So there it was. Fred debated rapidly in his mind. It might be better to admit it.
"Yes," he said.
"Hmm. Then let me ask you this. How do you account for the fact that you know it, and haven't disappeared?"
Fred decided to be completely truthful and see what happened. "It's because I don't let belief form a part of my thinking, sir. Dad instilled that in me. With those that disappeared, logic was their groundwork of belief."
"But you believe knowing the theory caused them to vanish?"
Fred smiled. "I see what you mean. No, I don't. It's just that no other alternative seems probable, so...."
"So you work with the one that does," Curt said, nodding. "All right, let's work with it for the moment. You have probably done some thinking on what mechanism might be involved in the process of vanishing. Would you care to tell me about it?"
"There's no reason why not, sir. It takes time for conscious beliefs to sink into the subconscious and integrate there. The time varies with the person and the emotions involved."
"That makes sense," Curt said, nodding.
"I postulated that down underneath even the subconscious, at the very roots of being, is what I named the basic thought matrix. In order for us to be here in this existence at all it must have a certain form. Change that form and, presto, the person slips out of this existence, perhaps into another."