A Likely Story

In Short

This sharp, cynical science fiction tale explores the intersection of human ambition and godlike power. Set at a chaotic Christmas party for a fictional association of science fiction writers, the narrative follows a skeptical narrator who realizes that the strange, localized physical anomalies plaguing the event—gravity shifts, wardrobe malfunctions, and sudden weather changes—are not natural phenomena. Instead, they are the work of a social outcast wielding a homemade device capable of manipulating probability. It is a story about the fragility of ego and the dangerous consequences of granting ultimate control to the overlooked.

The Story

The story begins on a deceptively mild December night in New York. The narrator, a writer who has retreated to the country, arrives at the Medusa Club’s annual Christmas party. The atmosphere is surreal: the weather is unseasonably warm, the crowd is behaving with erratic, slapstick intensity, and inexplicable accidents are unfolding. Drinks turn hot in the glass, clothing snaps apart, and the chandelier begins to sway as if caught in a localized tremor.

The narrator meets Ray Alvarez, a sharp-eyed colleague who remains perched atop a piano to survey the room. Together, they observe the mounting pandemonium, which manifests as a series of physical impossibilities. As they watch, the narrator deduces that someone in the room is manipulating probability—essentially acting as Maxwell’s Demon to rearrange the movement of molecules. They attempt to identify the culprit among a small list of known science fiction writers, searching for anyone who might possess a secret, world-changing device.

As the night progresses, the pranks grow more dangerous. The party is suddenly invaded by a surreal stampede of animals, forcing the remaining guests to flee. During the chaos, the narrator notices a quiet, overlooked fan named Harry, who wears distinctive, modified eyeglasses. While the narrator and Ray are distracted by a false lead involving another writer named Tom Q. Jones, Harry remains in the shadows.

After the party, the narrator encounters Harry on the street. Harry reveals the truth: he has built a portable, wire-and-tube rig that allows him to control the laws of probability. He is not a professional writer or a celebrated genius, but an invisible, frustrated fan. When the narrator cautiously tries to advise him to use the power with restraint, Harry turns resentful. He rejects the narrator’s attempts at mentorship with cold, dismissive contempt and uses the device to levitate and escape into the night.

The final act jumps forward by a month. Reports from the Palomar Observatory indicate strange, flickering lights on Mars. The scientific community is puzzled, but the narrator knows exactly who is responsible. The story concludes with the narrator peering through a friend's telescope, watching the planet Mars and feeling the sting of the fan’s final, silent taunt. The experience has left the Medusa Club members disillusioned and haunted, unable to look at one another without remembering the night a nobody gained the power to reshape the universe.

How It Unfolds

The gathering begins The narrator arrives at a New York hotel during a strange, unseasonable thaw. He finds the science fiction writers' party already in a state of odd, low-level agitation.

The chaos erupts Physical laws start to buckle as drinks heat up, chandeliers sway, and clothing snaps apart for no reason. The narrator recognizes that these events are not random accidents but signs of controlled manipulation.

The investigation Perched on a piano, the narrator and Ray Alvarez theorize that someone is using a device to force improbable physical events. They methodically narrow down the list of suspects, focusing on the prominent writers in the room.

The animal stampede The tension breaks when a sudden, impossible surge of animals invades the ballroom. The participants scatter in terror, and the narrator loses track of the potential suspects.

The revelation Outside in the cold night, the narrator realizes the unassuming fan, Harry, is the source of the anomalies. Harry displays his makeshift device and openly mocks the narrator’s status as a "big shot."

The escape Harry uses the device to levitate, drifting away into the night sky. He leaves behind a narrator who realizes the fan has escaped the bounds of Earth entirely.

The aftermath A month later, the narrator observes the impact of Harry’s departure through astronomical reports. The realization that a resentful, overlooked fan now holds the power of a god remains a permanent, unsettling weight on the narrator's mind.

The People

The Narrator is a weary, observant writer who prefers the quiet of the country to the pretensions of the city. He wants to understand the anomaly at the party, hoping that if he finds the inventor, he might gain entry into a new, powerful world. By the end, he is humbled and shaken, left with the crushing realization that he is utterly powerless.

Ray Alvarez is a rumpled, sharp-witted man who fancies himself an expert on all things. He wants to maintain control and solve the puzzle, acting as a guide through the chaos. He is ultimately just as baffled as the narrator, though he hides his insecurity behind a veneer of intellectual superiority.

Harry is the "ubiquitous fan"—the young, socially invisible boy with horn-rimmed glasses who hangs around the edges of the club. He wants to be recognized, but his desire for validation has curdled into a deep, misanthropic rage. When he gains godlike power, he uses it not to help humanity, but to escape it and flaunt his superiority over those who once ignored him.

Tom Q. Jones serves as the primary red herring. He spends the night running around with a camera that has no film, creating a spectacle that distracts everyone from the quiet, dangerous truth hiding in the corner.

In Its Own Voice

"If you discovered a fantastic power like this, you'd use it benevolently, for the good of the entire human race--wouldn't you?"

This rhetorical question, posed at the very beginning, sets the ironic tone for the narrator's later discovery of Harry’s selfish motives.

"The Medusa Club is, loosely speaking, an association for professional science fiction writers."

This provides context for the insular, often narcissistic social environment in which the story’s extraordinary events occur.

"I saw his feet lift clear of the pavement; he was hanging there like a mirage, drifting backward and upward just a little faster than I could run."

This description captures the shocking moment Harry abandons his human constraints, leaving the narrator behind.

What It's Really About

At its core, this story is a critique of the "fan" culture that surrounds science fiction. It asks whether those who consume fantasies of power are prepared to handle that power in reality. The narrative suggests that when people are consistently ignored or treated as "lesser" by a community—in this case, the professional writers—their resentment can become a volatile force. It is an argument against the idea that scientific genius is the sole province of the elite; instead, it posits that the most dangerous weapon could be built by anyone with enough obsession and a few scraps of wire. It ultimately questions the morality of genius, suggesting that without character, the ability to control the universe is merely a path to isolation.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy a cynical, character-driven take on the "mad scientist" trope will find much to admire here. The story avoids the grandiosity often found in mid-century sci-fi, focusing instead on the petty, deeply human dynamics of a writer’s club. It is a tight, atmospheric piece that captures a very specific, slightly jaded New York sensibility.

The prose is precise and rhythmic, moving effortlessly from the slapstick humor of a ballroom brawl to the cold, cosmic dread of a human being drifting toward Mars. Readers might find the dated, casual sexism of the "professional writer" dialogue reflective of its 1956 origin, though it serves to highlight the narrator’s own lack of self-awareness. What sticks with you is the final image: not of a heroic explorer reaching the stars, but of a bitter, socially rejected boy using the secrets of the universe to spite the people who never learned his name. If you enjoy stories where the "miracle" is just a backdrop for a sharp character study, this will feel like a discovery. It is a quick, haunting read that lingers long after the final page.