CHAPTER I
JOHN Dow lifted the phone from its cradle on his large walnut surfaced desk. "Yes?" he said absently, knowing that he was talking only to the switchboard girl, who would tell him who was on the phone and give him a chance to be "out."
He was in keeping with his large elaborate office. Neatly combed gray hair, a face marked with the indelible stamp of authority, a well tailored brown suit designed to conceal an average paunch.
Beside the phone was a thick tablet, the top page of which said Thursday, November 5, 1984.
"There's a Dr. Simon French to see you, Mr. Dow," the pleasant voice of the switchboard girl said. "He says he wrote to you."
"Oh, yes," Dow said into the phone, picking a letter out of the pile on one corner of his desk.
"And your wife's on the phone," the girl added.
"Put her on," he said, "and tell Dr. French to come in."
His eyes were scanning the letter he had received the week before. Dated October 27, 1984, the letterhead was that of a well known research group that put out an annual booklet on business trends for the coming year, among other things. He had never heard of Dr. Simon French though, until he received the letter.
"Hi, Gloria," he said into the phone.
Dear Mr. Dow, the letter began. On Thursday, November 5, 1984, at two P.M. I will call at your office on a matter of extreme importance to our research organization.
"What!" Dow shouted gleefully. "Frank's wife is going to have a baby?"
The door opened. John glanced up at the man who was entering. Cupping his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, he nodded toward a chair and said, "Sit down, doctor. I'll be with you in a moment." Then, uncupping the phone, "Oh, not until February," he said, disappointed. "Does Frank say in his letter whether he got that promotion? Oh, not yet, huh."
Our circulation department informs me that you have been a subscriber to our business forecast service for the past ten years, the letter went on, so you are acquainted with one of the research departments of our organization. The matter I wish to discuss with you, however, has nothing to do with business forecasts, but lies in another field of research. I most sincerely hope in view of our past service to you that you will grant me the time to explain to you in person.
"Yes, I'll be home on time tonight, Gloria. If something comes up so I'm delayed I'll call you.... Bye now."
He hung up, his eyes surveying the man seated across the desk from him. A young man, in his late twenties, unusually high forehead, steady blue eyes, well formed features.
John smiled and half lifted the letter, letting it drop back on the desk surface. "From your letter you sound rather anxious to talk with me about something, Dr. French."
"Yes sir," the young man said. "Have you much time to spare?" As John Dow looked at the clock he added, "It will take a little time. Maybe half an hour or more."
"That's not too long, Dr. French," John said, leaning back.
"I'll make it as short as possible," Dr. Simon French said. "I doubt if you know anything about our organization other than that it publishes the business forecast. We don't explain our methods in print, leaving the readers to draw their own conclusions as to where we get our data that enables us to make such remarkably accurate predictions.
"We use a combination of several methods and coordinate the results of all of them. Where they agree, the predictions are generally accurate. Where they disagree we have found over the past ten years that one particular method we have been developing is usually the most accurate. That method is rather involved. It employs, among other things, a form of hypnosis."
"This sounds like it might be rather interesting, Dr. French," Dow said.
"Hypnosis," Dr. French continued, "has several different types. There's the kind where the hypnotist lulls the subject into a passive sleep by suggestion. No machine of any kind is used unless the hypnotist uses a bright object to aid in inducing sleep."
"I've read about that, of course," John Dow said. "Even saw it done on a stage several years ago. Was it at the Great Northern Theater? Well, it doesn't matter."
"We began with that type of hypnosis," Dr. French continued.
"At first we were studying the possible effects hypnosis might have on the brain waves picked up by the electroencephalograph. To see, among other things, if the alteration in mental activity brought about by hypnosis was different than the alteration brought about by just naturally falling asleep."
"And did you find a differences John Dow asked, interested.
"Quite decidedly, yes," Dr. French said, smiling. "We continued our research along that line, finding the electroencephalograph a valuable tool in perfecting hypnosis techniques.
"I don't know whether you have read much on the subject or not, but have you ever run across the idea of pushing the mind back into childhood under hypnosis?"
"I think I read something on that," John Dow said. "If I remember correctly, the theory was that when the adult subject was taken back to when he was eight years old he made the same mistakes in spelling."
"That's right," Dr. French said. "Our research explored that line quite thoroughly, along with the other phases of the subject.
"Then, one day, we tried something different. We jumped a subject around until he was completely lost in time, and told him it was a certain date six months in the future."
"And what happened?" John asked.
"He lived out a few hours of that day just like it were as vivid a memory as any of the past!" Dr. French said.
"What!" John said. "You mean he had a memory of the future?"
"Not quite," Dr. French said, smiling. "You see, when we had the same subject live out that same future date a week later it came out differently."
"Oh," John said, settling back. "I get it. His imagination rationalized things by inventing what happened in the future."
"You could call it that," Dr. French agreed. "Except that when we tried the same thing on several different subjects on the same day they agreed in general about the overall events of that particular date."
"Something like, if X had lunch with Y on that future date," John Dow said, "then Y said he had lunch with X?"
"Substantially that," Dr. French admitted.
"Oh!" John exclaimed knowingly. "So that's how you gather your business predictions for the coming year!"
"That's one of the systems we use," Dr. French said smiling, "but don't tell anyone. It's our big secret."
"Uh--then you had in mind asking me to be a subject for finding out what will happen next year?" John asked doubtfully.
"Let me go on," Dr. French said smoothly. "If you remember, I said that events for any particular date changed from day to day. To use your illustration, if X and Y said they had lunch together on July 8, 1985, when they were under hypnosis on May 6, 1984; then when they were under hypnosis on June 6, 1984 maybe they didn't have lunch together on July 8, 1985."
He grinned at the bewildered expression on John's face.
"Then how do you account for their agreement on having lunch together and then not having lunch together?" John asked.
"We finally evolved a theory," Dr. French said with slow emphasis. "I want you to understand that theory, because it plays a very vital part in what I want to tell you about a little later."
"Picture yourself," he went on, "suddenly kidnapped from here and placed in solitary confinement in a plain cell somewhere for an indefinite period. Today is November 5, 1984. If you were in that cell until this time next year, then on November 5, 1985, you would do certain things and think certain things during that day. But if you weren't kidnapped and placed in that cell until tomorrow, then on November 5, 1985 you would behave slightly differently, and think of something different. The events of the next twenty-four hours will then have altered that day a year in the future, everything else being the same."
"That's open to question," John Dow said. "There would be no way of comparing. But I can see vaguely what you mean."
"Good," Dr. French said. "But get this: not all events changed. Maybe X and Y had lunch together on July 8th next year from the hypnotic point, May 6th of this year, but not from the hypnotic point, July 8th of this year, so that that particular event was a variable. But at both hypnotic points they may have agreed that it was raining all day that day in the future. And also there may have been several things they disagreed on."
"Humm," John said. "I can see the possibilities. If the future doesn't exist until we come to it, then two different people shouldn't agree on what will happen on that day, of such an insignificant character that nothing in the present could cause their imagination to arrive at a common conclusion."
"That's right," Dr. French agreed. "The very fact that they do agree indicates something more than imagination enters into it. And the fact we have found to be borne out that the elements that don't change--we call them hypnotic invariants ?generally come true when that future date arrives, shows that there is something, we don't know what yet, that ties the future with the present in men's minds. That's how we make our business forecasts almost exclusively now. It isn't infallible. Working with the thing as I have for the past ten years, I've gained a sort of feel for the whole setup.
"The way I visualize it, the mind of any individual is somewhat in tune with those of others around him, millions of others. The hypnotic dream of what goes on at some future date is drawn from that mass mental complex. Anything external to that mental mass is a variable. And everything being impressed on the mass is constantly altering future possibilities."
"Then the population of Chicago could be likened to me being kidnapped and placed in solitary confinement," John said.
"That's what I mean," Dr. French agreed. "So long as you aren't in a controlled and isolated environment, your environment is altering your probable behavior in the near future."
Dr. Simon French paused, lighting a cigarette, his eyes studying John Dow thoughtfully.
"We perfected that phase of our research," he said abruptly, "and systematized it as a going enterprise to give us an income for further study."
"I think I see why it won't work for more than a year in the future," John said. "A couple of years from now so many new factors have influenced the population that detailed events are completely unpredictable."
"Exactly," Dr. French said.
"This mass mind business interests me," John said slowly. "I see what made you bring that in. The fact that two persons could agree on something six months away without comparing notes ahead of time. It would have to be a sort of mass telepathy or mass consciousness that the individual draws on."
"Under this deep hypnosis we have perfected," Dr. French added. "Under normal consciousness and normal sleep the individual is never aware of it as an influence on his thoughts."
"This is the most amazing thing I've ever heard of," John Dow said. "I gather you're after me to become a subject of this--ah--research?"
"Let me go on," Dr. French said. "To answer your question, no. We have something far more important to us in mind. It has to do with another branch of our research."
"Another branch of research?" John echoed. "What you've outlined seems more than enough for one research organization to concentrate on. What else could you be doing?"
"The past is fixed," Dr. French said. "What happened to you yesterday can never be altered. What happened to you twenty years ago on September 4th can't be changed. We could place you under hypnosis with our perfected techniques and you would live out every minute of that twenty-four hours in detail. We could do it again a year from now and the details you would relive would be exactly the same."
"Of course," John said.
"But," Dr. French said slowly, "suppose we convinced you under hypnosis that on some particular date ten years ago something happened that actually didn't? It would be an outside factor."
"Just like the outside factors impressing on the mental mass of humanity, altering the course of the future?" John said.
"Just like that," Dr. French said.
"You mean that it would make me remember under hypnosis a whole future stemming from that date, that wouldn't agree with what actually happened?"
"Eventually, yes," Dr. French said. "It would be the unfoldment of your life as IF that event had actually happened. We could start you off with that change, and allow you to live right up to the present and find out what the world of today would be like IF that event had happened."
"A sort of world of if?" John Dow suggested, smiling dryly. "What good would it be?"
"That's what we asked ourselves when we started that line of research," Dr. French said, matching his smile. "But very quickly we ran into things similar to what we ran into in our research into the future. We ran into independent people agreeing remarkably on events. Specific events that didn't happen, deriving, from the introduction of this one foreign or superimposed factor."
"An event of general importance like some prominent man dying before he actually did," Dr. French said, "brings out a consistent and sometimes very remarkable 'history' dating from that event."
"Yes?" John Dow said. "Interesting. I mean from the standpoint of your research. It would have no practical value, such as that derived from your study of the coming year in order to map business curves. I can truthfully say that I save several thousand dollars a year by following those predictions in my business."
"You've been in the publishing business for many years," French said. "As far back as 1953?"
"I thought you said you knew nothing about me except that I'm a subscriber to your annual booklet," John Dow said, smiling.
"Actually that's all I do know about you directly," Dr. French said, seeming to choose his words cautiously. "But I gather the answer is yes?"
"That's right. The Moore Publishing Company. I was editor of their Western magazines. But why do you pick that particular year? I was there until 1957. Started in 1951--no, it was the fall of 1950. Left them in 1957 to start the Dow Publishing Company. Started with a Western and a Fact Detective and the business has grown into nine national magazines and fourteen Daily newspapers, all published in the largest cities in the country." John Dow frowned thoughtfully at Dr, French. "I catch some sort of implication in what you said--'all you know about me directly.' I'm beginning to put two and two together."
"How do you mean?" Dr. French asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
"This business of agreement existing among independent subjects under hypnosis," John said. "You've been leading up to something. In some way my name appeared in your research into the worlds of 'if' as you call them. I gather you located me, then looked in your subscription list to see if I was there. That would give you an opening cue in contacting me, but was an afterthought, rather than the reason. Wasn't it?"
Dr. French concentrated very deeply on the task of taking out a cigarette and lighting it. Finally he looked up.
"You're right, Mr. Dow," he said.
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