A short-short, 1950s version of the grandfather paradox with a resolution that’s not quite
satisfying (branching universes, I think, but it’s unclear).
The story was reprinted in
the 1958 collection, Honeymoon in Hell, which features a cover by Hieronymus Bosch
(indexer Grzegorz’s favorite painter) with an owl in the background (Grzegorz’s favorite
bird)!
What would have happened if you’d rushed to the door and kicked yourself in the seat of
the pants?
DEBUT
“First Time Machine,” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine,September
1955.
VARIANTS
Debut. “First Time Machine,” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine,September 1955.