SF-historia: Utlänningar lämnar felaktigt mänsklig bebis med intelligens "leksak"?
"Teething Ring" , kort berättelse av James Causey ; först publicerad i Galaxy Science Fiction , januari 1953 , tillgänglig på Internetarkiv ; reprinted i ett antal antologier, några av dem visas här ; etext på Project Gutenberg , ljud på Librivox .
Utlänningar lämnar felaktigt en intelligens "kub" eller leksak med en mänsklig bebis
"I know just the thing," Porteous said happily. "Here." He dipped into the glittering litter on the tray and handed Harry Junior a translucent prism. "A neural distorter. We use it to train regressives on Rigel Two. It might be of assistance."
Melinda eyed the thing doubtfully. Harry Junior was peering into the shifting crystal depths with a somewhat strained expression.
"Speeds up the neural flow," explained the little man proudly. "Helps tap the unused eighty per cent. The pre-symptomatic memory is unaffected, due to automatic cerebral lapse in case of overload. I'm afraid it won't do much more than cube his present IQ, and an intelligent idiot is still an idiot, but—"
och senare inser de felkategoriserade jorden och att ingen människor borde ha den kuben. De återvänder inom kort och tar kuben tillbaka,
"Major Nord, Galactic Security." The little man bowed. "You were visited early this morning by one Porteous." He spoke the name with a certain disgust. "He left a neural distorter here. Correct?"
Melinda's nod was tremulous. Major Nord came quietly into the living room, shut the door behind him. "My apologies, madam, for the intrusion. Porteous mistook your world for a Class IV culture, instead of a Class VII. Here—" He handed her the crumpled dollar bill. "You may check the serial number. The distorter, please."
Och barnet, som nu är hyperintelligent, rasar i sin spjälsäng, hjälplös att förändra det faktum att det nu kommer att ta honom år åtta? tio? femton? - att kontrollera hela jorden.
Harry Junior was sobbing bitterly into his pillow. He was sick with disappointment. Even the most favorable extrapolation showed it would take him nineteen years to become master of the world.
An eternity. Nineteen years!