During a philosophy lecture, the left hand of bored college student Shorty McCabe disappears, at which point Shorty figures he may as well follow wherever the hand went, which turns out to be into a time machine invented by the only kind of person who could invent such a thing—a crazy man.
But a time machine is impossible. It is a paradox. Your professors will explain that a time machine cannot be, because it would mean that two things could occupy the same space at the same time. And a man could go back and kill himself when he was younger, and—oh, all sorts of stuff like that. It’s completely impossible. Only a crazy man could—

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  1. “Paradox Lost” by Fredric Brown, Astounding, October 1943.
    2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Fredric Brown