Carter returned to Providence after spending the last few days working in New York, picked the cube up from the Material Sciences laboratory, and took it back to show Lovecraft. They studied it over lunch at the Italian restaurant a two-block walk from the bookstore. “It’s … heavy” was Lovecraft’s first comment. “It’s about nine pounds of aluminum.” “Make a good paperweight.” She put it on the tabletop, and gently pushed down on one corner. It rocked. Lovecraft tried it on every face, but it wouldn’t sit stably on any of them. “Maybe not such a good paperweight. What the hell is wrong with the angles in this thing?” “Weird, isn’t it? Not a good idea to look at it for too long, either. Or think about it too much.” Lovecraft looked at him suspiciously, then pushed away the cube as if it were a cup of coffee she’d just discovered was poisoned.
