Track 12
Encyclopedia
"Track 12" is a short story by British author J. G. Ballard
, it first appeared in the April 1958 edition of New Worlds
(Volume 24, Number 70). It then appeared in Passport to Eternity
, The Venus Hunters
, The Overloaded Man
, and later in The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1
.
. Despite Sheringham having asked him over to discuss business, Maxted suspects that Sheringham may be about to confront him about his wife, Susan Sheringham, with whom Maxted has being having an affair.
Throughout the course of the evening, Sheringham continues to play obscure sound recordings to Maxted, making him guess what they are (at one point he plays the amplified recording of a pin dropping). Sheringham explains he thinks microsonics is a great hobby, but it may be developing into an obsession. Maxted becomes impatient with the man he finds repulsive, and awaits the confrontation.
As Sheringham leaves the patio to play the titular last track, Maxted begins finishing off his whiskey but begins to feel a peculiar sensation in his abdomen - what feels like ice cold mercury weighing down his stomach. He becomes sluggish and disorientated as track 12 begins to play. Sheringham enters again, smiling. He explains to Maxted that he has been aware of his wife's affair, and has been recording their intimacy for some time with numerous microphones. He explains that Maxted has drunk chromium
cyanate
, and as Maxted slowly "drowns" internally, Sheringham reveals that the 'spongey...elastic waves lapping in a latex sea' appended with thunderous rhythms growing ever louder is an amplified recording of a kiss shared between Maxted and Sheringham's wife.
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
, it first appeared in the April 1958 edition of New Worlds
New Worlds (magazine)
New Worlds was a British science fiction magazine which was first published professionally in 1946. For 25 years it was widely considered the leading science fiction magazine in Britain, publishing 201 issues up to 1971...
(Volume 24, Number 70). It then appeared in Passport to Eternity
Passport to Eternity
-Contents:*"The Man on the 99th Floor"*"Thirteen to Centaurus"*"Track 12"*"The Watch Towers"*"A Question of Re-Entry"*"Escapement"*"The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista"*"The Cage of Sand"*"Passport to Eternity"-External links:*...
, The Venus Hunters
The Venus Hunters
The Venus Hunters is a collection of short stories by J. G. Ballard, first published in 1980 as a paperback by Panther Books, and reprinted as a hardback in 1986 by Victor Gollancz...
, The Overloaded Man
The Overloaded Man
The Overloaded Man is a collection of stories by J. G. Ballard, first published in 1967 as a paperback by Panther Books.-Contents:* "Now: Zero" - A man discovers that he can cause deaths by writing about them in his notebook.* "The Time-Tombs"...
, and later in The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1
The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1
The Complete Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: Volume 1 is a short-story collection by J. G. Ballard, published in 2006.The collection is the first installment of the J. G. Ballard's complete collection, followed by The Complete Short Stories of J. G...
.
Plot
The story begins with Maxted, a run-down athlete, having been invited over to the home of Sheringham, a university professor of biochemistryBiochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
. Despite Sheringham having asked him over to discuss business, Maxted suspects that Sheringham may be about to confront him about his wife, Susan Sheringham, with whom Maxted has being having an affair.
Throughout the course of the evening, Sheringham continues to play obscure sound recordings to Maxted, making him guess what they are (at one point he plays the amplified recording of a pin dropping). Sheringham explains he thinks microsonics is a great hobby, but it may be developing into an obsession. Maxted becomes impatient with the man he finds repulsive, and awaits the confrontation.
As Sheringham leaves the patio to play the titular last track, Maxted begins finishing off his whiskey but begins to feel a peculiar sensation in his abdomen - what feels like ice cold mercury weighing down his stomach. He becomes sluggish and disorientated as track 12 begins to play. Sheringham enters again, smiling. He explains to Maxted that he has been aware of his wife's affair, and has been recording their intimacy for some time with numerous microphones. He explains that Maxted has drunk chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
cyanate
Cyanate
The cyanate ion is an anion with the chemical formula written as [OCN]− or [NCO]−. In aqueous solution it acts as a base, forming isocyanic acid, HNCO. The cyanate ion is an ambidentate ligand, forming complexes with a metal ion in which either the nitrogen or oxygen atom may be the electron-pair...
, and as Maxted slowly "drowns" internally, Sheringham reveals that the 'spongey...elastic waves lapping in a latex sea' appended with thunderous rhythms growing ever louder is an amplified recording of a kiss shared between Maxted and Sheringham's wife.