I almost did not sleep and was extremely нервен. I had to move with the greatest care. The slightest effort of muscles – and I flew up up and fought the head about a ceiling – the truth, not really painfully. Things lost the weight, and it was harder and harder to cope with them. It was quite casual to touch a table or a chair, and heavy furniture flew away aside.

Water from a wash basin flowed very slowly, and the stream also deviated aside. Our movements became are gusty. Members of the body which is almost deprived of weight twitched, as at the cardboard clown set in motion by threads. «Motors» of our body – muscles – were too strong for the facilitated body weight. And we could not get used in any way to this new situation as weight decreased all the time.

Fima, Wagner’s housekeeper, was angry not less me. She resembled the juggler when she cooked food. Pans and frying pans flew up, aside; she tried to catch them and did the ridiculous movements, danced, jumped up.

Only one Wagner was in great mood and even laughed at us.

I decided to come to the yard, having only filled the pockets with stones that «not to fall into the sky». I saw how shallowed the sea – drove water on the West where probably it filled in coast…

In completion of all I began to feel dizziness and suffocation. Air became more rare. The gale-force wind blowing all the time from the East began as though to weaken… But temperature quickly went down.

Air thins… the end soon… I had such disgusting health that I began to think of what death to me to choose: whether to fall into the sky or to choke. It is the worst death, but I will watch to the end that will be with Earth…

«No, after all it is better to finish at once» – I solved, testing heavy suffocation, and began to take out stones from a pocket.

Someone’s hand stopped me.

– Wait! – I heard Wagner’s voice. In the rarefied air this voice sounded very poorly. – It is time to go down to us in a vault!

He took me by an arm, nodded to the-headed housekeeper who stood on a verandah, panting, and we went to a yard corner, to big round «window» in the earth. I lost the will and went dreamily. Wagner opened the heavy door conducting in underground laboratory and pushed me. Fainting, I softly fell to a stone floor.

IV. UPSIDE DOWN

I do not know whether long I was unconscious. My first feeling was that I breathe fresh air again. I opened eyes and very much was surprised, увидав the electric bulb strengthened in the middle of a floor, near the place where I lay.

– Be not surprised – I heard a voice of professor Wagner. – Our floor will become a ceiling soon. How do you feel?

– I thank you, better.

– Well, so get up, it is enough to lie! – And he took me by hand. I flew up up, to a glass ceiling, and very slowly fell down.

– Go, I will acquaint you with my underground apartment – Wagner told.

All room consisted of three rooms: two dark, lit only by electric bulbs, and one big, with a glass ceiling or a floor, I find it difficult to tell. The matter is that we endured, obviously, that moment when the attraction of Earth and centrifugal force made our bodies absolutely weightless.

It extremely complicated our travel on rooms. We did the most extraordinary pirouettes, clung to furniture, made a start, jumped, flew on tables, sometimes helplessly hung in mid-air, giving each other hands. Only several centimeters divided us, but we could not overcome this space while some smart trick did not bring us out of this unstable balance. The things shifted by us flew together with us. The chair «soared» among the room, glasses with water lay sideways, and water almost did not pour out – it gradually flowed round external walls of glass…

I noticed a door to the fourth room. There something hooted, but Wagner did not let me in this room. In it, obviously, there was a mechanism accelerating the movement of Earth.

Soon, however, ours «the interplanetary travel» terminated, and we fell on… a glass ceiling which from now on had to become our floor. It was not necessary to move things: they moved, and the electric lamp strengthened on a ceiling as it is impossible more useful was at us over the head, lighting our room in short nights.

Wagner really provided everything. Our room was well supplied with the air stored in special tanks. We were provided with canned food and water. «That is why the housekeeper did not go to a market» – I thought. Having moved to a ceiling, we went on it as freely, as on a floor though, in usual sense, we went headfirst. But the person gets used to everything. I felt rather well. When I looked down, under legs, through thick, but transparent glass, I saw under myself the sky, and it seemed to me that I stand on the round mirror reflecting in itself this sky.

However the mirror reflected in itself sometimes extraordinary and even terrible things.

The housekeeper declared that she needs to go to the house as she forgot oil.

– How you will go? – I told it. – You fall down down, that is up, faugh, the devil, everything was mixed!

– I will hold brackets in the earth, professor learned me. When we did not turn the heads down yet, we had brackets in that house, in a ceiling, and I learned «to go hands», grabbed them and went on a ceiling.

Professor Wagner provided everything!

I did not expect such heroism from the woman. To risk itself, «to go hands» over a chasm because of some oil!

– But nevertheless it is very dangerous – I told.

– Not as you think – professor Wagner objected. – The weight of our body is still insignificant – it only began to increase from zero, and absolutely small muscular force is necessary to keep. Besides I will accompany it; by the way, I need to take the notebook from the house – I forgot to take it with myself.

– But outside now there is no air?

– I have caps with compressed air which we will put on the head.

And these strange people, having dressed space suits as if they were going to fall by a sea bottom, went to a way. The double door slammed. I heard knock of an external door.

Lying on the glass floor, I pressed the person to thick glass and with nervousness began to watch them. Two persons in round caps, standing head over heels and clinging to the brackets attached to the earth quickly «went hands» to the house. Whether it is possible to imagine something stranger!

«Really, it is not so terrible – I thought. – But nevertheless it is the extraordinary woman. Suddenly it will begin to whirl the head?.» Wagner and the housekeeper proceeded in the same pose on steps on a verandah and passed out of sight.

They appeared back soon.

They already passed halfway as suddenly there was something what I grew cold with. The housekeeper dropped to bank with oil and, wishing to pick up her, broke and departed to a chasm…

Wagner made attempt to save it: he unexpectedly unwound the rope attached to a belt and, having hooked on it for a bracket, rushed after the housekeeper. The unfortunate woman fell quite slowly. And as Wagner a strong push gave to the body more bystry movement, it managed to catch up with it. He already gave to it a hand, but could not get: centrifugal force rejected its flight a little aside. And it separated from it soon… Wagner hung for a while a little on the dismissed rope and began to rise slowly from a sky chasm by the earth…

I saw how the unfortunate woman waved a hand… her body quickly decreased… The come night as a curtain, covered this picture of death…

I shuddered, having imagined her last feelings… What will be with it?. Its corpse which is not decaying in Universe cold will rush eternally forward if some star passing close does not attract this corpse.

I was so busy with the thoughts that did not notice how Wagner entered and fell near me.

– Fine death – he told quietly.

I clenched teeth and did not answer it. In me suddenly hatred to Wagner wakened again.

I with horror looked at the chasm which is spread under my legs and for the first time with extraordinary clarity understood that the sky – not blue space over us, and a chasm… that we «live in the sky», having stuck to a mote, Earth, and with the big right therefore it is possible to call us inhabitants of the sky, «inhabitants of heaven», than inhabitants of Earth. Insignificant inhabitants of heaven! Inclination of Earth, obviously, affected not only our body, but also consciousness, arresting it to Earth. Now this communication tore. I felt fragility of our terrestrial existence… Our consciousness arose together with the earth, in sky chasms, in chasms of infinite space, and in the same place it will die away…

I thought, and before my eyes something extraordinary was created… Stones came off the earth and fell up… The whole blocks of rocks began to come off soon… Day and night were replaced quicker and quicker… The sun rushed on a chasm sky, and there came night, stars rushed with the same mad speed, both again the sun, and again night… Here, in the light of the sun, I see how the fence broke and fell, having opened the horizon. I see the dried sea bottom, the devastated earth… I see that soon the end…

But people still are on Earth… I hear how tells a small loudspeaker of our radio station…

The earth is devastated almost to poles. Everything perishes… It is the last escaped radio station, on Wrangel Island. She gives signals, waits and does not receive the answer… Radio waves fly to dead emptiness… Earth is silent, also the sky is silent.

Days and nights so quickly replace each other that everything merges in a haze… The sun, flying by on the sky, draws a fiery strip against a dark background – together with the last remains of the atmosphere Earth lost the blue bed curtains, light of a heavenly azure… The moon decreased in sizes, Earth cannot hold more the satellite any more, and the moon moves away from Earth…

I feel how thick glasses of our glass floor napruzhitsya, became convex, shiver… They will not sustain soon, and I will fail in a chasm…

Who it grumbles near me?. And, professor Wagner.

I hardly rise: mad speed of Earth filled with lead my body. I pant…

– You!. – I address maliciously professor Wagner. – Why you made it? You ruined mankind, you destroyed life on Earth… Answer me! Now reduce the movement of Earth, differently I…

But professor silently negatively swings the head.

– Answer! – I shout, clenching fists.

– I cannot do anything… obviously, I made a mistake in calculations…

– So you pay for this mistake! – I exclaimed and, having absolutely gone mad, rushed on Wagner and began to smother him… At the same moment I felt how our floor cracks, glasses burst, and I, without letting out Wagner, I fly with it to a chasm…

V. «THE NEW WAY OF TEACHING»

Before me smiling face of professor Wagner. I with surprise look at it, then around myself.

Early morning. Blue bed curtains of the sky. The sea becomes blue in the distance. At a verandah two white butterflies peacefully flit. By me there passes the housekeeper with a big piece of butter on a plate…

– What is it?. What does all this mean? – I ask professor.

He smiles in the long moustaches.

– I apologize – he says – that I without your permission and even without being with you a sign used you for one experience. If you know me, then you probably know that I work on permission of a question long ago as to one person to contain the huge mass of modern scientific knowledge. I personally, for example, reached that each half of my brain works independently. I destroyed a dream and fatigue…

– I read about it – I answered. Wagner nodded.

– It is better for those. But it is available not to all. And I decided to use hypnosis for the pedagogical purposes. Eventually and in usual pedagogics there is a hypnosis share… Having come today early in the morning for walk, I noticed you… You are on duty not the first day behind a juniper bush? – he asked with a cheerful sparkle in eyes. I was confused.

– Well, here I also decided to punish you for your curiosity, having subjected to hypnosis…

– How, really all this was?.

– Only hypnosis, since that moment as you uvidat me. Isn’t that so, all of you worried as reality? And, of course, never in life you will forget endured. Thus, you had an opportunity to receive a lesson of visual instruction about laws of weight and centrifugal force… But you were very nervous pupil and at the end of a lesson behaved a little heatedly…

– But how many time the lesson proceeded?

Wagner looked at the watch.

– Minutes two, no more. Isn’t that so, productive way of assimilation of knowledge?

– But allow – I exclaimed – and this glass window, these brackets on the earth!. – I gave a hand and suddenly became silent. The area of the yard was absolutely equal; there were neither brackets, nor glass round «window» … – So it… there was a hypnosis too?

– Well, certainly… Confess what you not really missed behind my lesson of physics? Fima – he shouted – coffee is ready? Idemte to have breakfast.