《时间机器》TheTimeMachine.docx
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《时间机器》TheTimeMachine.docx
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《时间机器》TheTimeMachine
《时间机器》TheTimeMachine
thetimemachine
by
johnlogan
february22,2000
int.columbiauniversity-lecturehall-day
darkness.thenasound...
click-clack,click-clack,click-clack...
thefamiliarsoundofchalkwritingonablackboard.
fadeuptosee...
ahandzoomingacrossablackboardatincrediblespeed,
forminganendlessalgebraicequation.
amazingly,whenthewriterreachestheendoftheblackboard
hedoesnotliftthechalkandreturntotheleftsideto
beginanewline--insteadhesimplyloopsaroundand
continueswriting,righttoleft,upsidedown.
thecollegestudentsinhisclass--allmaleanddressedin
latevictorianclothes--smileatthisfamiliarpeculiarity
andtilttheirheadstotryandreadtheendlessequation,
copyingfuriouslyintonotebooks.
thehandcontinuestozoomalongtheblackboard...andthen
slows...andthenstops...thestudentswait...thehandtaps
thechalkontheblackboardforamomentandwefinally
see...
alexanderhartdegen,ahandsomeyoungmannotmucholderthan
hisstudents,standingattheblackboard.heisgazingouta
window,lookingatabirdonatreebranch.hesmiles.
thestudentsglancetooneanother.
alexanderremembershimselfandturnsbacktotheblackboard,
hishandagainflyingas:
alexander
so--length,width,breadth--
formulatetheareaandofcoursewe
arriveatsolidmass.butimagine
ifwecontinuetheequationasi've
done--can'twebegintorecognize
anotherdimensionbeyondthefirst
three?
itheorizewebegintofind
duration--theobject'splacein
time.let'snotethatas'd'
here...
alexanderreachestheleftsideoftheblackboardandloops
aroundagaininanunbrokenlinetocontinuetheequation
fromlefttorightagain.
thestudentsarehopelesslylost.theyfinallystopcopying
andjustwatchalexanderwork,admiringhisbrilliant
innovation.
meanwhile,amanwatchesfromthebackofthelecturehall.
heisdavidphilby,alexander'sclosestfriend,abitolder.
alexander
...ifweacceptthetheoretical
possibilityofdurationasafourth
dimensionwefindthatourequation
might--no,that'snotright--
heerasessomenumbersquicklywithhishand,sendingupa
cloudofchalkdust,hecoughs.
alexander
--there,thatlooksmorelike
it...
hecontinuestoscribbleatlightningspeed.then...
hebeginshummingtohimself.
thestudentswatch,amused.philbysmiles.
alexanderfinallystopshummingandwriting.stepsbackand
looksattheequation.thenheturnstohisstudents.
alexander
doesthismakeanysensetoyou?
thestudentsareconfused.oneoffers:
student
sir,ifimay,wouldn'titbe
easierifyouappliedafibonacci
sequencetothedifferential
coefficient?
alexander
(smiles)
it'snotsupposedtobeeasy,it's
supposedtobebeautiful...allof
youthinkaboutthattonightand
we'llpressontomorrogood
afternoon.
thestudentsbegintorise,classover.theyleavethe
classroomtalkingeagerlyaboutalexander'stheories,
inspired.
asuddennewangle:
fromaboveweseealexandergoingto
philby,leavingtheclassroomtalkingwithhim.wearein
theupperbalconyoftheclassroom.asolitaryfigurelooks
down,watchingthem.
thisnewfigureisathinmanwithpaleskin,drylike
parchment.somehowominous.
int.columbia-hallway-day
alexanderwalkswithphilby:
alexander
...thepointisiknowitwill
workoncethe,um,numbersandsuch
areinorder.
philby
doyouknowyouwerehumming?
alexander
iwasnot.
philby
somewherearound'd+2xysomething
something.'
alexander
damnedificankeepheroutofmy
equations.
philby
tonight'sthenight?
alexander
(checkingpocketwatch)
god,andi'mrunninglate--
aprimwomanappearsbeforethem:
primwoman
dr.hartdegen,dr.philby...dean
fultonwouldliketoseeyou.
alexanderandphilbyexchangealook.gulp.theyfollowthe
primwoman.
int.columbia-deanfulton'soffice-day
theyfollowtheprimwoman,deanfulton'ssecretary,intohis
dark,paneledoffice.
primwoman
he'soutside.
alexanderandphilbymovethroughtheofficeandouttoa
gardencourtyard...
ext.columbia-gardencourtyard-day
oddly,chickensarecluckingaboutthecourtyard.
thethinmanwesawbefore,deanfulton,iscasuallytossing
downfeedforthechickens.withhisotherhandhecarries
anumbrellatoprotecthimselffromthesun.hedoesnot
lookup.
deanfulton
gentlemen,watchyourstep.
alexanderandphilbystop.deanfultonlooksupandsmiles,
benevolent.
deanfulton
myfowlhavepollutedtheyard.
philby
deanfulton...
deanfultoncontinuestolazilyscatterfeedforhis
chickens.
deanfulton
dr.philby,dr.hartdegen.i
receivedthemostextraordinary
letterlastweek.fromaparent.
wearealwayspleasedtoreceive
lettersfromparents.theyareour
employers,afterall.this
gentleman'ssonisinyourclass,
dr.hartdegen.
alexander
(knowswhat'scoming)
isee.
deanfulton
asirecallthesyllabusthename
ofyourtutorialis'applied
mathematicsandengineering',ami
correct?
alexander
exactlycorrect,sir.
deanfultonstopsscatteringfeedandgazesatalexanderwith
asmile.thisisanoldgamebetweenthemandtheyboth
ratherenjoyit.toapoint.
deanfulton
well,justasithought.surely
it'sallbeenaterriblemistake.
thisparentactuallysuggestedthat
yourfreshmancourseinapplied
mathematicshassomehowbecomea
seminarontheoreticalphysics!
alexander
imaginethat.
deanfulton
butiknowthatnoneofmyfaculty
wouldeverdeviatefromthe
assignedcurriculum.
alexander
well...perhapsihave'deviated'
thetiniestbit.
deanfulton
mightiaskwhy?
alexander
becausetheassignedcurriculumis
boring.
philbygroansveryquietly.
alexander
sir,thatcurriculumisfortyyears
outofdate.thestudentstoday
arelookingtowardthenewcentury
--theywanttobechallengedand
inspired,notspoon-feddustyold
equationsthathavebeenproveda
thousandtimes.theywantto
explore.
deanfulton
dothey?
deanfultonsmilesandthenbeginstoscatterfeedagain.
deanfulton
whataretheseanimals,gentlemen?
alexanderandphilbyexchangealook.
philby
um,yourchickens,sir.
alexanderhelpfullyoffers:
alexander
androosters.
deanfulton
no,dr.hartdegen,theyarenot
justchickensandroosters.they
arescience.perhapstheyaren't
'inspiring'toyou.perhapsthey
don't'challenge'you--
alexander
no,sir--
deanfulton
animalhusbandryisscience,dr.
hartdegen.ihavebeenbreeding
thesefowlforfourteenyears.i
havefilledalibrarywith
informationontheirfeeding
patterns,socialbehaviorand
breeding.empirical,exacting,
quantifiablerecords.
alexander
sir--
deanfultonlooksupathim,hiseyescold:
deanfulton
'duration'isnotadimension.
scientistsdonotimaginetheworld
aroundthem.theydonotwool-
gatherorcloud-spin.theyprove.
theydemonstrate.columbia
universitydoesnotteachfantasy.
philbyshootsalexanderawarninglook,butalexandercan't
helphimself:
alexander
withrespect,sir,wouldwehave
thetelegraphwithoutfantasy?
wouldwehaveradiumandx-rays
withoutsomeonefirstdreamingwe
could?
deanfulton
theadvancesyouspeakofwerethe
resultofcountlessyearsofstudy
andempiricalexperimentation,a
carefulevolutionaryprocess,not
chalkboardparlor-tricks.
alexander
myequationsarenotparlor-tricks!
deanfulton
abstractmathematics,relativityof
dimensions,geometrical'durations'
--evenallowingfortheusesof
speculation,whatisthepoint?
alexander
becauseit'sanewwayofseeing
theworld!
ofseeingourplacein
it!
philby
sir,ifimay--
deanfulton
(withfinality,to
alexander)
youngman,wehaveawayofdoing
thingshere.radicaltheorizingis
notacceptable.haveimademyself
understood?
alexander
yes,sir.
deanfulton
verygood.nowifyouwillexcuse
usforamoment.
alexandergoesbackintotheoffice.
philby
ifimightexplain,sir--
deanfulton
yousupportedhisapplication,dr.
philby.youarehissenior,
advisor.idependuponyouto
restrainhis...excesses.any
repetitionofthebehaviori
witnessedinhisclassroomtoday
andtherewillbeconsequencesfor
youboth.
philby
yes,sir.
deanfulton
nowyouareupsettingmyfowl.
pleasego.
philbyextricateshimselffromachickenpeckingathisshoe
andgoes.
alexander(v.o.)
he'sadinosaur.he'salready
extinct,hejustdoesn'tknowit...
ext.streetcar-day
alexanderandphilbyareinanopenhorse-drawnstreetcar,
headingdowntown.everywherearoundthem,themassivecity
bustles.
newyorkcityattheendofthe19thcentury.itisvibrant
tothepointoffrenzy;reachingforthefutureinafurious
upheavalofconstruction.
title:
newyorkcity-may12,1895-5:
17p.m.
alexander
...onedayhe'llbediscoveredby
somefuturearcheologistsandthey
won'tknowwhattomakeofhim.
thethickbrow,solackingin
imagination.thedimlittleeyes,
devoidofcuriosity.
philby
youknowgenerallyteachersare
supposedtoteachrealequations
thatadduptorealnumbers.
alexander
where'sthechallengeinthat?
philby
alex,thisisyourfirstyearasan
associateprofessor.youmight
wanttoplaythingsalittlemore
conservatively.
alexander
yousoundlikemyfather...
alexanderpointstothemassesofgreybusinessmen,allin
identicalbowlerhats,marchingalongthesidewalk:
alexander
lookatthem,philby,allalike,
everyoneinanidenticalbowler
hat.doyouwantyourstudentsto
turnoutlikethem?
philby
iwantmystudentstoemergewith
theoreticalandpractical
knowledge.
alexander
idon't.iwantthemtorunalong
thisstreetandknockoffevery
bowlertheysee.
philby
youmay
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