– I will force the globe to rotate quicker, that’s all – professor Wagner with such look as though business went about a top answered.
– To increase the speed of rotation of Earth?! – I could not refrain from exclamation.
– Yes, I will increase the speed of its movement, and then centrifugal force will begin to increase, and all bodies which are on the earth will become is easier. If you have nothing against to stay for a while with me some more days…
– With pleasure!
– I will begin experience as soon as I get up, and you will see a lot of interesting.
III. «SPINS»
In several days professor Wagner recovered absolutely, except for the fact that he limped a little. He for a long time left in the underground laboratory which is in a yard corner, providing the home library in my order. But in laboratory he did not invite me.
Once, when I sat in library, Wagner, very brisk entered, and still immediately shouted to me:
– Spins! I started the device, and now we will look, what will be farther!
I expected that there will be something extraordinary. But there passed hours, there passed day, nothing changed.
– Wait – professor in the hung moustaches smiled – centrifugal force increases in proportion to a speed square. And Earth – a decent top, you will not shake it soon!
Next morning, rising from a bed, I felt some ease. To check itself, I lifted a chair. It seemed to me much easier, than usually. Obviously, centrifugal force began to work. I came to a verandah and took seat with the book in hands. On the book the shadow from a column fell. Involuntarily I paid attention that the shadow moves quickly enough. What could it mean? As though the sun began to move quicker on the sky.
– Aha, you noticed? – I heard a voice of Wagner who watched me. – The earth rotates quicker, and change of day and night becomes shorter.
– What will be farther? – bewildered I asked.
– Time will tell – professor answered.
The sun this day set for two hours before usual.
– I represent what alarm was made by this event around the world! – I told professor. – It would be interesting to know…
– You can learn about it in my office, there is a radio receiver – Wagner answered.
I hurried in an office and could be convinced that the population of all globe is in extraordinary nervousness.
But it was only the beginning. Rotation of Earth everything increased. Days equaled to only four hours.
– Now all bodies which are on the equator lost the one fortieth part in weight – Wagner told.
– Why only on the equator?
– There the attraction of Earth is less, and the radius of rotation is more, so and centrifugal force works stronger.
Scientists already understood imminent danger. Great resettlement of the people from the equatorial areas to higher latitudes where centrifugal force was less began. But so far simplification of weight brought even benefit: trains could lift huge freights, there was enough weak-willed motorcycle motor to carry the big passenger airplane, the speed of the movement increased. People became suddenly easier and stronger. I tested this everything the increasing ease. Amazingly pleasant feeling!
Radio began to bring also more sad messages soon. Trains even more often began to derail on biases and curves of a way, however, without special accidents: cars, even falling under a slope, did not break. Wind, lifting clouds of dust which did not fall by the earth any more, passed into a hurricane. From everywhere came to conduct about terrible floods.
When the speed of rotation increased by seventeen times, objects and people on the equator absolutely lost weight.
Somehow in the evening I heard awful news on radio: in the equatorial Africa and America several cases when the people deprived of weight under influence everything the growing centrifugal force fell up were noted. Soon also the new terrifying news came: on the equator people began to choke.
– Centrifugal force breaks an air cover of the globe which was «attached» to the earth by force of terrestrial inclination – professor explained to me quietly.
– But… then we will choke? – with nervousness I asked Wagner.
He shrugged shoulders.
– We are well prepared for all changes.
– But why all of you made it? Same world accident, death of a civilization!. – I could not refrain from exclamation.
Wagner remained unperturbable.
– Why I made it, you learn then.
– Really only for scientific experience?
– I do not understand what so surprises you – he answered. – At least and only for experience. It is strange! When the hurricane blows over or there is a volcanic eruption and ruins thousands of people, comes to nobody to mind to accuse a volcano. You look at it, as at natural disaster…
This answer did not satisfy me. At me to professor Wagner the feeling of not goodwill involuntarily began to appear.
«It is necessary to be the monster, not to have heart that for the sake of scientific experience to doom to death millions of people» – I thought.
My hostility to Wagner increased as my own health more and more worsened and was from what: these awful, extraordinary messages about the perishing world, all this accelerating flashing of day and night though whom will enrage. I almost did not sleep and was extremely нервен. I had to move with the greatest care. The slightest effort of muscles – and I flew up up and fought the head about a ceiling – the truth, not really painfully. Things lost the weight, and it was harder and harder to cope with them. It was quite casual to touch a table or a chair, and heavy furniture flew away aside.
Water from a wash basin flowed very slowly, and the stream also deviated aside. Our movements became are gusty. Members of the body which is almost deprived of weight twitched, as at the cardboard clown set in motion by threads. «Motors» of our body – muscles – were too strong for the facilitated body weight. And we could not get used in any way to this new situation as weight decreased all the time.
Fima, Wagner’s housekeeper, was angry not less me. She resembled the juggler when she cooked food. Pans and frying pans flew up, aside; she tried to catch them and did the ridiculous movements, danced, jumped up.
Only one Wagner was in great mood and even laughed at us.
I decided to come to the yard, having only filled the pockets with stones that «not to fall into the sky». I saw how shallowed the sea – drove water on the West where probably it filled in coast…
In completion of all I began to feel dizziness and suffocation. Air became more rare. The gale-force wind blowing all the time from the East began as though to weaken… But temperature quickly went down.
Air thins… the end soon… I had such disgusting health that I began to think of what death to me to choose: whether to fall into the sky or to choke. It is the worst death, but I will watch to the end that will be with Earth…
«No, after all it is better to finish at once» – I solved, testing heavy suffocation, and began to take out stones from a pocket.
Someone’s hand stopped me.
– Wait! – I heard Wagner’s voice. In the rarefied air this voice sounded very poorly. – It is time to go down to us