Hunter, Mel 1927-2004 creator text utu 2024 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Or Darwin, if you prefer" by Mel Hunter is a science fiction story written in the mid-20th century, specifically the 1950s. The book explores themes of dissatisfaction with contemporary life, the quest for meaning, and the intersection of different realities through the lens of time travel. It follows the surreal journey of Mr. Harbinger, who, amid existential crisis, encounters a disembodied mouth and eyes in his mundane living space. The story begins with Mr. Harbinger resigning from his tedious job and reflecting on his monotonous life, until he discovers a mouth and eyes appearing on his wall. These disembodied beings engage him in conversation about their shared boredom and longing for excitement and meaning. As their odd friendship grows, they discuss the possibility of Mr. Harbinger (who also takes on the name "Darwin") venturing into the future with the help of the mouth, named Jones, who operates a Time Mechanism. Their plans turn awry due to a technical glitch, causing them to be stranded in the unpredictable realm of Variable Time. The tale closes with Mr. Harbinger and Jones adrift in time, hinting at their continuous search for fulfillment beyond the mundane constraints of their realities. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2024-07-31 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Originally published: New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1954 Science fiction Short stories Time travel -- Fiction PS New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1954 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74161 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74161 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134721.0 74161