000 02380cam a22003613u 4500
001 32739
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610133739.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aTrimble, Louis,
_d1917-1988
245 1 0 _aProbability
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2010
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction April 1954.
500 _aRelease date is 2010-06-08
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Probability" by Louis Trimble is a science fiction short story written during the early 1950s. The narrative explores the life of Mike Murphy, a bartender, and his interactions with a peculiar customer named Rabelais Pettis, who seems to lead a mundane life yet harbors a secret involving time travel and probability. The story blends humor and speculative elements, particularly focusing on the impacts of small choices on future outcomes. The plot unfolds as Mike Murphy develops a friendship with Rabelais, witnessing his transformation from a timid regular into a wealthy man who can manipulate time. After a series of raucous events, they embark on adventures through the near future, experiencing changes in wealth, status, and even potential fame for Mike. However, the tale pivots when Mike learns that their previous timeline may lead to catastrophic consequences, and Rabelais wants to guide him towards a path of political influence to avert disaster. The story culminates as Mike navigates the challenges of this new trajectory, maintaining a sense of uncertainty about the impact of their actions on future history while ultimately embracing the changes ahead. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aTime travel -- Fiction
700 1 _aEmshwiller, Ed,
_d1925-1990
830 0 _aProduced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction April 1954.
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32739
999 _c73585
_d73585