Eye in the Sky (1957) by Philip K. Dick Page A

pulled him away from
the bar. “I’m going to let you in on something. Greatest discovery since
the poll tax.”
    Threading
his way among the patrons, Laws led Ham ilton to the cigarette dispenser
in the corner. Thumping the machine with the
flat of his hand, Laws said triumph antly, “Well? What do you think
of it?”
    Hamilton
cautiously examined the machine. The usual sight: a tall, metallic box
with blue-tinted mirror, coin slot at the upper right, rows of little glass
windows behind which rested various brands of cigarettes, the line of levers,
and then the drop slot “Looks all right,” he commented.
    “Notice
anything about it?”
    “No, nothing in
particular.”
    Laws peered around to make certain
no one was listening. Then he dragged Hamilton dose to him. I’ve been watching that machine work,” he
whispered harsh ly. “I’ve figured out something. Try to grasp this.
Try not to get thrown. There are no
cigarettes in that ma chine.”
    Hamilton
considered. “None at all?”
    Squatting
down, Laws indicated the row of display packages visible behind their glass covering. That’s all there is. One of each. There is no reservoir. But
watch.” He dropped a quarter
into the coin slot, selected the Camels lever, and pushed it firmly in.
A package of Camels slid out, and Laws
grabbed it “See?”
    “Idon’t get it,” Hamilton admitted. The candy bar machine is the
same.” Laws led him over to the candy dispensing machine. “Candy
comes out but there’s no candy in it. Only
the display packages. Get it?
Comprehend?”
    “No.”
    “Didn’t
you ever read about miracles? In the desert it was getting food and water; that’s what came first”
    “Oh,”
Hamilton said. That’s right”
    “ These
machines work on the original principle. Di vision
by miracle.” From his pocket Laws got a screwdriver; kneeling, he began
disassembling the candy bar machine. “I tell you, Jack, this is the
greatest discovery known to man. This’ll revolutionize modern industry. The whole concept of machine tool production,
the whole assembly-line technique—”
Laws waved his hand. “Out. Kaput
No more using up raw materials. No more depressed labor force. No more dirty, pounding factories. In this
metal box lies a vast secret”
    “Hey,”
Hamilton said, interested. “Maybe you’ve got something.”
    “This
stuff can be utilized.” Feverishly, Laws tore at the back of the
machine. “Give me a hand, man. Help me
get the lock off.”
    The lock came off. Between them, the
two men slid the back of the candy dispenser away and leaned it against the
wall. As Laws had predicted, the upright columns that were the reservoirs of
the machine were totally empty.
    “Get a dime out,” Laws
instructed. Skillfully, he unbolted the inner mechanism until the display bars
were visible from behind. To the right was the output chute; at its beginning was an elaborate series of
stages, levers and wheels. Laws began tracing the physical circuit back to its point of origin.
    “Looks
like the candy bar starts here,” Hamilton sug gested. Leaning over
Laws’ shoulder, he touched a flat shelf. The
coin trips a switch and tilts that plunger over. It gives the candy bar
a shove and starts it moving to ward the
slot. Gravity does the rest.”
    “Put the coin in,” Laws
said urgently. “I want to see where
the damn candy bar comes from.”
    Hamilton inserted the dime and
pulled a plunger at random. The wheels and
levers spun. From the center of the grinding works emerged a U-no
bar. The U-no bar slithered down the chute and came to rest in the slot outside the machine.
    “It just grew out of
nothing,” Laws said, awed.
    “But in a specific area. It
appeared tangent to the model bar. That suggests it’s a kind of binary fission
process. The model bar splits into two whole bars.”
    “Drop another dime in. I tell
you, Jack, this is it.”
    Again, a candy bar materialized and
was expelled by the efficient machinery. Both men watched