The Right Time

In Short

This narrative follows Walter "Lefty" Bupp, a gifted telekinetic surgeon, who brings an unconventional, self-proclaimed clairvoyant named Pheola Rountree into the Manhattan Chapter of the Psi Lodge. While the Lodge’s formidable Grand Master, Maragon, dismisses precognition as unreliable, Lefty attempts to validate Pheola’s powers through science and persistence. The story explores the intersection of human intuition and cold data, ultimately questioning whether the future is a fixed destination or a series of overlapping possibilities that require both faith and precision to navigate.

The Story

The story begins in the high-reaching Lodge building in Manhattan, where Lefty arrives with Pheola, a spindly, buck-toothed woman he discovered in Nevada. Pheola claims to possess two gifts: the power to heal and the ability to foresee the future. She immediately clashes with the skeptical Grand Master, Maragon, who rejects her precognition as "small-time" superstition. Pheola seals her fate with the old man by predicting that he will suffer a heart attack, an assertion that earns her only his scorn.

Lefty, however, is intrigued. He has experienced Pheola’s healing firsthand—she successfully restored his dead right arm—and he begins to train her, realizing her healing abilities are actually a precise, subtle application of telekinesis. He enlists a technician, Norty Baskins, to measure the accuracy of her predictions using computers. The data reveals a puzzling pattern: Pheola is either perfectly accurate or completely wrong. Lefty suspects that the inconsistency isn't a failure of her mind, but a fundamental property of how she perceives time.

As the date of Pheola’s prophecy approaches, Lefty orchestrates a high-stakes medical intervention. With the help of a cardiologist, Dr. Swartz, they maneuver the reluctant Maragon into the hospital. Sure enough, the Grand Master suffers a coronary event on the predicted day. This confirms the accuracy of Pheola's insight, but it also brings the crisis to a head. The doctors discover a dangerous, soft clot in Maragon’s artery that threatens to kill him if it dislodges.

Pheola, now having refined her telekinetic "grip" through extensive practice with Lefty, attempts an unprecedented procedure: she uses her mind to reach inside the Grand Master's chest and manually break down the clot. The gamble succeeds. Maragon survives, and his recovery marks a turning point for the Lodge’s perception of diagnostic Psi-technique.

In the final resolution, Lefty presents a theory to Maragon: Pheola is not "wrong" when her predictions fail; rather, she is perceiving a different thread of space-time, a "helix" that only occasionally intersects with their own. By calculating these intersections, the Lodge can utilize her rare gift of precognition with scientific accuracy. Maragon finally grants her membership, and the story concludes on a domestic note, with Lefty preparing to take Pheola to an orthodontist, fulfilling the very first, persistent prophecy she made to him about their future together.

How It Unfolds

The introduction of a gift Lefty introduces the unconventional Pheola to the stern Grand Master in his penthouse, where her bold prediction of his impending heart attack is met with laughter and dismissal. Lefty, believing in her potential, brings her into the Lodge to refine her raw, untrained abilities.

The search for a pattern Lefty turns to the data-processing center, using computers to map Pheola’s predictions against reality. The results are erratic, leading Lefty to hypothesize that her visions are not random, but tied to a complex, shifting logic of time.

The looming crisis As the predicted date of the heart attack nears, Lefty and the medical staff secure Maragon’s hospitalization. The prophecy comes to pass exactly as foreseen, forcing the skeptical doctors to confront the validity of Pheola’s insight.

The dangerous cure With the Grand Master’s life hanging in the balance, Pheola utilizes her unique telekinetic talent to perform a delicate internal procedure. She successfully breaks down the lethal clot, saving Maragon and earning the grudging respect of the Lodge hierarchy.

The reconciliation of science and sight Lefty explains his "helix" theory to Maragon, framing Pheola’s accuracy as a matter of perspective rather than error. The book closes with Pheola officially accepted into the Lodge and the fulfillment of her most mundane, personal prediction.

The People

Walter "Lefty" Bupp is a Thirty-third Degree telekinetic surgeon. He is pragmatic, slightly cynical, and deeply protective of his methods. He wants to legitimize Psi powers within a rigid, skeptical organization and sees Pheola not just as a project, but as a partner whose hidden potential can reshape the Lodge’s scientific understanding.

Pheola Rountree is a tall, emaciated, and initially unrefined woman who possesses immense, instinctive Psi power. She is defined by her unwavering faith in her own visions and her genuine love for Lefty. Despite her lack of formal education, she possesses a raw, focused tenacity that allows her to learn complex medical concepts and perform feats of micro-telekinesis that defy conventional limits.

Maragon is the "Grand Master" of the Lodge, a man who built his authority on skepticism and strict standards of evidence. He is abrasive and impatient, acting as the primary obstacle to Pheola’s acceptance. His journey is one of forced humility; he moves from mocking the "witch" to relying on her for his very survival, ultimately yielding to the necessity of her inclusion in the Lodge.

In Its Own Voice

"The trouble with prophets is that if they're accurate, the news won't do you any good, and if they aren't accurate, they're no good."

Lefty muses on the inherent paradox of precognition when discussing the skepticism Pheola faces from the Lodge leadership.

"My healin' won't do you much good, you nasty old man!"

Pheola defiantly warns Maragon of his future health issues when he challenges the legitimacy of her powers.

"The events that Pheola predicts are in a different space-time continuum."

Lefty presents his final, scientific justification to Maragon to explain why Pheola’s visions sometimes align with reality and sometimes miss the mark.

What It's Really About

The book explores the tension between empirical science and intuitive, unquantifiable experience. It posits that "truth" is often a matter of context; just as Lefty views Pheola’s precognition through the lens of a space-time "helix" to make it useful, the book argues that humanity’s progress relies on integrating the "witchcraft" of the unknown into the framework of the known. It also addresses the theme of transformation, showing how both the skeptic and the prophet are changed by their interaction—the skeptic by physical survival and the prophet by societal validation. Ultimately, the story asks whether we can ever fully grasp the architecture of the future, or if we must simply learn to navigate the moments when our paths overlap with it.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy mid-century science fiction will find this a refreshing, grounded take on psychic powers, treating them less as magical artifacts and more as a rigorous, albeit strange, technical skill. The setting—a sprawling, bureaucratic Lodge filled with telepaths—has a unique, lived-in atmosphere that rewards those who enjoy internal politics mixed with high-stakes problem solving.

The prose is conversational and punchy, capturing the voice of a narrator who is both a brilliant surgeon and a bit of a scrapper. It is important to note that the book reflects the attitudes of its 1963 publication date; the dialogue occasionally leans into period-specific tropes and, in Pheola’s case, a stylized dialect that some modern readers may find dated or caricature-like. However, for those who can look past these conventions, the book offers a clever, concise puzzle about the nature of time. What stays with you is the relationship between the two leads—an unlikely partnership defined by mutual growth and a shared, hard-won victory over a rigid establishment. It is a satisfying, warm, and highly focused read that never overstays its welcome.