"At ten thousand dollars a session!" Dr. Prager exploded.
"Now, now," Professor Laroc chided. "That sounds like professional jealousy, sir! And I may as well remind you that a permanent crossover requires a fee of fifty thousand. Not that I need the money, you understand. It's merely that such a fee helps to establish me as an authority. It brings about the necessary transference relationship between my clients and myself, to borrow from your own terminology. The effect is purely psychological."
Dr. Prager had heard enough. This, he decided, was definitely the time to call a halt. Even Eve Eden in her present disturbed state should be able to comprehend the utter idiocy of this man's preposterous claims.
He faced the elderly charlatan with a disarming smile. "Let me get this straight," he began quietly. "Am I to understand that you are actually selling dreams?"
"Let us say, rather, that I sell experiences. And the experiences are every bit as real as anything you know."
"Don't quibble over words." Dr. Prager was annoyed. "You come in and hypnotize patients. During their sleep you suggest they enter a dream world. And then—"
"If you don't mind, let us quibble a bit over words, please," Professor Laroc said. "You're a psychiatrist. Very well, as a psychiatrist, please tell me one thing. Just what is a dream?"
"Why, that's very simple," Dr. Prager answered. "According to Freud, the dream phenomenon can be described as — "
"I didn't ask for a description, Doctor. Nor for Freud's opinion. I asked for an exact definition of the dream state, as you call it. I want to know the etiology and epistemology of dreams. And while you're at it, how about a definition of 'the hypnotic state' and of 'sleep'? And what is 'suggestion'? After you've given me precise scientific definitions of these phenomena, as you love to call them, perhaps you can go on and explain to me the nature of 'reality' and the exact meaning of the term 'imagination.' "
"But these are only figures of speech," Dr. Prager objected. "I'll be honest with you. Perhaps we can't accurately describe a dream. But we can observe it. It's like electricity: nobody knows what it is, but it's a measurable force which can be directed and controlled, subject to certain natural laws."
"Exactly," Professor Laroc said. 'That's just what I would have said myself. And dreams are indeed like electrical force. Indeed, the human brain gives off electrical charges, and all life — matter — energy — enters into an electrical relationship. But this relationship has never been studied. Only the physical manifestations of electricity have been studied and harnessed, not the psychic. At least, not until Dodgson stumbled on certain basic mathematical principles, which he imparted to me. I developed them, found a practical use. The dream, my dear doctor, is merely an electrically charged dimension given a reality of its own beyond our own space-time continuum. The individual dream is weak. Set it down on paper, as some dreams have been set down, share it with others, and watch the charge build up. The combined electrical properties tend to create a
permanent
plane — a dream dimension, if you please."
"I don't please," answered Dr. Prager.
"That's because you're not receptive," Professor Laroc observed smugly. "Yours is a negative charge rather than a positive one. Dodgson — Lewis Carroll — was positive. So was Lovecraft and Poe and Edward Lucas White and a handful of others. Their dreams live. Other positive charges can live in them, granted the proper method of entry. It's not magic. There's nothing supernatural about it at all, unless you consider mathematics as magic. Dodgson did. He was a professor of mathematics, remember. And so was I. I took his principles and extended them, created a practical methodology. Now I can enter dream worlds at will, cause others to enter. It's not hypnosis as you understand it. A few words of non-Euclidean formula will be sufficient — "
"I've heard enough," Dr. Prager broke in. "Much as I hate to employ the phrase, this is sheer lunacy."
The professor shrugged. "Call it what you wish," he said. "You psychiatrists are good at pinning labels on things. But Miss Eden here has had sufficient proof through her own experience. Isn't that so?"
Eve Eden nodded, then broke her silence. "I believe you," she said. "Even if Doc here thinks we're both batty. And I'm willing to give you the fifty grand for a permanent trip."
Dr. Prager grabbed for his goatee. He was clutching at straws now. "But you can't," he cried. "This doesn't make sense."
"Maybe not your kind of sense," Eve answered. "But that's just the trouble. You don't seem to understand there's more than one kind. That crazy dream I had, the one you say Lewis Carroll had first and wrote up into a book— it makes sense to you if you really
live
it. More sense than Hollywood, than this. More sense than a little kid named Wilma Kozmowski growing up to live in a half-million-dollar palace and trying to kill herself because she can't be a little kid any more and never had a chance to be one when she was small. The professor here, he understands. He knows everybody has a right to dream. For the first time in my life I know what it is to be happy."
"That's right," Professor Laroc added. "I recognized her as a kindred spirit. I saw the child beneath, the child of the pure unclouded brow, as Lewis Carroll put it. She deserved this dream."
"Don't try and stop me," Eve cut in. "You can't, you know. You'll never drag me back to your world, and you've got no reason to try—except that you like the idea of making a steady living off me. And so does Dennis, with his lousy ten percent, and so does the studio with its big profits. I never met anyone who really liked me as a person except Professor Laroc here. He's the only one who ever gave me anything worth having. The dream. So quit trying to argue me into it, Doc. I'm not going to be Eve any more or Wilma either. I'm going to be Alice."
Dr. Prager scowled, then smiled. What was the matter with him? Why was he bothering to argue like this? After all, it was so unnecessary. Let the poor child write out a check for fifty thousand dollars — payment could always be stopped. Just as this charlatan could be stopped if he actually attempted hypnosis. There were laws and regulations. Really, Dr. Prager reminded himself, he was behaving like a child himself: taking part in this silly argument just as if there actually was something to it besides nonsense words.
What was really at stake, he realized, was professional pride. To think that this old mountebank could actually carry more authority with Eve Eden than he did himself!
And what was the imposter saying now, with that sickening, condescending smile on his face?
"I'm sorry you cannot subscribe to my theories, Doctor. But at least I am grateful for one thing, and that is that you didn't see fit to put them to the test."
"Test? What do you mean?"
Professor Laroc pointed his finger at the little bottle labeled "Drink Me" which now rested on the table before him. "I'm happy you merely analyzed the contents of that vial without attempting to drink them."
"But it's nothing but water."
"Perhaps. What you forget is that water may have very different properties in other worlds. And this water came from the world of Alice."
"You planted that," Dr. Prager snapped. "Don't deny it."
"I do deny it. Miss Eden knows the truth."
"Oh, does she?" Dr. Prager suddenly found his solution. He raised the bottle, turning to Eve with a commanding gesture. "Listen to me now. Professor Laroc claims, and you believe, that this liquid was somehow transported from the dream world of A
LICE IN
W
ONDERLAND
. If that is the case, then a drink out of this bottle would cause me either to grow or to shrink. Correct?"
"Yes," Eve murmured.
"Now wait — " the professor began, but Dr. Prager shook his head impatiently.
"Let me finish," he insisted. "All right. By the same token, if I took a drink from this bottle and nothing happened, wouldn't it prove that the dream-world story is a fake?"
"Yes, but — "
"No 'buts.' I'm asking you a direct question. Would it or wouldn't it?"
"Y-yes. I guess so. Yes."
"Very well, then." Dramatically, Dr. Prager uncorked the little bottle and raised it to his lips. "Watch me," he said.
Professor Laroc stepped forward. "Please!" he shouted. "I implore you — don't — "
He made a grab for the bottle, but he was too late. Dr. Prager downed the half ounce of colorless fluid.
7
Mickey Dennis waited and waited until he couldn't stand it any longer. There hadn't been any loud sounds from upstairs at all, and this only made it worse.
Finally he got the old urge so bad he just had to go on up there and see for himself what was going on.
As he walked down the hall he could hear them talking inside the bedroom. At least he recognized Professor Laroc's voice. He was saying something about, "There, there, I know it's quite a shock. Perhaps you'd feel better if you didn't wait — do you want to go now?"
That didn't make too much sense to Mickey, and neither did Eve's reply. She said, "Yes, but don't I have to go to sleep first?"
And then the professor answered, "No, as I explained to him, it's just a question of the proper formulae. If I recite them we can go together. Er — you might bring your checkbook along."
Eve seemed to be giggling. "You too?" she asked.
"Yes. I've always loved this dream, my dear. It's a sequel to the first one, as you'll discover. Now if you'll just face the mirror with me — "
And then the professor mumbled something in a very low voice, and Mickey bent down with his head close to the door but he couldn't quite catch it. Instead his shoulder pushed the door open.
The bedroom was empty.
That's right, empty.
1
E
ARLY ON THE MORNING
of July 4th, 1776, Thomas Jefferson poked his peruked head into the deserted chamber of what was to be known as Independence Hall and yelled, "Come on, you guys, the coast is clear!"
As he stepped into the big room he was followed by John Hancock, who puffed nervously on a cigarette.
"All right," Jefferson said. "Ditch the butt, will ya? You wanna louse us up, creep?"
"Sorry, boss." Hancock glanced around the place, then addressed a third man who entered behind him. "Dig this," he murmured. "Not an ashtray in the joint. What kind of a setup we got here anyway, Nunzio?"
The third man scowled. "Don't call me Nunzio," he growled. "The name's Charles Thomson, remember?"
"Okay, Chuck."
"Charles!" The third man dug John Hancock in the ribs. "Straighten that wig of yours. Ya look like somethin out of a Boy Scout pageant yet."
John Hancock shrugged. "Well, whaddya expeck? Guy can't even smoke, and these here britches are so tight I'm scared to sit down in 'em."
Thomas Jefferson turned and confronted him. "You ain't gonna sit down," he said. "All you gotta do is sign and keep your yap shut. Let Ben do the talking, remember?"
"Ben?"
"Benjamin Franklin, schmoe," said Thomas Jefferson.
"Somebody mention my name?" The short, fat, balding man hurried into the room, carefully adjusting square-lensed spectacles to the bridge of his nose.
"What took you so long?" Thomas Jefferson demanded. "You run into trouble back there?"
"No trouble," Benjamin Franklin replied. "They're out cold, and the gags are holding. Its just these glasses — the lenses distort my vision. I'd forgotten I'd have to wear them."
"Can't you ditch em?"
"No. Somebody might get suspicious." Franklin peered at his companions over the tops of the spectacles. "They're likely to get suspicious anyway, if you don't do what I told you." He glanced around the room. "What time is it?"
Thomas Jefferson fumbled with the ruffles at his sleeves and gazed down at the face of his wristwatch. "Seven-thirty," he announced.
"You're sure?"
"Checked it with Western Union."
"Never mind that Western Union talk. And take off that thing—put it in your pocket. It's stuff like that can get us into trouble."
"Trouble." John Hancock groaned. "These here shoes are killin' me. They ain't nearly my size."
"Well, wear them and be quiet," Benjamin Franklin told him. "I wish to God you'd remembered to shave, too. Fine thing—the President of the Continental Congress on the most important day of our history, coming in without shaving."
"I forgot. Also they was no place to plug in an electric shaver."
"Well, never mind now. The main thing is just to be quiet and remember what you're supposed to do. Mr. Jefferson, do you have the Declaration?"
Nobody answered. Franklin strode up to the tall man in the peruke. "Jefferson, that's you I'm talking to."
"I forgot." The big man smiled sheepishly.
"You'd better not forget. Now, where is it?"
"Right here in my pocket."
"Well, get it out. We've got to sign right away, before anybody else shows up. I expect they'll start drifting in around eight at the latest."
"Eight?" Jefferson sighed. "Do you mean to tell me they go to work that early here?"
"Our friends in the back room looked as if they'd been working all night," Franklin reminded him.
"Ain't they never heard of union hours?"
"No, and don't you mention it, either." Franklin surveyed his companions earnestly. "That goes for all of you. Watch your tongues. We can't afford a slip-up."
"Telling me?" Charles Thomson took the parchment from Thomas Jefferson and unfolded it.
"Careful with that," Franklin warned.
"Pipe down, will ya? I just wanna take a look at it," Thomson replied. "I ain't never seen that there thing." He glanced at the manuscript curiously. "Hey, dig this crazy hanwriting. It's all lettering, like."
He spread the Declaration on a table and squinted down at it, mumbling aloud.
"When inna course a human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connecked them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate—hey, what kinda double-talk is this, anyway? Whyn't these guys write English, huh?"