The story revolves around Harry Barton, a watchman who was assigned to duty in a basketball-shaped space station 53 years ago. The basketballs were designed to rotate and move with the galaxy, but they eventually became forgotten during a war that lasted for 30 years. When the search party finds the second basketball, they are shocked to discover that Harry Barton is still alive inside it. He looks hardly any different than when he was left there, and his heart is beating regularly at an incredible rate of once every 37 hours and 14 seconds. The medical officer, Zeiger, is skeptical about Barton's condition, but Von Ulrich, a retired doctor who had previously worked with Barton, insists that he is alive. After conducting further tests, it becomes clear that Barton has developed a unique adaptation to his environment, where time no longer holds any meaning for him. Von Ulrich believes that Barton's autonomic nervous system has lost its identification with the time factor that conditioned it, and as a result, his organs function in a necessary regularity. He also notes that Barton's metabolism has slowed down significantly, which could potentially lead to an extended lifespan. The story raises questions about the nature of time and how it affects human beings. It challenges the conventional understanding of time and its relationship with our bodily functions. The fact that Barton's heart beats at a rate that is not synchronized with Earth's rotation or orbit around the sun highlights the arbitrary nature of time. Ultimately, the story leaves the reader wondering about the implications of Barton's condition and what it means for human existence. Is he still alive in the classical sense, or has he transcended the boundaries of time and space? The story raises more questions than it answers, leaving the reader to ponder the mysteries of time and its relationship with humanity.
By Kenneth O'Hara · First published 1989 · Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Adventure