In addition to A.E. van Vogt’s “Secret Unattainable,” the July 1942 Astounding
also had three short, short time travel stories as part of the magazine’s Probability
Zero series. In this story, our narrator tells of the quirky Quarrels who took his time
machine into the past—or we should say some past—to woo the winsome Nephertiti.
Well, didn’t you realize that this uncertainty holds for the past, too? I hadn’t
until Quarrels pointed it out. All we have is a lot of incomplete data. Is it just
because we’re stupid? Not at all. We can’t find a unique wave function.
DEBUT
“About Quarrels, about the Past,” Astounding,July 1942.
VARIANTS
Debut. “About Quarrels, about the Past,” Astounding,July 1942.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .written byJohn R. Pierce as by John Pierce
Well, didn’t you realize that this uncertainty holds for the past, too? I hadn’t
until Quarrels pointed it out. All we have is a lot of incomplete data. Is it just
because we’re stupid? Not at all. We can’t find a unique wave function.
1 English variant