The Tuesday Disappearances

Глава 1Chapter 1: In Which the Great Mystery AppearsProfessor Septimus Socks was a man of science. Moreover, he was a man of exact science, which meant he wore spectacles, had unruly hair, and was capable of explaining quantum mechanics to someone who couldn't count to eleven without removing their shoes.But today, the professor stood before his washing machine in complete bewilderment, holding in his hands a detailed list compiled with the pedantry of a true scholar."Where," he pronounced aloud, because all great thinkers talk to themselves, "has one sock gone?"He had loaded exactly fourteen pairs of socks into the machine and was absolutely certain of this, having counted them three times using various numerical systems, including binary. Twenty-eight socks went in. Twenty-seven socks came out.One sock had vanished.It hadn't dissolved, torn, or turned to …