"A Figura" , um conto de Edward Grendon (pseudônimo de Lawrence LeShan ), publicado pela primeira vez em Astounding Science Fiction , julho de 1947 , disponível no Arquivo da Internet . Se seu pai o leu em uma antologia de histórias de viagem no tempo, provavelmente era Viagens pelo tempo , uma capa dura de 1981 editada por Isaac Asimov , Martin H. Greenberg e Charles G Waugh .
How far in the future our gadget would operate we had no way of knowing. Lasker said he would not even attempt to estimate "when" the field was active. When the power was turned off, anything that was in the cube of forces would be brought back to the present space-time. In other words, we had a "grab" that would reach out and drag something back from the future.
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The figure on top is standing up very straight and looking upwards. It's dressed only in a wide belt from which a pouch hangs on one side and a flat square box on the other. It looks intelligent and is obviously representing either aspiration or a religious theme, or maybe both. You can sense the dreams and ideals of the figure and the obvious sympathy and understanding of the artist with them. Lasker says he thinks the statue is an expression of religious feeling. Dettner and I both think it represents aspirations: Per adra ad astra or something of the sort. It's a majestic figure and it's easy to respond to it emphatically with a sort of "upward and onward" feeling. There is only one thing wrong. The figure is that of a beetle.