PROBLEM IN SOLID
BY GEORGE O. SMITH
Illustrated by Orban
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Astounding Science-Fiction, October 1947.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Martin Hammer should have been prepared for anything. As the world'sforemost producer of motion pictures, he should have taken anysituation from earthquake to fatherhood without a qualm or a turnedeyebrow. But Hammer had not seen everything—yet.
A noise presented itself at Hammer's office door. Not the noise ofknocking or tapping, nor even the racket made by attempts to breachthe portal with a heavy blunt instrument. It was more like the soundof a dentist's drill working on wood, or perhaps one of those lightburring tools, or maybe even a light scroll saw.
Then, with all the assurance in the world, a man's hand came throughthe door, the fingers clenched about an imaginary doorknob. The handswung an imaginary door aside and as it moved, the wood of the realdoor fell to the floor in a pile of finely-ground sawdust.
Once the imaginary door was thrust aside, the rest of the intruderentered, leaving the exact outline of his silhouette in the door.
He smiled affably and said, "I trust I'm not intruding!"
He was still holding the imaginary door open with his right hand. Ashe finished speaking, he stepped forward a step, turned, pulled theimaginary door shut a few inches, transferred it to take the insideknob in his left hand, and then stepping carefully forward, he thrustthe imaginary door closed, his hand clenched around the imaginary knob.The act ended as his hand entered the real doorknob and there was thehigh-pitch whine of metal against metal like cutting a tin can with abandsaw.
The intruder turned, walked across the office, and stood there in frontof Martin Hammer. From a pocket he look a cigarette and a match and litup, blowing a cloud of fragrant smoke into the air.
"I am delighted to meet you," he said.
At which point, Martin Hammer blew up.
He had been patient. He had been astounded. He had been sitting therewith his chin getting lower and lower and lower as this ... thischaracter walked through his door with all the assurance in the world.Then the bird had the affrontery to behave as though he had not invadedHammer's office; had not ruined a fine oak door; and as though Hammershould have been glad to see him.
What added fuel to Hammer's explosion was the fact that the intruderseemed absolutely unaware of the ruination of the door.
"What the—" yelled Hammer. He leaped to his feet, ran around his desk,and faced the intruder angrily for only an instant.
Hammer launched himself at the intruder with intent to do bodily harm,mayhem, and perhaps a little bit of second-degree murder that might bejuried into justifiable homicide.
He did not connect. The stranger disappeared at that instant, andHammer's well directed blow fell upon thin air. Hammer, finding noresistance before him, fell flat on his face, which mashed the cigarinto his mouth and burned a hole in his fine Persian carpet. He turnedover and sat up, spitting out bits of tobacco mixed with equal parts ofvery bad language. Blankly he ran his hand through the spot where thestranger had been.
"Now," he said in puzzlement, "what in the name of—"
"May I apologize?" came a voice at the door. Hammer whirled and saw theintruder again, standing there with a rather dumfounded expression onhis face.
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