"Service Call" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in ''

Science Fiction Stories ''Future Science Fiction'' and ''Science Fiction Stories'' were two American science fiction magazines that were published under various names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960. Both publications were edited by Charles Hornig f ...

'', July 1955.

Plot

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 is answering a service call made from Courtland's address and wishes to repair some sort of appliance called a "swibble". Courtland is irritated by the disturbance. Having not made any appointment, nor having the slightest clue about swibbles, 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 is 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 Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used by ...

company from an

alternate future Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, film, and advertisements. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularized ...

External links

* Short stories by Philip K. Dick 1955 short stories Works originally published in Future Science Fiction and Science Fiction Stories Short fiction about time travel Fiction about mind control Works about ideologies Short stories set during World War III Biorobotics in fiction Dystopian literature {{1950s-sf-story-stub