"Service Call" is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. It was first published in Science Fiction Stories, July 1955. The plot centers on a man, Courtland, who one evening at his home is visited by a nervous and peculiar repairman. The repairman states he's answering a service call made from Courtland's address and wishes to repair some sort of appliance. Courtland is irritated by the disturbence. Having not made any appointment, nor having the slightest clue about the product the man wishes to service, Courtland angrily sends the man away. Shortly later, Courtland gets curious about the man. He goes back to his door to see if he is still there. There's no sign of the man save for the crumpled service order on the ground. Courtland examines the paper to discover that the company the man works for will be founded 9 years in the future. Courtland phones his colleagues with an idea. The service man returns, confused and sure he has the correct address. Courtland and his colleagues discover the man works for an authoritarian bio-technology company from an alternate future.
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Famous quotes containing the words service and/or call:
“Old books that have ceased to be of service should no more be abandoned than should old friends who have ceased to give pleasure.”
—Peregrine, Sir Worsthorne (b. 1923)
“Could it not be that just at the moment masculinity has brought us to the brink of nuclear destruction or ecological suicide, women are beginning to rise in response to the Mothers call to save her planet and create instead the next stage of evolution? Can our revolution mean anything else than the reversion of social and economic control to Her representatives among Womankind, and the resumption of Her worship on the face of the Earth? Do we dare demand less?”
—Jane Alpert (b. 1947)