asked. "Do you not believe what you see?"
"What kind of a Turkish bath is this?" Mike demanded. "Whazz the idea of movies going all the time? Whazz everything jumping for?"
Seydi nodded in comprehension.
"You are puzzled by the sudden appearance and disappearance of our people, are you not?" he said, unable to restrain a smile. "It may be difficult to explain to you, for it is one of the main differences between our dimensional worlds. The Fourth Dimension is motion,[1] and we are capable of—how shall I put it?—of assuming the form of motion itself."
Sammy scratched his head a moment.
"Izzat the only difference between our dimension and this one?" he asked.
"Superficially, yes. Our dimension is like yours in every way, except that the Fourth world of dimension is possible. In your world, there undoubtedly exist one-dimensional objects—the point; or two-dimensional objects — the line; or three-dimensional objects—you, Sambo wambo and Chowderhead."
"Listen, buddy!" Mike snapped. "Are you looking for trouble? One more crack like that and I let you have it."
Murra took a step back and hesitated.
"If I have said anything to offend you," he began, when Sammy pulled out the bottle and thrust it at Mike. Immediately, wrath departed, and Mike was swaying, his eyes fondly shut as he nursed his drink. Sammy waited, trying to think.
"But how," Sammy said, presently, "do we two make the jump, if we come from the three-dimensional world?"
MURRA seemed reassured by Mike's quiet demeanor. "I was coming to that," he said. "I showed you how one, two, and three-dimensional objects exist in your three-dimensional world. Why then cannot a three-dimentional object exist in a world of four dimensions? You see now that the answer is that it can and does exist."
"Nope," said Sammy. "It ain't so. There's a screw loose someplace, but I can't place it yet. It sounds okay, but—" He scratched his head again in perplexity.
The other four scientists had stood by, listening to the conversation. Now Lito said:
"You do not understand yet, and there is no time now. We have much to show you before we tell you of your mission, and final understanding is included in it."
"Okay," said Sammy. "Mind if I take a nip?" Without waiting for an answer, he wrenched the bottle from Mike. When he had taken the bottle from his lips, he realized vaguely that they were now within the building before which they had stood. Gigantic wheels and machines of peculiar design, were everywhere, turning noiselessly, and the air seemed to crackle.
- ↑ The red discs are an example of this dimension of motion. They act as transformers of a sort, taking bodily forms and transforming them from their obvious three dimensions to one of four, the fourth being motion. The apparent result seems to be one of disappearance, but only because the eyes cannot match the speed with which the event occurs. For instance, we know that when any three dimensional body approximates the speed of light, that body, according to the Fitzgerald Contraction theory—apparently doesn't exist anymore! In reality, the body does not cease to exist. That would deny one of the basic tenets of science, which holds that matter cannot be destroyed, but its form may be altered. That is what happens when the speed of light is reached—the body assumes a four dimensional form, the form of motion itself, the invisible form. In this form, made possible by the action of the disc-like transformers, instantaneous movement from one place to another is possible. Thus, when it appeared that one room vanished and another took its place, in reality it was Sammy and Mike who instantly moved from one place to another—as that vast crowd of our people appeared before them and then went their way.—Ed.
