Page:Fantastic Universe (1956-10; vol. 8, no. 3).djvu/94

122 intellectual development, known to us as elementals."

"Poltergeists?" Jaguers said.

"Including Poltergeists," Walstab agreed. "They are supposed to come from a plane of existence apart from, but contiguous to, our own three-dimensional. If the account given by Chris is correct, this plane is called the Second Sphere, or Elemental; a sphere next to, and larger than our own Solar or First Sphere, and corresponding to its space surface in location though not in substance. There are thought to be a number of such spheres, each one wrapped successively about its fellow, and rising in outward order and development. There is also some evidence suggesting that it is to Elemental, or the Second Sphere, that certain patently undeveloped souls in Earth life are sent after death; but this is an aspect with which we are not now concerned. The immediate problem is how to reach Chris."

Graut said: "Spheres not of dimensions but vibrations. Exactly. The thing begins to shape itself a little."

"Chris Sommers by some extraordinary cosmic transmutation—you heard the reference to gamma particles—entered, or, rather, pierced the envelope of concentric hollow or Elemental, because his vibrations were raised correspondingly. Apparently, in his case, these rapidly increased vibrations can be fixed."

"In seven aeons," the Ace Commander quoted. "What time measure is an aeon?"

"I don't know," Walstab said. "Possibly some division of what we term an aeon—as we say, meaning eternity. And who can measure eternity?"

Ben Jaguers broke the brooding silence. He said restlessly: "Where does all this talk get us? Say we know the name of the place Chris is, that still doesn't tell us where it is, or how we can get Chris out of it."

"He'll tell us himself," Dr. Walstab said quietly. He added, in reply to their looks of astonishment: "Not in so many words, of course, for he is quite unarmed, unless we can help him; but by inference. He has already given us some valuable hints." "What I can't understand," Ace Felers said, "is how we're getting all this within minutes, if you know what I mean. Chris has been has been missing for two years. Two years!"

"I think I can explain that. In Elemental, this Second Sphere, all vibrations are enormously speeded up. I say, ALL which includes even Time itself. Two years of our own time could conceivably be matched by only two days of Elemental time; possibly as little as two hours. Since Chris has, by our reckoning, been in the Second Sphere for two years already, and has not—so far as we can yet gather—received his second and final vibrational inoculation, it