Jack of No Trades by Evelyn E. Smith

Name: Jack of No Trades
Author: Evelyn E. Smith

Kevin Faraday is the eldest son of a family of psi-powered supermen in a future society where nearly everyone possesses telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, or precognition, but he alone was born a "psi-negative" — an atavistic throwback with no powers at all. His father teleports and shows off like a boy; his brother Danny moves furniture and dishes with telekinesis, clumsily; his sister Sylvia, a telepathic advertising copywriter, feels others' emotions and broadcasts her own; his mother is a deep-probe telepath and psychiatrist who reads Kevin's mind without needing permission; his youngest brother Tim is a gifted prognosticator at the Weather Bureau who alone insists Kevin has some undiscovered talent. Kevin has no job and no real place in the household, confined to menial machine-minding, reading obsolete books from the Archives (since he cannot receive telepathically broadcast "tellie" programs), and taking long solitary walks, since he cannot compete athletically or socially with his gifted peers and resents the pity of neighbors. He nurses resentment at his family's practiced kindness, believing only their flashes of anger reveal true feelings toward him. Life changes when a returning starship reports two inhabited planets at Alpha Centauri whose hostile, humanoid-unlike inhabitants attack on contact and then follow the Earth ship home, threatening war. As the colony prepares for conflict, Kevin's mother has him and Sylvia trained in first aid at Psycho Center, since psi powers offer little advantage in emergency medicine and hospitals lack enough cure-all machines for wartime casualties. In class Kevin meets and is drawn to a fellow trainee, Lucy, a minor telesensitive (poetess) unable to read his thoughts. War breaks out with alien bombing near Kevin's town. Forced by his mother to treat a horribly wounded man, Kevin discovers he possesses a healing power: his touch instantly closes wounds and restores bodies, a psi ability history preserved as the old legend of the "King's Evil" (scrofula cured by a monarch's touch). Testing confirms Kevin is the only human healer alive, vastly outperforming medical machines. He is given a government hospital, becomes a celebrated war hero, works constantly and joyfully, and is joined by Lucy as his assistant, whom he grows fond of, though a full conversation about their relationship keeps getting interrupted by incoming casualties. After four months the aliens' fleet proves inferior to Earth's weaponry, and the remnant self-destructs near Mars — an apparent unconditional surrender, ending the war with no further contact from the Centaurians. Kevin returns home a celebrity, but the fame fades quickly: peacetime injuries are handled fine by machines, people stop coming to him, and his family, having briefly basked in his reflected glory, drifts back toward using him for their convenience (his sister urges him to sell his name for a "Panacetic Pills" testimonial, which he first refuses on principle). His courtship of Lucy collapses during a stiff, awkward family dinner; sensing (through others' unspoken judgments he can never fully read) that everyone sees the match as beneath his brief heroism and unworthy of her, he releases Lucy from any obligation at her door, and they part without ever having kissed, leaving him lonelier than before. Grieving in the park after a storm, Kevin discovers his healing power extends to plants — he can restore fallen trees and smashed flowers — and reasons it may not be limited to living things at all. Back home, he successfully repairs a smashed table and then his mother's broken stove, astonishing his family, who immediately begin proposing practical uses for his gift (Danny wants him to secretly fix furniture he damages on the job; Sylvia suggests he mend "intangibles" like broken hearts). Having resolved to stop giving his gift away for nothing, Kevin reverses himself and agrees to do the pill testimonial after all — only to be told by Sylvia it's too late, his name no longer carries weight. As the family debates how to monetize his abilities, Sylvia's stalled romance resolves when her boyfriend Lennie calls; moments later, Tim warns Kevin to "be careful," precognizing something ominous. The story ends with Kevin declaring he is going to catch a helibus to mend a broken heart — his own — vowing that this time healing will not be free.

By Evelyn E. Smith · First published 1943 · Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Social Commentary · 8,609 words

First lines

_I was psick of Psi powers, not having any. Or didn't I? Maybe they'd psee otherwise psomeday! _

I walked into the dining room and collided with a floating mass of fabric, which promptly draped itself over me like a sentient shroud.

What this Textopian page supports

Jack of No Trades is listed on Textopian as a novel by Evelyn E. Smith, dated 1943 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Evelyn E. Smith
Date: 1943 CE
Language: English
Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Social Commentary, Drama, Adventure
Length: 8,609 words
Structure: 1 section, 186 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Science Fiction — The book explores futuristic themes, including psi powers and advanced technology, set in a speculative future.
Fantasy — Elements of supernatural abilities and the exploration of a world where telepathy and other powers exist contribute to its fantasy aspects.
Social Commentary — The narrative critiques societal norms and the treatment of individuals with disabilities in a highly advanced society.
Drama — The emotional struggles of the protagonist and family dynamics create a dramatic narrative centered on personal conflict.