Yevgeny Zamyatin

“ Abraham all in a cold sweat, with the knife already raised over his son, over himself, and suddenly a voice from above: “Never mind . . . I was only joking.”
Without taking my eyes from the smile that grew more and more curved, I put my hands on the edge of the desk and slowly, very slowly pushed myself with my chair away from him. Then instantly gathering myself into my own hands, I dashed madly out, past loud voices, past steps and mouths . . . ”

“ Everybody laughed, and because of that laughter something rose in my throat; I felt I would either scream or . . . or . . . Suddenly from behind me someone touched my elbow. I turned around. Transparent wing ears! But they were not pink as usual; they were purplish red; his Adam’s apple was tossing about as though ready to tear the covering . . .
Quickly boring into me: “What are you here for?”
I seized him.
“Quickly! Please! Quickly! . . . into your office . . . I must tell everything . . . right away . . . I am glad that you . . . It may be terrible that it should be you to whom . . . ”

“ There is no infinity. If the universe is infinite, then the average density of matter must equal zero; but since we know it is not zero, therefore the universe is finite; it is spherical in form, and the square of its radius—R2—is equal to the average density multiplied by . ”