Adjustment Team: They Adjust Reality. He Wasn’t Supposed to See It

Adjustment Team by Philip K. Dick - Something went wrong... and Ed Fletcher got mixed up in the biggest thing in his life

It was bright morning. The sun shone down on the damp lawns and sidewalks, reflecting off the sparkling parked cars.The clerk came walking hurriedly, leafing through his instructions, flipping pages and frowning. He stopped in front of the small green stucco house for a moment, and then turned up the walk, entering the back yard.

The dog was asleep inside his shed, his back turned to the world. Only his thick tail showed.

'For Heaven's sake,' the clerk exclaimed, hands on his hips. He tapped his mechanical pencil noisily against his clipboard. 'Wake up, you in there.'

The dog stirred. He came slowly out of his shed, head first, blinking and yawning in the morning sunlight. 'Oh, it's you. Already?' He yawned again.

'Big doings.' The clerk ran his expert finger down the traffic-control sheet. 'They're adjusting Sector T137 this morning. Starting at exactly nine o'clock.' He glanced at his pocket watch. 'Three hour alteration. Will finish by noon.'

'T137? That's not far from here.'

The clerk's thin lips twisted with contempt. 'Indeed. You're showing astonishing perspicacity, my black-haired friend. Maybe you can divine why I'm here.'

'We overlap with T137.'

Exactly. Elements from this Sector are involved. We must make sure they're properly placed when the adjustment begins.'