公开：电梯中事故.pdfVIP

OpenSecret

byHenryKuttnerandC.L.Moore

(asbyLewisPadgett)

NOTHINGsecretatall.Walkintheirofficeanytime.Only—somehowthe

wordcouldn’tbespread,theworldcouldn’tunderstand—

illustratedbyFax

AnA\NN/APreservationEdition.

Notes

MikeJerroldwastheonlypassengerintheelevatorwhentheoperator

passedout.Hesawthemangasp,doubleupinpain,andstaboutblindly

atthestopbutton.Pressureagainsthissodecreased.Jerroldjumped

forwardandtriedtocatchthefallingman,butdidn’tquitemakeit.

Thelipslookedcyanosed;thatmeantheartattack.Jerrold’sdegreewasfor

psychiatry,notmedicine,sohewasataloss.Scatteredbitsof

half-forgottenfirstaidwhirledintohismindandoutagainlikea

kaleidoscope.Hestaredaround,realizingabruptlytheshortcomingofan

elevatorasidefromitsfunctionaluse.Notthatitwasabadelevator,per

se.Itwasquitemodern,inoneofNewYork’sbestskyscrapers,and,once

youwereinsideandthedoorclosed,youhadnowayofknowing,tillit

openedagain,whetheryouwereten,twenty,orthirtystoriesaboveground

level.Agrab-bagsortofarrangement,thoughwithouttheelementof

chance.Therandomfactorcouldnotenterintothequestion—aslongasthe

operatorcontrolledtheelevator.

He’dpassedoutnow.Jerroldgrimaced,touchedabuttonbyguesswork,and

feltthecagebegintoriseagain.Thefifteenthfloor,itwas.Inamoment

thedoorslidnoiseslyopenasthecarsettledpneumaticallyinto

position.Jerroldlookedatainlyfurnishedofficewithareceptionist’s

windowinthefartherwall.Therewasadoornearit,abrowncarpetonthe

floor,butnochairs.Norwasthereceptionistvisible.

Jerroldstartedoutandthen,struckbyanewthought,pausedtodragthe

operatorwithhim.Hevaguelymistrustedelevators.Sometimesthey