"Technically, your other self is still up by the laundry chute looking
in or going back to bed, or whatever." He scratched his balding head.
"Really an unfortunate event. For when the other you enters our hallway
door, we shall have to do away with one of you. It would not only
frighten Marsha, but the federal government would accuse us of waste,
corruption and heaven knows what else."
The wildness in Ernie's eyes turned into a gleam. "You mean your
government just wouldn't understand?"
"Right," the man said unhappily. "There's more politics in science than
you'd ever believe possible."
"Mister, I think I have a solution."
"You _have_?"
* * * * *
Ernie walked to the bar, grabbed an armful of magnums, then walked to
the plastic experimental table, flung open the door, slung bottle after
bottle at the instruments, caused three small explosions, a sputtering
red fire, a terrible burst of black smoke and a sudden explosion that
turned the whole new dimension--such as it was--into a white blinding
sun.
When the nausea left, he saw the bodies lying on a green grassy area
in what seemed to be Washington, D. C. He made his way in torn pajamas
to Unison Station, paid a man to go out and buy him a second-hand suit
by giving up his gold wedding band, then found the Senatoreale Office
Building, located the office of the Senatore of Iowaki, as he had
planned to do, and asked for permission to enter the "other" dimension
to take home movies. The senatore asked him the name of his home town,
accused him of lisping it, handed him a year's free pass to Other World
and a two-year pass to the Senatoreale in session.
Ernie, following instructions on the card, walked to a little white
building near the Washingable Monument, stepped inside, handed a man
his Other World card, then walked through a door, felt sick at his
stomach, came out to the streetcar line to Melinee and home.
When he got there, it was almost daylight, and the front door was
locked. He climbed through an upstairs window, looked through the
laundry chute, saw nothing and returned to his bed. Melinee was still
sleeping soundly.
He wrestled with his pillow a while. Then the alarm went off.
The rest was simple. At breakfast he told her he was taking the day off.
"Darling, why on Earth?"
"We're moving," he said.
"But _why_?"
"There was an explosion in the night. I think it was gas escaping."
"We might have died!" she cried.
Ernie closed his eyes. "Go look in the hall, dear, and tell me what you
see."
When she returned, she was in a quandary.
"Well?" he asked. "Did you see that crazy extra door blown off the
wall?"
"No, Ernie, but there's a man at the door in pajamas like yours who
claims he's been following you."