# V explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by H. G. Wells.

## What happens

Two years after Davidson's recovery, a dinner party reveals that his vision during his seizure corresponded exactly with the real location of H.M.S. Fulmar near Antipodes Island, corroborated by Lieutenant Atkins. The narrator discusses Professor Wade's theory of a 'kink in space' and the Fourth Dimension to explain this case of distant vision, though he remains skeptical.

## Themes in this chapter

### Technology and Dehumanization

The electromagnet and lightning create a 'kink in space,' enabling a form of visual dislocation that challenges human perception and bodily integrity.

### Nature and the Unknown

The mysterious, unexplained phenomenon of distant vision underscores the limits of human understanding and the eerie power of natural forces like lightning.

## Character check-ins

### Sidney Davidson

Davidson's dream vision of H.M.S. Fulmar is corroborated by Atkins, confirming his sight traveled to a distant island.

### Atkins

A lieutenant in the Royal Navy, engaged to Davidson's cousin, who provides firsthand confirmation of the Fulmar's location and events.

## Key lines

> In some unaccountable way, while he moved hither and thither in London , his sight moved hither and thither in a manner that corresponded, about this distant island.

While Davidson walked around London, his vision inexplicably roamed over a remote island, matching its actual geography.

_Describes the core mystery of Davidson's experience._

> To talk of there being 'a kink in space' seems mere nonsense to me; it may be because I am no mathematician.

The idea of a 'kink in space' sounds absurd to me, perhaps because I lack mathematical training.

_Narrator expresses skepticism toward Professor Wade's theoretical explanation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_25_se/chapters/v
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_25_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_25_se/chapters