Then he disappeared.
I looked at that which he had made. I wondered where he had gone, in
search of what.
"He didn't use that," Andre said.
So I was an Earthman, Doc's son. So my addiction to coffee was all in
my mind. That didn't change anything. They say sex is all in your mind.
I didn't want to be cured. I wouldn't be. Doc was gone. That was all I
had now. That and the _thing_ he left.
"The rest is simple," Andre said. "Doc O'Malley bought up all the stock
in a certain ancient metaphysical order and started supplying members
with certain books. Can you imagine the effect of the _Book of Dyzan_
or the _Book of Thoth_ or the _Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan_ or the
_Necronomican_ itself on human beings?"
"But they don't exist," I said wearily.
"Exactly, Kevin, exactly. They have never existed any more than your
Victorian detective friend. But the unconscious racial mind has reached
back into time and created them. And that unconscious mind, deeper than
psychology terms the subconscious, has always known about the powers
of ESP, telepathy, telekinesis, precognition. Through these books,
the human race can tell itself how to achieve a state of pure logic,
without food, without sex, without conflict--just as Doc has achieved
such a state--a little late, true. He had a powerful guilt complex,
even stronger than your withdrawal, over releasing this blessing on
the inhabited universe, but reason finally prevailed. He had reached a
state of pure thought."
"The North American government _has_ to have this secret, Kevin," the
girl said. "You can't let it fall into the hands of the Martians."
* * * * *
Andre did not deny that he wanted it to fall into his hands.
I knew I could not let Doc's--Dad's--time travel _thing_ fall into
anyone's hands. I remembered that all the copies of the books had
disappeared with their readers now. There must not be any more, I knew.
Miss Casey did her duty and tried to stop me with a judo hold, but I
don't think her heart was in it, because I reversed and broke it.
I kicked the _thing_ to pieces and stomped on the pieces. Maybe you
can't stop the progress of science, but I knew it might be millenniums
before Doc's genes and creative environment were recreated and time
travel was rediscovered. Maybe we would be ready for it then. I knew we
weren't now.
Miss Casey leaned against my dirty chest and cried into it. I didn't
mind her touching me.
"I'm glad," she said.
Andre flowed out of the doorway with a sigh. Of relief?
I would never know. I supposed I had destroyed _it_ because I didn't
want the human race to become a thing of pure reason without purpose,
direction or love, but I would never know for sure. I thought I could
kick the habit--perhaps with Miss Casey's help--but I wasn't really
confident.
Maybe I had destroyed the time machine because a world without material
needs would not grow and roast coffee.