I do not remember much about my run. I hit many trees and I fell in the plants. I was very afraid of the Martians and their Heat-Ray. I thought the fire would hit me at any moment. Finally, I reached the road to the town of Horsell.
I was very tired and I could not walk more. I was weak because I was so afraid. I fell down near a bridge over a canal (a man-made river for boats). I lay there for a long time.
I sat up and I was confused. I did not understand why I was there. My fear was gone now. My hat was lost and my shirt was messy. A few minutes ago, I was close to death. Now, I felt like a normal person again.
The fire and the Martians felt like a dream. I asked myself if those things really happened. I did not believe the things I saw. I stood up and I walked up the bridge.
I felt very weak and I could not think well. I walked like a man who drank too much wine. I saw a workman with a basket and a little boy. They said “good night” to me. I said something back, but it was not a real word.
Then a train went under the bridge. It had many lights and white smoke. I saw a group of people at the gate of a house. Everything looked normal and real. I told myself that the Martians were not real.
Sometimes I feel like I am watching the world from far away. I felt that way that night. The world was quiet and normal. But I knew that death was less than two miles away. I stopped to talk to the group of people.
"What is the news from the common?" I asked. Two men and a woman looked at me. The woman said that people were acting silly about the common. I asked them if they heard about the men from Mars. They all laughed at me.
I felt foolish and I felt angry. I tried to tell them what I saw, but I could not speak well. They laughed at my broken sentences. "You will hear more soon," I said. Then I went to my house.
I arrived at my home and I saw my wife. She was shocked because I looked very bad. We went into the dining room and I drank some wine. I told my wife about the Martians. We did not eat our dinner.
My wife listened to my story. Her face became very white. "They may come here," my wife said many times. I tried to make my wife feel better. I told her that the Martians were very slow.
I told my wife that the Martians could not get out of the pit. I told her about gravity (the force that pulls things to the ground). Earth has more gravity than Mars. This means things are three times heavier on Earth.
I thought the Martians were too heavy to move on our planet. I was wrong. I did not know that Earth has more oxygen. This oxygen gives the Martians more strength. I also did not know that the Martians have great machines to help them move.
But I did not think about those things then. I felt safe in my home with my wine and food. I told my wife that the Martians were just afraid. "They will be killed easily," I said.
I remember that dinner very well. I saw my wife’s kind face under the pink lamp. I saw the silver and the glass on the white table. I felt happy and I felt safe. I thought the Martians were not a big problem.
I was like a bird that does not know a hunter is coming. I thought I would be safe the next day. I did not know the truth. That was the last quiet dinner I ate for a long time. Many terrible days were coming.