As I stood there thinking about this perfectly safe world, the full moon came up. I felt the cold night air and decided to go down the hill to find a place to sleep. I looked towards the White Sphinx. In the moonlight, I could clearly see the silver trees, the dark bushes, and the little grass lawn. Suddenly, a terrible doubt chilled my heart. I looked again. The Time Machine was gone!
A sudden fear hit me like a physical pain. Was I trapped in this strange future world forever? I could hardly breathe. In a panic, I ran down the hill as fast as I could. I fell over and cut my face, but I did not stop. Blood ran down my chin, but I jumped up and went on running. I told myself, "They have just moved it into the bushes," but I knew this was not true. In ten minutes, I reached the lawn. My worst fears were real. The empty space was dark and quiet.
I stood there and looked up at the huge white sphinx. It seemed to smile at my terror. I knew the little people were too weak to carry the heavy machine. Also, it could not travel through time because the starting levers were safely in my pocket. Someone, or something, had moved it, and it was hidden somewhere nearby. But where?
I think I went completely mad. I ran through the dark bushes, looking everywhere. Then, feeling totally desperate, I ran down to the great stone building. The hall was dark and silent. I lit a match and walked past the dusty curtains into a second hall. Here, about twenty of the little people were sleeping on soft cushions.
"Where is my Time Machine?" I shouted, like an angry child. I grabbed some of them and shook them awake. Because they had forgotten what matches were, my fire and loud voice frightened them terribly. Some of them cried out in fear. Suddenly, I realized I was doing a very stupid thing. By acting like a wild animal, I was only making things worse.
I threw the match away and ran back outside into the moonlight. All night, I looked for my machine. I felt hopelessly alone—a strange animal in an unknown world. I cried out to the sky, but no one answered. Finally, I was too tired to go on. I lay down on the cold ground near the sphinx and cried until I fell asleep.
When I woke up, it was morning. Two little birds were hopping on the grass near me. In the clear daylight, I felt calmer, and my mind was clear again. "I must be patient," I told myself. "If the machine is lost, I must learn the ways of these people, find tools, and build a new one." It was a small hope, but it was better than despair.
I stood up and looked closely at the grass. Soon, I found out something important. There was a deep line in the dirt, as if something heavy had been pulled across the ground. Next to it, I saw strange, narrow footprints. They looked like the marks of an animal, not a person. These marks went straight to the bronze base of the sphinx. I walked over and knocked on the metal side. It was hollow inside. I also saw lines that looked like hidden doors. I was sure my Time Machine was inside that bronze box.
Just then, I saw two of the little people walking towards me. I smiled, pointed to the bronze doors, and tried to ask them to open it. However, they behaved very strangely. They looked horrified and insulted, as if I had said something terrible. They quickly walked away. I tried to ask another man, but he did the same. This made me so angry that I ran after him. I grabbed his clothes and pulled him towards the sphinx. But when I saw the terrible fear in his eyes, I felt bad and let him go.
I was not ready to give up. I found a heavy stone from the river and hit the bronze doors with all my strength. I made a terrible noise, and a crowd of little people watched me from the hill, but the doors did not open. At last, hot and tired, I threw the stone away.
"Patience," I said to myself. "You cannot solve this puzzle by getting angry. You must learn their language and understand this world. In the end, you will find the answers."
For the next few days, the little people avoided me. I think my anger had frightened them. However, I pretended that nothing was wrong, and soon they were friendly again. I spent my time learning their language. It was very simple, made mostly of basic nouns and verbs. I decided to stop trying to open the bronze doors for a while. I would wait until I knew more about this world. Yet, I never went too far away. A strong feeling kept me close to the white sphinx, waiting for my chance to get my Time Machine back.