|
H.G.
by Rick Croucher
Ah, tabula rasa.
I sit in wonder. What dark marks will flow upon it? Where will it end?
How will they take shape? With caffeine entering the blood stream and sleep
exiting my dull mind I'll begin. But where? The beginning? No, I've been there
and there was nothing. Perhaps the middle? Middle of what? Earth? Nope that's
been covered also. I can't go to the end since that is in the future and what
idiot thinks he can go to the future.
"I can!" Why it's a voice behind me midst the sparks and lights and
coughs and wheezes emanating from the elaborate chair upon which sits a wizened
old man in Victorian attire and a flowing grey beard.
"Well you can just go back because I'm not prepared to see it just
yet."
"Would you deny yourself the chance to see your future? The future of the
world?"
"Heck yeah, buddy. So push off and go to some other person’s house. They
might want to chronicle your futuristic sojourns. Anyway that shtick has been
done too. I see you've patterned your "Time Machine" after Rod
Taylor's cushioned chair. What's up? No real imagination of your own?"
"Those are fighting words, sir. Rod Taylor and that movie crew made an
exact replica of this device. I ought to know. I showed it to him. The one
thing I liked about the 50's was Hollywood.
Those chicks liked Victorian manners. But I digress. Are you positive you don't
want to take a quick jump into the future? It could be fun."
"No. How about a quick jaunt to the past? Time's Square V-J day?"
"Hop on. Of course you'll have to sit in my lap."
"Maybe I'll pass after all. Unless you can go sideways into another
dimension. How about that?"
"Not satisfied with time travel, eh? I don't know if that is possible with
this. Let's see now. If I push this and punch that and tie this off. OK. Hop
on. We'll give this a try."
I hopped on as lights started flashing and snap, crackles and pops woke my dog
who began to bark. Her barking began to fade just as she began to fade from
sight. Then a heavy jolt which felt like my very atoms were torn asunder and as
I began to wonder about asunder it happened again and we came to such a sudden
stand still that with both vibrated like a cartoon arrow.
It was Time's Square.
"Hey, I thought you were going to dimension hop not time travel."
"Well, I thought we did."
"This is New York.
What's the date?"
"I guess I still had it set for V-J Day, but where are the crowds if
that's so?"
The city was deserted. There wasn't a soul out. Newspapers whipped along the streets.
It was like a bad movie scene. I yelled hello. My voice ricocheted off the
buildings.
"What's going on?"
Greybeard answered, "I don't know I've been here before and there were
crowds of people dancing in the streets. Car horns and shouting. Streamers
drifting through the air from open windows high above the streets."
"This is too eerie for me. Can we just go back:"
"There seems to be some malfunction here. I must have punched this button
a little too hard. My machine has been back and forth through time so often
that it has aged considerably. Why don't you walk around a bit while I have a
look at it. Maybe you can find and answer."
I agreed, said I'd be right back and started walking to the nearest newspaper
stand. I didn't have long to wonder. The headlines read. Germany's Secret
Weapon Revealed.
As I began to read the news columns a scrap of paper blew into my face. I
snatched it away and started to toss it but the large print caught my eye.
WARNING!
Surrender now or we shall drop a weapon
upon your city the likes of which you have
never seen. It will eliminate all traces of
life in a 100 mile area. You and all your
loved ones will cease to exist. You will be
vaporized leaving your land and your
accomplishments to us. You have 7 days
to surrender. If you do not then America
will be ours. This is your only warning.
I read the story in the paper after that.
"England
refused to knuckle under to the threats of Germany. After
the defeat of France,
Great Britain
declared her intention of seeing the struggle through to the bitter end.
Leaflets were dropped over the country side by German planes. They warned England's people
to surrender or be eliminated from the face of the earth. Those hardy people
ignored the warning as Hun hype and went about the business of war.
In 7 days there were no people on the British
Isles. Intercepted messages from German radio
reported the weapon was successful. In a matter of 2 months the land will once
again be habitable. The British Empire
is no more. The Britons have been eradicated from the face of the earth.
Germany
has been dropping leaflets across the country side and broadcasting over the
radio that the same fate awaits us if we do not surrender within the 7 day
grace period. It is in the best interests of the people of the United States if the
government surrenders unconditionally now. We do not want to suffer the fate of
the United Kingdom.
I folded the paper and tucked it under my arm. greybeard was still fussing with
the control panel of his chair. I ran over to him and shouted, "Get it
together and get us out of here now."
"What's wrong, laddie?"
"Germany
won the war. There's no one in New
York and the Germans have found their
lebensraum. It's America.
Get us out of here."
"All right. Calm down. I think I've got it. There. Get aboard and we'll
give her a try."
As he began to fiddle with the controls there was a growing commotion coming
from the canyons of concrete and steel. It sounded like music in a rough
language growing more distinct as Greybeard continued to play with his
controls. There I was beginning to make out the first strains of a song forcing
its way into our ears--
"Deutschland ueber alles...." and at that moment the infernal machine
bucked forward accompanied with coughs and wheezes.
Just as quickly as we left we returned. Greybeard stayed for a cup of tea and
we talked about the other world we had visited.
"England
and America
gone forever? Obliterated in a matter of minutes? It's a cruel vision
that." he said. "Hitler will have all the room he wants now to carry
out his plans of world domination. Pity those not of Aryan blood. It will mean
nothing to him to remove all living creatures not of his vision of the master
race. It's a horrible place we have left behind. At least in our world their is
no one left who would want to eradicate all but his vision of what the world
should be."
"That's debatable," I said.
"All right, laddie, I'll be off then. Perhaps another time?"
"Perhaps." And he was gone in an ozone aftermath.
Oh, wow, I must have fallen asleep at the keyboard. What a weird dream. Well,
it seems I've been writing while asleep. Almost word for word like my dream.
That's odd there is a faint smell of ozone in this room. Hmm, where'd that copy
of the New York Times come from?
Home ::: Contents ::: Features ::: Reviews ::: Galleries ::: Archive ::: E-Mail
|
:::
Actions
Open
Story Archive
 Edgar
Rice Burroughs
A
Merritt
H
P Lovecraft
H
G Wells
Clark
Ashton Smith
...School
Stories
Short
Stories
Serialised
Stories
Classic
Stories
Children's
Stories
Children's
Serials
LOTR
Stories
Harry
Potter Stories
Pulp
Fiction
Indiana
Jones Stories
Lara
Croft Stories
Heraklion
Stories
My
Other Stories
Horror
Stories
Detective
Fiction
:::
Actions
Open
Gallery Archive
 Galleries
Section
Comic
Strips
:::
Actions
Open
Features Archive
 Features
Section
:::
Actions
Open
Reviews Archive
Book
Reviews
Web hosting and domain names from Vision Internet
|
