What If—

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"What If—" is a fantasy short story by Isaac Asimov that was first published in the Summer 1952 issue of Fantastic and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories. The story was inspired by the author's wife, who challenged him to produce a story based on a train trip they were taking to New York.^{[citation needed]}

A married couple are travelling on a train from Boston, Massachusetts to New York City. They meet a mysterious silent man known only as Mr. If, who shows them a small portable television-like device about six by nine inches in size (which is conceivably the first laptop).

On the screen, he shows them scenes from their earlier lives and what might have happened if certain minor but pivotal events had not occurred. This idea, that major events can be altered by relatively minor changes, would recur in Asimov's 1955 novel The End of Eternity and his 1958 short story "Spell My Name with an S".

v • d • e Nightfall and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov Nightfall • Green Patches • Hostess • Breeds There a Man...? • C-Chute • In a Good Cause— • What If— • Sally • Flies • Nobody Here But— • It's Such a Beautiful Day • Strikebreaker• Insert Knob A in Hole B • The Up-To-Date Sorcerer • Unto the Fourth Generation • What is This Thing Called Love? • The Machine that Won the War • My Son, the Physicist • Eyes Do More Than See • Segregationist