"Last Thursday, I told you about the ideas for the Time Machine. I showed you the machine in my laboratory (a room for scientific work). It was not finished then. Now, the machine is a little dirty because I used it. One part made of ivory (a hard, white material) is broken. But the rest of the machine is strong.
I wanted to finish the machine on Friday. But one metal bar was too short. I had to make it again. The machine was ready this morning at ten o'clock. I sat in the seat of the machine. I felt very strange. I did not know what would happen next.
I took the lever (a handle to control a machine) in my hand. I pushed the lever and then I stopped it quickly. I felt like I was falling in a bad dream. I looked around the room. Everything looked the same as before. I thought the machine did not work.
Then I looked at the clock. Before I pushed the lever, it was ten o'clock. Now, it was nearly half-past three! I took a deep breath. I held the lever with both hands. Then I pushed the lever again.
The room became dark and blurry. Mrs. Watchett, my servant, walked into the room. She moved very quickly across the floor. Then the room disappeared. Night came like someone turned off a lamp. Then it was tomorrow.
Day and night followed each other faster and faster. A loud sound filled my ears. I felt very confused. Time travel is a very bad feeling. It is like a fast and dangerous ride. I felt like I was going to crash.
Day and night moved like the wings of a black bird. I saw the sun move across the sky very quickly. Every minute was a new day. I was in the open air now. The laboratory was gone.
I saw the moon move fast through the sky. I saw the stars move in circles. Soon, day and night became one grey light. The sky became a deep blue color. The sun was a line of fire in the sky. I could not see the stars.
Everything around me was blurry. I was on a hill. I saw trees grow and change colors. They were green and then brown. Then they died and new trees grew. I saw big buildings rise and then disappear like dreams.
The earth was changing under my feet. The small hands on the machine moved very fast. The sun moved up and down in the sky. One year passed every minute. I saw white snow and then green grass.
I was not scared now. I felt very excited. The machine moved from side to side. I moved into the future very fast. I only wanted to see new things. Soon, I felt curious and a little afraid.
I wondered about the people of the future. Are they better than us? I saw beautiful buildings. They were very large. The hills were very green and there was no winter. The world looked very beautiful.
I decided to stop the machine. But stopping was dangerous. If I stopped in a place with a wall, I would explode. I was very nervous. I felt like I was falling. I wanted to stop immediately.
I pulled the lever. There was a loud sound like thunder. I fell out of the machine and hit the ground hard. I sat on the grass in a garden. There was a lot of hail (small balls of ice that fall from the sky).
I was in a garden with many flowers. The machine was on its side. I was very wet from the ice and rain. I stood up and looked around. I saw a very large statue. It was made of white stone.
The rain stopped a little. I saw the statue more clearly. It was a sphinx (a statue with a human head and the body of a lion). It had wings too. It was made of white marble (a hard, expensive white stone).
The statue stood on a base made of bronze (a brown metal). The metal was old and green. The statue had a small smile. I looked at it for a long time. Then the sun began to shine.
I was afraid again. What happened to the people in the future? Maybe they are cruel. Maybe they are like wild animals. I was afraid they would kill me. I saw other big buildings and trees.
I felt a lot of fear. I ran to the Time Machine to fix it. The sun came out and the rain disappeared. I felt like a small bird near a hungry hawk. I moved the machine and it hit my chin.
I held the seat and the lever. I wanted to leave quickly. But then I felt more brave. I looked at the new world again. I saw a window in a big house. I saw a group of people in soft clothes.
They looked at me. Then I heard voices. Some men were running toward me. One man came to the grass where I stood. He was very small. He was only four feet tall.
He wore a purple tunic (a simple piece of clothing like a long shirt). He had a leather belt and sandals. The man was very beautiful. But he looked very weak. I was not afraid of him. I took my hands off the machine.