二手徵求有驚喜
I told you about the time machine last week(said the time traveller) and just this morning I began my journey. I entered my laboratory and seated myself upon the time machine. I took the starting lever in one hand and the stopping lever in the other, and pressed the first.
I felt a sensation of falling, and glanced across the room at the clock. A moment before, it had said a minute past ten. Now it was nearly half past three!
I drew a breath, then pushed the starting lever to its extreme position – and night came like the turning out of a lamp, and in another moment came tomorrow.
I looked through the window and saw the sun hopping through the sky in a minute, and then a minute of darkness that was the night. The quick succession of light and darkness was painful to the eye, as night followed day in a flicker. I looked through the window. The land was misty, but the whole surface of the earth was changed, the land melting and flowing as I flung myself into futurity!
Soon I beheld great architecture rising around me, more massive than any buildings of our own time. I thought about stopping and investigating. The dials on my machine stated that I had travelled more than eight hundred thousand years into the future.
Like an impatient fool, I pulled on the stopping lever too hard, and the machine shuddered and flung me through the air. I sat up and looked around me. I was in a small garden, surrounded by bushes with great purple blossoms.
I picked myself up and stared at a huge carved figure in white stone. It was a sphinx, with immense wings spread so that it seemed to hover, but was greatly worn by the weather and patched with green mould.
I thought about my amazing journey through time, and wondered what might have happened to humankind. Might they have changed into something inhuman, unsympathetic and powerful? I wondered if I might seem to them an old world savage animal, whom they might kill.
Then I saw a group of figures wearing rich, soft robes. One figure hurried towards me. He was small, perhaps four feet high, and clad in a purple tunic, with sandals on his feet. He appeared to be a beautiful and graceful creature, but also very frail. My fear faded.
Soon I came to a small tunnel leading from the wall of the shaft, and I swung myself in there to rest. I do not know how long I lay there, but soon I was roused by a hand touching my face. Frantically, I pulled a box of matches from my pocket and struck one.
Before me I saw three stooping white creatures, who fled before the light. Cautiously I made my way along the tunnel, and the noise of the machinery grew louder. I struck another match. I was in a vast cavern. Great shapes like machines rose out of the dimness and cast black shadows, in which Morlocks sheltered from the glare of my match.
Then I detected an odd smell in the air – the stench of fresh blood – and I saw a small table laid with what looked like a meal. The Morlocks were carnivorous. I wondered which animal had supplied the meat.
My match flickered and went out. Reaching for another, I was horrified to discover that my store of matches had run low. I had just four left, and while I stood in the darkness, a hand touched mine. Lank fingers came feeling over my face, and I smelled an unpleasant odour. I fancied I heard the breathing of a crowd of those dreadful creatures around me. I felt hands trying to take my box of matches. I shouted out as loudly as I could. They backed away, but soon I felt them approaching again. They made queer laughing noises, and I confess that I was horribly frightened.
I turned and fled, unable to lose the sound of the Morlocks’footsteps as they followed me. In a moment I was clutched by several hands, trying to haul me back. I fought them off, and at last came to the end of the tunnel and the shaft. I felt for the projecting bars, and as I did
so my feet were grasped from behind. But I had my hands on the climbing bars now, and I kicked violently, disengaging myself from the creatures’ clutches. Speedily, I clambered up the shaft.
At last I reached the surface and hauled myself over the edge of the shaft, staggering into the blinding sunlight. I fell upon my face. I vaguely remember Weena kissing me before I passed into unconsciousness.
上個星期我曾告訴過你們關於那架時光機器（時光旅人說道），今天早上我展開了我的旅程。我進到實驗室裡，坐上那時光機器。我一手握著啟動桿，另一手握著停止桿，然後壓下啟動桿。
我只覺彷彿直墜入無盡深淵似的，然後我瞥見房裡的時鐘。沒多久前指針指著十點零一分，現在已經快要三點半了！
我吸了口氣，猛力一推啟動桿—夜幕像燈火被驟然吹熄了一般地降臨，轉眼間，已到了明天。
我向窗外看去，看見太陽不斷地掠過空中，大約每一分鐘就閃過一次，接著一分鐘的黑暗，黑夜降臨。黑暗與光亮在我眼前快速地交替，使我的眼睛疼痛難耐，白晝一閃而逝緊接著又是黑夜。我向窗外看去。地面上霧濛濛的，然而整個地表都變了模樣，地面彷彿被融化了一般，且不斷地流動著，我飛陷入未來的時空裡！
很快地我看見許多龐然巨大的建築物拔地而起，比我們的時代裡的任何建築物都還要碩大。我想過要停下來探索這一切。我時光機器上的刻度盤顯示我已經穿越了八十多萬年來到了未來。
像個不耐的傻瓜，我猛拉那個停止桿，於是機器頓時飛轉起來，將我整個飛拋出去。我坐起身，環顧四周。我在一個小花園裡，四周都是一簇簇的紫花叢。
我站了起來，凝視著一個巨大的白石雕像。那是一個獅面人身像，伸展著巨大的翅膀彷彿盤旋在空中一般，但卻已被大自然強力地摧打侵襲，上面長滿了一層厚厚的銅綠。
我思索著我這趟奇幻的時光之旅，心想著未來將發生在人類身上的一切。他們已變得毫無人性，殘酷無情，且強悍兇爆嗎？我對他們而言會不會就像隻古代的野獸，他們獵殺狙擊的目標。
接著我看到一群身穿華麗軟袍的人。其中一個人朝我跑了過來。他身形嬌小，約莫四英呎高，身上穿著紫色的袍子，腳上穿著涼鞋。他看起來非常漂亮且優雅，但也非常柔弱。我的恐懼頓時灰飛煙滅。
不一會兒我來到一個窄小的隧道口，一路直通圓井邊壁，我轉身進去，癱在那裏休息。我不知道我究竟在那裡躺了多久，突然之間，有一隻手觸碰到我的臉頰，把我嚇醒了。我驚嚇地手足無措，連忙從口袋裡掏出一盒火柴，劃亮了一根。
我看見三個彎腰駝背的白色生物在我面前，突如其來的火光把它們嚇跑了。我小心翼翼地沿著隧道前進，機器的聲音愈來愈大聲。我又點亮了一根火柴，發現自己其實已身在一個大山洞裡。在微弱的火光之中有一台大機器顯露出來，在四周映照出黑色的影子，莫洛克人就在黑影裡躲躲藏藏，逃避我火柴的亮光。
接著我發現空氣裡瀰漫著一股奇怪的味道──是一股濃濃的血腥惡臭，然後我看見一張桌上似乎擺放著餐食。莫洛克人是肉食性的。我猜想著他們吃的肉會是什麼動物的肉呢。
火柴燃到了盡頭，瞬間熄滅了。我連忙尋找下一根火柴，驚恐地發現我的火柴正慢慢耗盡。我只剩下四根火柴了。我呆站在黑暗中，突然一隻手觸碰到我。細長的手指觸摸著我的臉龐，我聞到一陣令人作嘔的怪味。我似乎聽到了那群可怕生物的喘息聲包圍著我。我感覺到有人正試圖奪走我的火柴盒。我竭力放聲大喊。他們退避開來，沒多久又再次向我靠近。他們發出怪異的笑聲，我必須坦承，當時我真是嚇壞了。
我轉身逃開，聽見莫洛克人的腳步聲緊跟在後，一下子就追上了我。沒多久有幾隻手攫住了我，試圖把我拉回去。我死命地與他們搏鬥，最終我來到那隧道的盡頭，就是那口井。我試圖觸摸金屬杆，有人從後面攫住了我的雙腳。但幸好現在我的手已經抓住了金屬杆，我的雙腳使命地向後踢，踢開了那個攫住我的莫洛克人。我以最快的速度往井口攀去。
終於我爬上了井口，搖搖晃晃地爬出井邊，倒臥在刺眼逼人的陽光裡。我就這麼趴倒在地上。隱隱約約我記得薇娜跑過來親吻著我，爾後我便失去知覺。
2024專利防護中