trenarzh-CNnlitjarufaen

The patient was obviously deranged, but
Dr. Janishefsky had to make sure first. So he
sat back in his chair and began to question—

The Man Who Made The World

By Richard Matheson

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
February 1954
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]


Doctor Janishefsky sat in his office. Leaning back in a great leatherchair, hands folded. He had a reflective air and a well-trimmed goatee.He hummed a few bars of—"It Ain't Whatcha Do, It's The Way ThatchaDo It." He broke off and looked up with a kindly smile as the nurseentered. Her name was Mudde.

NURSE MUDDE. Doctor, there is a man in the waiting room who says hemade the world.

DOCTOR J. Oh?

NURSE MUDDE. Shall I let him in?

DOCTOR J. By all means, Nurse Mudde. Show the man in.

Nurse Mudde left. A small man entered. He was five foot five wearing asuit made for a man six foot five. His hands were near-hidden by thesleeve ends, his trouser leg bottoms creased sharply at the shoe tops,assuming the function of unattached spats. The shoes were virtuallyinvisible. As was the gentleman's mouth lurking behind a mustache ofmouselike proportions.

DOCTOR J. Won't you have a seat Mr....

SMITH. Smith. (He sits)

DOCTOR J. Now.

(They regard each other)

DOCTOR J. My nurse tells me you made the world.

SMITH. Yes. (In a confessional tone) I did.

DOCTOR J. (Settling back in his chair) All of it?

SMITH. Yes.

DOCTOR J. And everything in it?

SMITH. Take a little, give a little.

DOCTOR J. You're sure of this?

SMITH. (With an expression that clearly says—I am telling the truththe whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me.) Quite sure.

DOCTOR J. (Nods once) When did you do this thing?

SMITH. Five years ago.

DOCTOR J. How old are you?

SMITH. Forty-seven.

DOCTOR J. Where were you the other forty-two years?

SMITH. I wasn't.

DOCTOR J. You mean you started out....

SMITH. Forty-two years old. That's correct.

DOCTOR J. But the world is millions of years old.

SMITH. (Shaking his head) No. It isn't.

DOCTOR J. It's five years old.

SMITH. That's correct.

DOCTOR J. What about fossils? What about the age of rocks? Uranium intolead. What about diamonds?

SMITH. (Not to be bothered) Illusions.

DOCTOR J. You made them up.

SMITH. That's....

DOCTOR J. (Breaking in) Why?

SMITH. To see if I could.

DOCTOR J. I don't....

SMITH. Anyone can make a world. It takes ingenuity to make one and thenmake the people on it think that it's existed for millions of years.

DOCTOR J. How long did all this take you?

SMITH. Three and a half months. World time.

DOCTOR J. What do you mean by that?

SMITH. Before I made the world I lived beyond time.

DOCTOR J. Where's that?

SMITH. No where.

DOCTOR J. In the cosmos?

SMITH. That's correct.

DOCTOR J. You didn't like it there?

SMITH. No. It was boring.

DOCTOR J. And that's why....

SMITH. I made the world.

DOCTOR J. Yes. But ... how did you make it?

SMITH. I had books.

DOCTOR J. Books?

SMITH. Instruction books.

DOCTOR J. Where did you get them?

SMITH. I made them up.

DOCTOR J. You mean you wrote them?

SMITH. I ... made them up.

DOCTOR J. How?

SMITH. (Mustache bristling truculently) I made them up.

DOCTOR J

...

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