Page 84 of The Paradox Club

“The radio doesn’t look much like a flying saucer to me,” said Tess.

“UFO in this context doesn’t stand for ‘unidentified flying object,’” said Richard.

“Then what does it stand for?”

“‘Untethered foreign object,’” said Vivian.

“You mean like an escaped Canadian cow?” said Tess.

“The metaphor is not entirely inapt,” said Richard. “An untethered object is one that has become disconnected from its universe of origin.”

“And an untethered foreign object,” added Vivian, “is one that has crossed from its original universe into this one.”

“Is this some sort of posthumous practical joke that Harry put you up to?” said Tess.

“Not at all,” said Richard. “Harry was passionate about his work for the Paradox Club.”

“Perhaps too passionate,” said Vivian.

“Now is hardly the time to dredge all that up,” said Richard.

“When better?” said Vivian.

“Can we go back one step?” said Tess. “Are you telling me that this Paradox Club has actually collected objects from other universes?”

“Four hundred and twenty-one untethered foreign objects have been collected and secured in the vault of the Paradox Club over the last eighty or so years,” said Richard.

“Leaving aside the fact that objects can’t move between universes,” said Tess, “how can you even tell that an object is…what did you call it?”

“Untethered,” said Vivian. “And what makes you think objects can’t move between universes?”

“For one thing, Harry told me,” said Tess. She remembered a conversation the night after Harry first told her about the theory of parallel universes. She had asked if people could move from one universe to another and he had told her they could not. And when she asked if things could move between universes, he had sounded almost angry when he curtly replied no before walking back up to the house and leaving her alone on the dock.

“Harry told you, did he?” said Richard with a laugh.

“He hated lying to Tess,” said Vivian. “But sometimes he felt he had no choice.”

“He was lying? When he said that things can’t move between universes?”

“He was,” said Vivian gently, “but only because he thought you were too young to be burdened with the secrets of the Paradox Club.”

“But you never answered my question,” said Tess. “How do you know an object is from another universe?”

“Some people have the gift,” said Richard.

“Your father had it,” said Vivian. “He could sense an untethered object better than anyone in the club. But most members have some degree of sensitivity to UFOs. It’s what draws them to the club, even if they don’t know it.”

“But personal sensitivity only works if you happen to stumble across a UFO,” said Richard. “That does happen, but not very often. Before the big board, the club only had about forty objects in the vault.”

“What’s the big board?” asked Tess.

“In the 1960s,” said Vivian, “scientists started working on technology to detect untethered objects. The big board came into use once the club got access to some satellite technology.”

“The club has its own satellites?”

“No,” said Vivian, “but for decades we’ve had members at NASA and in the big telecom firms, so it’s never been a problem to get access to satellites.”

“The big board is a display at the club that shows where UFOs have been detected,” said Richard.