The Third Level (Summary)

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The story revolves around a 31-year-old man named Charley, who experienced something weird. One day after work, coming from the Subway, he reached the third level of the Grand Central station (which actually didn’t exist). He reminisces the entire experience with his psychiatrist friend Sam. Charley had reached somewhere in the eighteen-nineties, a time before the world saw two of its deadliest wars. As soon as he realized what time he is in, he immediately decided to buy two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois; one for himself and the other for his wife. Unfortunately, the currency used in that century was different. Thus, the next day he withdrew all his savings and got them converted even if it meant bearing losses. He went looking for the third level but failed to find it. It worried his wife and the psychiatrist Sam who told him that he is hallucinating in order to take refuge from reality and miseries of the modern world which is full of worry. Charley thus resorts to his stamp collection in order to distract himself when suddenly one day he finds a letter from his friend Sam in the first day covers who had gone missing recently. Sam wrote that he always wanted to believe in the idea of third level and now that he is there himself, he encourages Charley and Louisa to never stop looking for it.

Description of The Third Level

• Small room, few ticket windows and train gates, wooden and old-looking information booth.
• Men had beards, sideburns, fancy mustaches
• Women wore skirts, high buttoned shoes, and leg of muttons sleeves.
• A man looking at a pocket watch
• Old style locomotive with the funnel-shaped stack
• Open gaslights being used
• Brass spittoons on the floor
• Wants to visit his hometown, Galesburg
• Past is quiet and peaceful
• Tries to buy two tickets to Galesburg (one ticket for his Wife Louisa)
• The clerk grows suspicious as Charlie doesn’t have old-style currency.
• Back to the present-day world

People’s reaction to Charlie’s experience 

• Presidents of NY railroads swear on the existence of two levels.
• Psychiatrist friend Sam refuses to believe
• Interprets it as an escape from insecurity, fear, war, and worry of the modern world.
• Louisa too disbelieves Charlie

Charlie’s determination to find the Third Level 

• Withdraws money buys old currency worth 300 dollars.
• Fails to find the Third Level
• Louisa and the Psychiatrist worried
• Unexpected Ending
• Sam disappears
• Charlie finds a first-day cover, never seen before

Note from Sam dated 18th July 1894 from Galesburg 

• Sam asks Charlie and Louisa to come to Galesburg and enjoy a quiet and peaceful life
• Charlie discovers Sam had bought old currency worth 800 dollars
• Enough to help him start hay and grain business in 1894 at Galesburg

First Day Cover

• Stamp collectors buy stamps on the day of release
• Mail the envelopes with blank paper in it with the postmark of the date to themselves
• Covers remain unopened
• Charley inherited a stamp collection from his grandfather