Chapter 3 CHAPTER THREE Mr. Joseph Davies is tormented by strange ideas

Whether an obstetrician should say anything to a woman's husband is open to debate.Dr. Herdman Steining may have slipped a bit.Had he realized that Joseph Davies was in a state of confusion, he might have been careful not to confuse him further.However, it should be noted that it was Mr. Davies himself who started the topic of the mysterious rays, and it was Dr. Hedman Stein who was amazed at this strange point of view.Doctor Stein is also an imaginative person who likes new and strange ideas. It is this scientific curiosity and thirst for knowledge that make him not so restrained. Dr. Stein is tall and tall, with a big head and broad face, blond hair with reddish tinge, a little out of breath, and always has a little surprised look on his face.He likes to laugh, and his mouth is always slightly open, as if ready to laugh at any moment.He is extremely proficient in business and has a pair of strong and flexible hands.I've never seen him panic.

Davis had visited him before, and it was to check on his wife's health.Is she physically strong enough to bear children?Dr. Hedman Stein replied, "She is as strong as a young mare." Davis thought something was wrong with his wife, and his inquiry about it struck the good doctor with a strange feeling that an uncertain answer would be more acceptable to him.As if, for some obscure or underlying reason, Davis didn't want the baby. Like every experienced obstetrician, Dr. Hedman Stein fully understood any hint of abortion and knew how to dispel it.The tension that precedes parenthood is often unrealized.It always shows itself in a way full of doubts.Davis left dissatisfied, and that was his emotional state at the time.But at this moment, he came here again.

"I think everything is alright with Mary, isn't it?" he asked nervously as he walked into the consultation room. "It couldn't be better." "Have you had a second inspection?" "At your request, but not necessary," "There's nothing unusual...?" Davis asked differently. "Are you sure the child, the fetus, is just like any other child at about the same time?" "It's growing just fine and there's absolutely nothing to worry about." "So, how's the mother? Physically and mentally. Are you sure she can take it all? Because, you know, no matter what you say, she's no ordinary woman."

"Sit down, please," said the doctor, walking to the middle of the carpet, guiding the guest to a chair, and standing in front of the guest himself. "Don't you think, Mr. Davis, that you have a little fantasy about your wife?" "So," insisted Davis, "is she normal?" "There are very few women in her condition who are sober and healthy. If that's not normal. Her mind is as good as her body." "You don't think women can be perfectly sane? I admit, Doctor Stein, that I don't always understand my wife. She has a stubborn skepticism in her head. Do you think a woman is too intelligent to be a Where's the good mother?"

"Really, Mr. Davies! What on earth is bothering you? She has a bright mind, and you have a gift for literature, and your children will be wonderful." "That's what troubles me. The fact is, Doctor, I've heard a saying lately... I don't know if you know Foxfield and his work... My interest in him and his work stems from a scientific interest." There is also a personal interest... The problem is..." He made the doctor wait for a while. "The question is, in your experience, do you feel that these days - how should I put it? - abnormal children appear much more than in the past?"

"Abnormal? Or supernormal?" "Yes, paranormal. Some cases. And—how should I put it?—abnormal?" "Well!" the doctor gave a brief review of the past with great interest. "There have been some very surprising children. But, I suppose, such things happen." "To the same degree?" Davis asked. "To the same degree?" "Probably not. It's hard to say. Generally speaking, in this part of London, with people like my customers, there are always parents who are different. My impression is, of course, this impression is untested. In my In this familiar world, mother mortality is very low, and babies are bright. Some children have big heads. But this is normal, no weird examples. If you worry about freaks - there is no need. Extremely bright Children don't need to worry about them at all. There may be more Caesarean sections today than in the past...that may be due to the advancement of gynecology rather than the increase in mutations..."

The two were speechless for a while. "I'd like to make it more absurd to you," Davis said suddenly. "I'm not thinking of my wife alone. Don't think I'm crazy for saying that, just let me give my imagination a chance to speak. " "Very well," said Dr. Herdman Stein, who, like most practitioners today, had the sexual attitude of an amateur psychoanalyst. "Say what you want to say." "Well," said Mr. Davies, wondering how to explain that strange and esoteric idea, "biologists—I was speaking to Foxfield the other day—biologists say that when a species struggles for existence At a difficult stage--and I don't think anyone can deny that this is the true state of mankind--there is a constant tendency to change everything. Then--what does Foxfield say?--no longer Stick to what you're used to. It's as if the species is starting to try every way to find new possibilities for survival."

"Not bad," said the doctor, with approval in his tone. "It's like being more able to accept abnormal things and see them as part of your destiny." "Yes," commented the doctor, "this is consistent with some current observations." "As a hardworking history major," Davis said, "you know what? I've written a book or two." "Who doesn't know? The prizes my two nephews got last term were your "Alexander, or the Young Conqueror" and "Stories of the Native Spain," which I read with great interest myself, to tell you the truth .”

"Really? It seems to me that human life has been playing one tune for a long time, with variations, but almost the same. That's what we call human nature. The way the masses behave, the normal response system is the same. It's an old story. Abnormal people are always being policed. Don't you think, Doctor, that this consistency of human experience is going to be destroyed?" "I would like some more explanation from you." "Suppose there were Martians." "So what?" "What if there were life like us on other planets, real physical life, but far more intelligent and developed than we are. If they could see us, understand us—as we understand those objects under a microscope We're like little defenseless creatures. Tell you, that's not my opinion. I'm just repeating what I've heard in clubs. But what if these older, smarter, more awesome, more organized intelligent beings really capable of affecting human life in some way."

"How?" "They may have tried all kinds of things. They may have been experimenting for a long time. Like we would smear reagents on microscope slides..." "If you're thinking of something like interstellar remote sensing, I beg to differ. Even between very similar brains, like twins, I doubt it's possible. I hate remote sensing." "It's two different things." "yes?" "Suppose they have been experimenting with human genetics for thousands of years. Suppose they are trying to change the human race in some way by changing human genes."

"But how can it be done?" "Have you ever heard of cosmic rays, doctor?" The doctor thought about it carefully, "That's a very whimsical idea." He waited for a while and said. "But it's both possible and plausible." "There are some things that people say too far." "But there are some things that can't be said too far." "Are you trying to tell me that you believe in...?" "No. But I don't refuse to face a possibility." "What kind?" "Those Martians..." "But we didn't even know there were Martians!" "We also don't know there are no Martians." "have no idea." "It's possible that those cosmic rays didn't originate from Mars—of course it's more likely. So, let's call them the sender..." "sender?" "Well, whoever they are, let's call them Martians—to avoid inventing another name..." "Very well. So, what do you think...?" "These Martians have been firing rays continuously at our chromosomes with ever-increasing precision and efficiency—perhaps for a long time. This idea, this whimsy, if you will, I would like to test in some way. Strange characters often appear in history, such as Confucius and Sakyamuni; there are also memory wizards, mathematical wizards, and people with supernatural powers. Most of them are people who have surpassed their own era. As we said, with them It's out of step with the times. Do you understand what I'm saying, Doctor?" "But it's pure fantasy!" "Or the recognition of an imaginary fact." "But……!" Dr. Herdman Stein thought about it.Should this conversation continue or stop there? At least half of the contemporary confusion, he thought, had contributed to the misperception of cosmic rays.This kind of whimsical thinking has greatly replaced the spiritual imagination and inner calling of the paranoid people who used to use the nonsense of genetic doubts in the past.This is a dangerous thing.Davis's mind, to put it lightly, was already in this state.But there is also a plausibility to this view—a kind of mythical paradox—that captures precisely the non-professional part of the doctor's imagination.So he continued the subject seriously. "What kind of verification is feasible?" He asked thoughtfully. "That's the problem. That's why I've come to ask you." "You think that if you do some sort of examination of past and present human births—of course it's hard to find enough records—you'll be able to find...?" "Are we controlled by the Martians?" "But you don't believe it?" "Not at all. Oh, no! I'm not here to prove it! I'm just proposing something. I'm doing it in a purely scientific manner. I'm proposing theorizing that something's going on. Listen to me Said, if something like this is actually happening, then, for us humans, it has extremely important implications. If my theory is true, after making hypotheses, we can try to determine this alien influence process The possible consequences. Can non-terrestrial traits be found in children born today, or superhuman traits, are these non-terrestrial traits increasing? Are there - what should I call them? - 'otherworldly' Are there people like you and me who are clear-headed but acting weird? Maybe we can give them special intelligence tests. We can look closely at the Ministry of Education report. So far, I have no plan how to do this Investigation. That's my latest thought. But do you think this kind of investigation is legal?" "You need to find a genius to implement this plan." "Every research requires a genius. But my theory, I think, is simple. My theory is that extraterrestrial influences are manifested in newborn humans. For the sake of research, I will call the source of influence-Mars People. If my suspicions are confirmed, then these Martians—for purposes we can only speculate at the moment—are forcing genetic changes in us Earthlings. They are engineering mutations in humans. So, soon our children Probably not our own children." When Mr. Davies had spoken his last words, Dr. Herdman Steading was thoroughly irritated by the indiscretion. "You're going too far!" he cried. "It's outrageous. We're entertaining ourselves with pseudoscientific hula." Mr. Davis knew exactly what the other person was thinking. "Doctor, it's too late for me to say that. The thought is indelible. I am determined to commit myself to this investigation; I feel called to this mission; and I hope you will be interested in it, too, if the hypothesis has any serious If it is even a possibility, it deserves attention. Even if the possibility is so small, we should let the observers, researchers, and planetary orbit patrols, let's call it, do the work. We must get Clear, measure, determine the nature of this extraneous ray, and collect and return it before it is too late." "Hmph." Dr. Herdman Steading stared at his strange visitor with an expression of infinite bewilderment. "I'm not hallucinating at all," Davis said. "I agree that I'm talking about the near-absolutely impossible. You should understand that I'm fully aware of that. I'm walking along the edge of the impossible, normal and sane. ...but sometimes there is intuition. How many discoveries don't start out as wild guesses? Maybe a combination of factors lead my thinking toward a goal. It doesn't matter. I don't think that's absolutely impossible myself. It's that simple — not absolutely impossible. Nothing else. That's where I stand."