Short Fiction · Chapter
Toy Shop explained
Colonel Biff Hawton, intrigued by a toy rocketship that appears to defy gravity, purchases one at a discount.
What happens
Colonel Biff Hawton, intrigued by a toy rocketship that appears to defy gravity, purchases one at a discount. At a poker party, he demonstrates the toy, but the thread trick fails when the model only lifts with the power on. The story then reveals the toy's creators deliberately sold the devices to influential people, hoping the mystery of the weight-reducing coils would spur research into new propulsion methods.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion vs. Reality
The toy's apparent anti-gravity effect is revealed as a trick, but the underlying phenomenon is real, blurring the line between deception and discovery.
Obsession and Sacrifice
The creators sacrifice immediate profit and endure public skepticism to seed a mystery that will obsess others into advancing science.
Science and Ethics
The deliberate manipulation of scientists through a deceptive toy raises ethical questions about the means used to spur research.
Characters to notice
- Colonel Biff Hawton
Buys the Space Wave Tapper and demonstrates it at a poker party.
- Teddy Kaner
Amateur magician who spots the thread gimmick and attempts to demonstrate it.
- The Colonel
Another name for Colonel Biff Hawton, who is central to the demonstration.
Key passages
““Sold, my boy!” the colonel said, slamming three bills down on the table. “I’ll give that much for it no matter how it works. The boys in the shop will get a kick out of it,””
The colonel eagerly buys the toy for three dollars, not caring about the mechanism, intending to amuse his colleagues.
Shows the colonel's impulsive purchase and his interest in the toy's entertainment value.
““Strings!” he said. “Or rather a black thread. It runs from the top of the model, through a tiny loop in the ceiling, and back down to my hand—tied to this ring on my finger. When I back up—the model rises. It’s as simple as that.””
The demonstrator reveals the trick: a black thread attached to the model and the demonstrator's ring, which lifts the toy when he steps back.
The reveal of the illusion, showing the simplicity behind the apparent magic.
““But a small reduction. And we don’t know what is causing it. No one can be interested in a thing like that—a fractional weight decrease in a clumsy model, certainly not enough to lift the weight of the generator. No one wrapped up in massive fuel consumption, tons of lift and such is going to have time to worry about a crackpot who thinks he has found a minor slip in Newton’s laws.””
The older man explains that the weight reduction is too small to attract attention, but the mystery will nag at scientists, prompting them to investigate.
Highlights the strategic plan to use curiosity to drive research.