Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction,by Richard H. Williams, is a collection of twenty-three speculative short stories.

Tales of Horror

EXCERPT: TALES OF HORROR FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION

David Weiss was a graduate student in Counseling at Mountain University. This academic institution was located 3500 feet above sea level in the western part of North Carolina, not far from Grandfather Mountain and neighboring Rike’s Peak. David had always been interested in history and in famous people who lived long ago. If he could somehow invent a time machine he would whisk himself backward in time to visit some of them.

David knew of a professor on campus who had published a paper on Time Travel.

He was a Professor of Electrical Engineering named Frank Wisdom. David thought, I should send him a note through inter-office mail requesting a reprint of his publication. Maybe that would lead to a meeting between the two of us.

The next morning David Weiss found the article in his student mailbox. He immediately perused the paper, finding the sketches of the time machine intriguing.

The two men ended up meeting at the campus Rathskeller. Dr. Wisdom was an older faculty member and David thought he didn’t look healthy. Frank Wisdom wore a Salvador Dali type mustache and a goatee. His hair was gray.

They occupied a table near the window and soon a waiter came by requesting their orders. Frank said,”I’ll have a fish sandwich and a mug of draft beer.”
David also requested a mug of draft beer and with it a Reuben sandwich. The Rathskeller was noted for its Reuben sandwiches.

David and Frank decided to work together on a project designed to create a time machine. Frank Wisdom said,”I have a grant with a flexible budget and so we can bring in consulting experts for advice from time to time.” Before they were well into the project, they hired a consultant who was a Professor of Physics.

In six months they produced a machine that seemed to have the potential, but in its present form, a modest trial test would be necessary. One day the two of them entered the cockpit and traveled slowly in a five-year interval, going forward in time and then backward. Some aberrations occurred, although they landed safely.

Wisdom was skeptical and said,”I am reticent to set off for a more ambitious trip prematurely.” But David Weiss decided to take the risk and attempt to visit three luminaries that he and the professor had chosen.

Professor Wisdom was interested in Oriental poetry and had selected Matsuo, the father of Haiku and David Weiss’s choice was Fibonacci, famed especially for his Fibonacci numbers and series. They tossed a coin to see who would select the third choice.

Wisdom won the toss and said,”I pick Jesus Christ! Why be conservative? Let’s shoot for the moon.”

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