Imagine losing two weeks of your life—only to discover that during that time you behaved with uncanny precision, placed flawless bets, made daring investments, and quietly built a small fortune.
When Bethelman regains his bearings on a Manhattan street corner, nothing feels physically wrong. His wallet is heavier. His wardrobe has changed. Strangers greet him as if business has already been conducted. Worst of all, he begins finding notes written in his own handwriting, guiding him step by step through a mystery he apparently solved once already. Each message nudges him toward another decision, another risk, another carefully placed move.
The deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes that someone has been playing the long game with his life. He has covered stories he cannot recall writing. He has gambled with fearless accuracy. He has trusted a scientist friend in ways that defy common sense. Every clue suggests that the missing days were not wasted—they were used. Used with purpose.
What follows is a clever, fast-moving exploration of time, memory, and calculated advantage. Garrett keeps the tension sharp by focusing not on spectacle, but on a man forced to confront the possibility that his own mind has been rearranged. The real question is not how it happened. The question is whether he is bold enough to exploit it a second time.
Randall Garrett was a prolific American science fiction writer whose career spanned the 1950s through the 1970s. He published extensively in magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, If, and Fantastic Universe. Garrett is widely remembered for his Lord Darcy series, a blend of detective fiction and alternate history, and for numerous collaborations under shared bylines. His work often balanced sharp logic with playful audacity, and this story showcases his gift for building a speculative premise around one irresistible advantage: knowing what tomorrow will bring.
