After Norm Harker tells of a magic man who can bring you back a single item from the future (for the right price), Anthony Boucher’s detective Fergus O’Breen tops the story with the tale of how he figured out why a dead American living in Mexico liked to call himself a doctor.
At least that’s the firm belief everywhere on the island: a tualala can go forward in time and bring you back any single item you specify, for a price. We used to spend the night watches speculating on what would be the one best thing to order.

Variants

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  1. “The Pink Caterpillar” by Anthony Boucher, in Adventure, February 1945.
    2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Anthony Boucher