Games of Time: 1

By Ilya Fine

In all the stories included in this collection, the main character is Time. The relativity of our perception of time creates numerous illusions in our lives, including its transience, which generates the desire to either accelerate or slow down our time.In all the stories included in this collection, the main character is Time. The relativity of our perception of time creates numerous illusions in our lives, including its transience, which generates the desire to either accelerate or slow down our time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ilya Fine
• Release date: Jul 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223729327

Ilya Fine

Ilya Fine is a Doctor of Physics, a serial entrepreneur in the field of biomedical devices, and the author of numerous scientific articles and over 50 patents. He skillfully transforms his ideas surrounding the mysteries of life's origins, the nature of consciousness, and the future of humanity into captivating science fiction stories, complete with entertaining plots and unexpected endings.

Book preview

Late Lunch

The Great Blue Hunter aimed directly at the center of the lace-like pupil of the Wolf and pulled the trigger. But nothing happened. Well, almost nothing...

To understand what happens next, I am forced to make a small digression. Unfortunately, we are all subject to the laws, ignorance of which does not exempt us from the consequences. Society, using the imposed authority of the strong, fills weak children's heads with banal and eternal truths, seemingly for protection against future troubles. Thus, until the end of our days, we continue to rely on this rather outdated and sometimes hole-ridden baggage of knowledge, fully convinced that we will never stumble or cross someone's red lines.

For example, is there anyone who hasn't had their ears filled from childhood with tales of how the rusty breath of a grumpy witch, carried by the autumn wind, can inflict irreparable emotional trauma on a young dragon foolishly inhaling the enticing scent with all its heads? Do you know anyone who has had the opportunity to make use of this banal wisdom?

Or, here's another instructive example - every infant knows that if the Rotten Tooth of a Sober King is discreetly removed during sleep and consumed on an empty stomach, it easily transforms a nervous fool into a contented and quick-witted fortunate individual. But truthfully, I am not familiar with anyone who managed to slip into the King's chamber and find him Sober.

Even more banal and meaningless is the moralizing about not stirring hot water in a glass if a damaged Moon is reflected in it because this act of vandalism can cause a tsunami in the nearest marsh. Yet, we rarely make use of this law either since in our shallow marshes, it takes great effort just to dampen the limp tail of a feeble mermaid.

However, for some reason, truly relevant truths are poorly taught to us. It was only recently, by pure chance, that I learned that you should not wash your hands before eating if a white crow flies by. Until now, I miraculously survived simply because even in the presence of black crows, I detested cleansing my palms. I mention all this only as a prelude to an instructive story about what happens to those who, through carelessness, are deprived of knowledge about an important prohibition. It is very concise: before a satisfying meal, one must absolutely refrain from hunting in reserves.

And so it happened that the possessor of all kinds of banal knowledge, renowned in his circles as the Great Blue Hunter, overlooked the very thing he needed the most in his education. On that fateful day, he found himself in the Precocious Creatures Reserve. The Blue Hunter was in a hurry to get home, where his cheerful young wife and a delicious meal awaited him. Being away from home, he quickly began to miss her kind smile. On the occasions when the Hunter was slightly late for dinner, his affectionate wife never reproached him, which only fueled his desire to be punctual for the feast. Therefore, yielding to the call of hunger and the desire