Identify a short story involving art thieves given a device which can significantly slow time
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I read this short story during the late 1980s to early 1990s in an english language collection.
This story involved an art thief asked by some mysterious clients to acquire a priceless piece of art that was on display in a high security art gallery. When the thief suggests it is impossible, he is given a device which significantly slows down time, allowing him to walk in and take the picture off of the wall in the middle of the day.
The story ends with the art thief handing over the artwork to his clients, and asking if he can keep the device. The clients humorously explain that he can keep the device for the rest of his life, explaining that they are aliens collecting significant human works of art so as to preserve them from the impending human apocalypse.
When he asks when the apocalypse will occur, the aliens tell him "moments away in real time", leaving him the option of living out the rest of his life in slowed down time alone.
story-identification short-stories
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
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up vote
34
down vote
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I read this short story during the late 1980s to early 1990s in an english language collection.
This story involved an art thief asked by some mysterious clients to acquire a priceless piece of art that was on display in a high security art gallery. When the thief suggests it is impossible, he is given a device which significantly slows down time, allowing him to walk in and take the picture off of the wall in the middle of the day.
The story ends with the art thief handing over the artwork to his clients, and asking if he can keep the device. The clients humorously explain that he can keep the device for the rest of his life, explaining that they are aliens collecting significant human works of art so as to preserve them from the impending human apocalypse.
When he asks when the apocalypse will occur, the aliens tell him "moments away in real time", leaving him the option of living out the rest of his life in slowed down time alone.
story-identification short-stories
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
Eerily similar to this question and TZ episode: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/195113/…
– Edheldil
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
34
down vote
favorite
up vote
34
down vote
favorite
I read this short story during the late 1980s to early 1990s in an english language collection.
This story involved an art thief asked by some mysterious clients to acquire a priceless piece of art that was on display in a high security art gallery. When the thief suggests it is impossible, he is given a device which significantly slows down time, allowing him to walk in and take the picture off of the wall in the middle of the day.
The story ends with the art thief handing over the artwork to his clients, and asking if he can keep the device. The clients humorously explain that he can keep the device for the rest of his life, explaining that they are aliens collecting significant human works of art so as to preserve them from the impending human apocalypse.
When he asks when the apocalypse will occur, the aliens tell him "moments away in real time", leaving him the option of living out the rest of his life in slowed down time alone.
story-identification short-stories
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
I read this short story during the late 1980s to early 1990s in an english language collection.
This story involved an art thief asked by some mysterious clients to acquire a priceless piece of art that was on display in a high security art gallery. When the thief suggests it is impossible, he is given a device which significantly slows down time, allowing him to walk in and take the picture off of the wall in the middle of the day.
The story ends with the art thief handing over the artwork to his clients, and asking if he can keep the device. The clients humorously explain that he can keep the device for the rest of his life, explaining that they are aliens collecting significant human works of art so as to preserve them from the impending human apocalypse.
When he asks when the apocalypse will occur, the aliens tell him "moments away in real time", leaving him the option of living out the rest of his life in slowed down time alone.
story-identification short-stories
story-identification short-stories
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
asked Nov 27 at 7:46
Moo
2,5201534
2,5201534
Eerily similar to this question and TZ episode: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/195113/…
– Edheldil
2 days ago
add a comment |
Eerily similar to this question and TZ episode: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/195113/…
– Edheldil
2 days ago
Eerily similar to this question and TZ episode: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/195113/…
– Edheldil
2 days ago
Eerily similar to this question and TZ episode: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/195113/…
– Edheldil
2 days ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
38
down vote
accepted
"All the Time in the World", a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Startling Stories, July 1952, available at the Internet Archive. Does any of these covers look familiar?
Excerpt:
"You can call this a personal generator," she said. "With it strapped about
your arm, you are invincible. You can come and go without hindrance — you
can steal everything on that list and bring it to me before one of the guards
in the Museum has blinked an eyelid. When you have finished, you can be miles away before you switch off the field and step back into the normal world.
"Now listen carefully, and do exactly what I say. The field has a radius of about seven feet, so you must keep at least that distance from any other person. Secondly, you must not switch it off again until you have completed your task and I have given you your payment. This is most important. Now, the plan I have worked out is this. . . ."
The ending:
Alone! Ashton held the gleaming bracelet before his eyes, hypnotized by its intricate workmanship and by the powers it concealed. He had made a bargain, and he must keep it. He could live out the full span of his life — at the
cost of an isolation no other man had ever known. If he switched off the
field, the last seconds of history would tick inexorably away.
Seconds? Indeed, there was less time than that. For he knew that the bomb must already have exploded.
He sat down on the edge of the pavement and began to think. There was no
need to panic; he must take things calmly, without hysteria. After all, he had plenty of time.
All the time in the world.
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
2
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
4
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
3
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
4
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
38
down vote
accepted
"All the Time in the World", a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Startling Stories, July 1952, available at the Internet Archive. Does any of these covers look familiar?
Excerpt:
"You can call this a personal generator," she said. "With it strapped about
your arm, you are invincible. You can come and go without hindrance — you
can steal everything on that list and bring it to me before one of the guards
in the Museum has blinked an eyelid. When you have finished, you can be miles away before you switch off the field and step back into the normal world.
"Now listen carefully, and do exactly what I say. The field has a radius of about seven feet, so you must keep at least that distance from any other person. Secondly, you must not switch it off again until you have completed your task and I have given you your payment. This is most important. Now, the plan I have worked out is this. . . ."
The ending:
Alone! Ashton held the gleaming bracelet before his eyes, hypnotized by its intricate workmanship and by the powers it concealed. He had made a bargain, and he must keep it. He could live out the full span of his life — at the
cost of an isolation no other man had ever known. If he switched off the
field, the last seconds of history would tick inexorably away.
Seconds? Indeed, there was less time than that. For he knew that the bomb must already have exploded.
He sat down on the edge of the pavement and began to think. There was no
need to panic; he must take things calmly, without hysteria. After all, he had plenty of time.
All the time in the world.
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
2
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
4
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
3
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
4
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
add a comment |
up vote
38
down vote
accepted
"All the Time in the World", a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Startling Stories, July 1952, available at the Internet Archive. Does any of these covers look familiar?
Excerpt:
"You can call this a personal generator," she said. "With it strapped about
your arm, you are invincible. You can come and go without hindrance — you
can steal everything on that list and bring it to me before one of the guards
in the Museum has blinked an eyelid. When you have finished, you can be miles away before you switch off the field and step back into the normal world.
"Now listen carefully, and do exactly what I say. The field has a radius of about seven feet, so you must keep at least that distance from any other person. Secondly, you must not switch it off again until you have completed your task and I have given you your payment. This is most important. Now, the plan I have worked out is this. . . ."
The ending:
Alone! Ashton held the gleaming bracelet before his eyes, hypnotized by its intricate workmanship and by the powers it concealed. He had made a bargain, and he must keep it. He could live out the full span of his life — at the
cost of an isolation no other man had ever known. If he switched off the
field, the last seconds of history would tick inexorably away.
Seconds? Indeed, there was less time than that. For he knew that the bomb must already have exploded.
He sat down on the edge of the pavement and began to think. There was no
need to panic; he must take things calmly, without hysteria. After all, he had plenty of time.
All the time in the world.
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
2
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
4
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
3
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
4
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
add a comment |
up vote
38
down vote
accepted
up vote
38
down vote
accepted
"All the Time in the World", a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Startling Stories, July 1952, available at the Internet Archive. Does any of these covers look familiar?
Excerpt:
"You can call this a personal generator," she said. "With it strapped about
your arm, you are invincible. You can come and go without hindrance — you
can steal everything on that list and bring it to me before one of the guards
in the Museum has blinked an eyelid. When you have finished, you can be miles away before you switch off the field and step back into the normal world.
"Now listen carefully, and do exactly what I say. The field has a radius of about seven feet, so you must keep at least that distance from any other person. Secondly, you must not switch it off again until you have completed your task and I have given you your payment. This is most important. Now, the plan I have worked out is this. . . ."
The ending:
Alone! Ashton held the gleaming bracelet before his eyes, hypnotized by its intricate workmanship and by the powers it concealed. He had made a bargain, and he must keep it. He could live out the full span of his life — at the
cost of an isolation no other man had ever known. If he switched off the
field, the last seconds of history would tick inexorably away.
Seconds? Indeed, there was less time than that. For he knew that the bomb must already have exploded.
He sat down on the edge of the pavement and began to think. There was no
need to panic; he must take things calmly, without hysteria. After all, he had plenty of time.
All the time in the world.
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
"All the Time in the World", a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Startling Stories, July 1952, available at the Internet Archive. Does any of these covers look familiar?
Excerpt:
"You can call this a personal generator," she said. "With it strapped about
your arm, you are invincible. You can come and go without hindrance — you
can steal everything on that list and bring it to me before one of the guards
in the Museum has blinked an eyelid. When you have finished, you can be miles away before you switch off the field and step back into the normal world.
"Now listen carefully, and do exactly what I say. The field has a radius of about seven feet, so you must keep at least that distance from any other person. Secondly, you must not switch it off again until you have completed your task and I have given you your payment. This is most important. Now, the plan I have worked out is this. . . ."
The ending:
Alone! Ashton held the gleaming bracelet before his eyes, hypnotized by its intricate workmanship and by the powers it concealed. He had made a bargain, and he must keep it. He could live out the full span of his life — at the
cost of an isolation no other man had ever known. If he switched off the
field, the last seconds of history would tick inexorably away.
Seconds? Indeed, there was less time than that. For he knew that the bomb must already have exploded.
He sat down on the edge of the pavement and began to think. There was no
need to panic; he must take things calmly, without hysteria. After all, he had plenty of time.
All the time in the world.
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
edited Nov 27 at 9:49
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
answered Nov 27 at 8:16
user14111
97.6k6382488
97.6k6382488
2
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
4
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
3
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
4
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
add a comment |
2
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
4
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
3
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
4
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
2
2
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
Note, they weren't aliens, but visitors from the far future.
– Daniel Roseman
Nov 27 at 8:56
4
4
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
@DanielRoseman She is from the future but not from Earth, which is going to be blown to asteroids when the superbomb goes off.
– user14111
Nov 27 at 9:02
3
3
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
This never seemed like a Clarke story to me.
– Organic Marble
Nov 27 at 14:19
4
4
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
@OrganicMarble - yeah, more like an Asimov short - the kind with a twist at the end.
– davidbak
Nov 27 at 19:51
add a comment |
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Eerily similar to this question and TZ episode: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/195113/…
– Edheldil
2 days ago