Bank and Shoal of Time
- by R. A. Lafferty
- Novelette
- Science Fiction
- Adults
- Definite Time Travel
- English
- “Bank and Shoal of Time” by R. A. Lafferty, in A Spadeful of Spacetime, edited by Fred Saberhagen (Ace Books, February 1981).
Peter Luna brings five “time attempter” experts to his estate, hoping that he’ll be able to pass on his secret for getting over the time shoal that prevents them from exploring the past.
—Michael Main
This was the message received by a dozen or so experts in the "time attempters" field:
"I have succeeded in establishing a creeping time-satellite or time-shuttle at my estate of Moonwick near Lunel in the Herault Department of the Peoples Republic of France. If you are really experts in your field, you will appreciate the importance of this. From this time-shuttle, which is just beyond the ‘shoal’ of all of you to whom I am sending this message, it will be possible for you to launch genuine time probes. I am sending this to a dozen or so and I hope for acceptance from at least five. I must have a matched set of at least five. Some soon. A very little bit after ‘soon’ will be too late for me to transmit the shuttle to you. Bring ideas only. Everything else for frugal and break-through living is provided. You will receive various transportation chits and enabling papers. Peter Luna.”
The World Courier Service (“No questions asked. Messages carried anywhere or anywhen in the world”) delivered these messages to the dozen or so persons who were experts in the time field. And some of the people gave assent and some didn’t. So, the next day, the Courier Service delivered airline tickets, train tickets, and International Taxi Coupons to five of the experts who had agreed to go to Moonwick.
Tags
(11)
- Time Periods
- Circa AD 1930 to 1939: Peter Luna’s home time: 1928
- Circa AD 1970 to 1999: probable home time of the characters: “Are these the calculations that you publish in the Spring of 1986 issueof ‘Time Returns Again Quarterly’, Farquharson?”
- Unspecified Year: The story opens on Moonwick Estate, a “couple of minutes after noon on ‘Midsummer’s Day’ of an ambiguous year.”—although later, Peter notes that “The entire estate of Moonwick is a time-satellite. You are all back in the year 1928, many years before your births. You are beyond the shoal, and you have clear sailing now.”
- Timeline Models
- Time Travel Methods
- Time Vehicles (motorized): The Walker truck brought the five to Peter Luna’s year.
- Unexplained Time Travel Methods: A vague explanation is attempted: “I believe that each of you has worked out calculations for it, the themes and equations and formulae. You have designs for the hardware. The trip can be made by several different conveyances, and you five have likely hit on the most apt ones. You are able to take all the steps—except the first step. I know that frustrates you. To mix our metaphors, there is a shoal right across the mouth of our harbor and it will not let us come out.”
- Themes
- Cannot Return to Where You Already Exist: “We cannot go back where we already are.”
- Differing Time Rates: “I’ve put my very special local time here on slow-jog. After quite a while you will notice that your watches have really moved ahead slightly, very slightly, a second maybe in what will seem like several hours to you.”
- Intertemporal Communication Systems between Time Travel Agents/Offices/etc.: Peter says of the World Courier Service: “I suppose they do have a time-shuttle of some sort.”
- Reconstructing or Re-Emergence of the Past: “Complete visual pictures . . . can be reconstructed of anything whose light or shadow fell even indirectly on one of these stones.” And sounds. And smells.
- Fictional Tags
- Ghosts: “All ghost appearances are time trips.”
Variants
(1)
- “Bank and Shoal of Time” by R. A. Lafferty, in A Spadeful of Spacetime, edited by Fred Saberhagen (Ace Books, February 1981).
Indexer Notes
(1)
- Sent to the ITTDB via e-mail by Fred Galvin.