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ago they had been kissing on the beach, preparing to die in one another s
arms. That moment seemed easy and natural. Now, he was at a loss for what to
do or say. It was especially hard with Joe close by, witnessing it all. He
tentatively reached out to touch Con s hand, but she moved it away.
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With a deep sigh, Rick abandoned his attempt to mollify Con. Instead, he
turned his attention to the landscape below. They had just reached the coast
and were flying over cypresses. Rick tried to memorize the sight of trees
bathed in sunlight. It might be the last time he saw either.
JOHN GREIGHTON S DISCOMFORT
from being in a transparent aircraft gradually lessened as his annoyance grew.
The flight had lasted far too long. The mountains and the inland sea had been
left miles behind as they sped southward at breathtaking speed. They had
traveled over water in a straight line, but, from their high altitude, a
coastline was always visible to the west. Now the landform in the distance was
a broad peninsula, and Greighton could see a sliver of ocean on the far side.
Finally, after almost two hours of travel, the time machine slowed to a stop
and hung suspended in the air.  It s about time! he said.
Green did not answer. He had been strangely silent through most of their
journey. Greighton turned toward his companion and noticed for the first time
that Green was staring almost straight up. He had a dumbstruck expression, and
Greighton gazed upward to see what he was watching.
There was a different moon in the blue sky. It was pocked with craters like
the old one, but it was not round. Its irregular shape seemed to change as he
watched. Greighton realized that it was slowly tumbling in space. That
accounted for some of the object s changes, but not all of them. It was
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steadily growing larger. Soon it was bigger than the old moon and brighter,
too.
 That kid was telling the truth, said Greighton.  You had no idea about this,
did you?
Green didn t answer.
A chill passed through Greighton. It was physical as well as emotional the
cabin was growing cold. His breath condensed when he exhaled, and frost began
to form on the clear wall in front on him.
 Pete, can t you do something? We should go!
Green remained dumb. Greighton grabbed him and shook him violently.  Goddamn
it, Pete! Listen to me! We ve got to go!
Green looked at him with frightened eyes before glancing at the control panel.
 Didn t you listen? he said.  I can t make it work. The despair in Green s
voice terrified Greighton. Green returned his attention to the meteor above,
while Greighton examined the panel, trying to figure it out. He soon gave up.
It was hopeless; nothing written beneath the controls made the slightest
sense. The flashing red symbols seemed to taunt him in their urgency. They
were the only things on the panel that were remotely comprehensible. They
looked like an almost complete row of zeroes.
FOLLOWING THE RIVER
upland, Joe was watching identical numbers.  We have about five minutes to
find a landing site. He scanned the mile-wide valley beneath them. Nestled
among rolling foothills, it was filled with lushly green, but scrubby,
vegetation. A shallow river, scarcely larger than a broad creek, meandered
across its floor. The only sizable trees were clustered near the riverbank.
 I wish the ground was more open, said Rick.
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 This is the best we ve found so far, said Joe.  Besides, it all looks pretty
green.
 It s going to dry out real fast, said Rick.  But I guess we don t have much
of a choice.
 No we don t, said Joe.
 Settle down close to the river in the most open spot you can find.
Joe banked the plane and brought it to a hover over a slight rise about thirty
yards from the river s bank.
The plane s long silver wings withdrew into the tips of the black stubby ones.
Then the aircraft descended vertically until it rested on the ground. Fern
fronds swallowed the lower half of the plane. Joe shut off the engines.
Everything was peaceful. The only sounds were the soft rustle of leaves, an
occasional birdcall, and the music of water rippling over stones.
 What do we do now? asked Con.
 Wait, said Rick.  Wait and pray.
JAMES NEVILLE FELT
drawn to the sea. It reminded him of the plains of Africa. Although it was
different from his boyhood home in every physical aspect, it felt the same. It
made him aware of his insignificance. Practicing a profession where cold food
or warm wine assumed the proportions of disaster, this perspective gave him
comfort. In the end, nothing mattered. A man s dust was equally at home on the
savanna or at the seashore.
PETER GREEN SCRAPED
the frost from the cabin wall with his fingernails. It was so cold in the time
machine, his fingers stung as if they had been struck by a hammer. It didn t
matter. Despite his horror, he had to see. The meteor was so close that he
could make out its rough and pocked surface. It seemed very bright and very
near. Although it was no longer directly overhead, Green knew it would hit
close by.
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The surface of the meteor glowed red as it entered the atmosphere. The red
intensified and became orange, then yellow, then white. While the transition
took only seconds, Green s racing mind perceived it in slow motion. He had
time to experience it all. He saw the ocean lit as if by a spotlight. He saw a
glowing mountain of rock, taller than Mount Everest, fill the horizon. He saw
a flash of brilliant light as meteor struck the earth and velocity and mass
converted into the energy of millions of hydrogen bombs.
He saw the frost on the time machine instantly vaporized as light of
excruciating intensity flooded in. Then
Peter Green saw nothing but darkness.
John Greighton saw the light though closed eyelids and the hands that covered
his face. He could see the shadow of his finger bones while his hands
blistered. He was still covering his face when the time machine jerked
violently, as if struck by a giant sledgehammer, and was sent spinning through
the air. He smashed his head against a wall and blacked out.
Greighton regained consciousness to the sound of whimpering.  I m blind, I m
blind, I m blind, I m blind, said Green s voice. Greighton opened his eyes
and discovered he was not.
 It looks exactly like Hell, said Greighton in an awed, frightened voice.
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 Tell me what you see, begged Green. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]