We left the Palace of Green Porcelain while the sun was still in the sky. I wanted to reach the White Sphinx early the next morning. My plan was to walk as far as possible that night, build a large fire, and sleep safely in its bright light. So, as we walked, I collected any dry sticks or grass I could find. Because my arms were full, we walked slowly, and Weena was very tired.
I also began to feel terribly sleepy. I had been awake for a night and two days. By the time we reached the dark wood, it was completely night. Weena wanted to stop, because she was afraid of the dark trees. But a strong feeling of danger pushed me forward. I knew the Morlocks were coming.
While we stood near the black bushes, I saw three dark figures moving behind us. I wanted to safely cross the wood, which was about a mile wide. But to use my matches, I had to drop my firewood. I put it down and had a crazy idea to scare our enemies. I lit the dry wood with a match. The bright fire was a new and amazing thing to Weena. She wanted to play with it, but I picked her up and carried her into the wood. Looking back, I saw the fire spreading to the dry grass on the hill.
The wood was very black. Weena held onto me tightly. I carried her on my left arm and held my heavy iron bar in my right hand. For a while, I only heard twigs breaking under my feet. But soon, I heard soft footsteps behind me. The Morlocks were getting closer! I heard their strange voices. Suddenly, I felt hands pulling at my coat and my arm. Weena shivered violently and then became completely still.
I needed a match, but I had to put Weena down to get one. While I searched my pockets in the dark, soft little hands touched my knees, my back, and my neck. I quickly lit a match. In the sudden light, I saw the white Morlocks running away through the trees. I looked at Weena. She was lying on the ground, not moving. I quickly lit a piece of camphor and threw it down. It made a bright fire and kept the Morlocks away. When I picked Weena up, I realized she had fainted.
Then, a terrible fear came over me. While turning around in the dark to fight, I had completely lost my way. I did not know which direction to go! I was in a cold sweat. I had to build a fire and stay where we were. I put Weena down and quickly collected sticks and leaves. Out of the darkness, the Morlocks’ eyes shone like red stones.
When the camphor went out, I lit another match. Two Morlocks ran away, but one was blinded by the light and ran straight toward me. I hit him hard with my fist, and he fell down. Soon, I had a large, smoky fire of dry branches. I sat down and tried to wake Weena, but she looked like she was dead. I could not even tell if she was breathing.
The thick smoke from the fire blew into my face. It made me feel incredibly tired. I sat down to rest, and my eyes closed. Suddenly, I woke up. Everything was dark, and the Morlocks were all over me! I felt in my pocket for my matchbox, but it was gone. My fire had burned out, and I knew I was in terrible danger. I was caught by the neck, the hair, and the arms. The soft creatures pulled me down. I felt little teeth biting my neck. I rolled over and found my heavy iron bar. It gave me strength. I pushed the human rats away, stood up, and hit them hard with the metal bar.
I knew we were probably going to die, but I wanted to fight them. I stood with my back to a tree, swinging the iron bar in the dark. The wood was full of their cries. Suddenly, the Morlocks stopped attacking me. I realized with surprise that they were running away! Then, I saw a red light between the trees and smelled burning wood. My first fire had reached the forest, and it was coming towards us fast!
I looked everywhere for Weena, but she was gone. I had no time to search. Holding my iron bar, I ran as fast as I could, following the Morlocks away from the flames. The fire was right behind me, breaking trees with a loud noise. Finally, I ran out into a small, open space.
What I saw there was the strangest and most horrible thing in that future age. The open space was completely surrounded by the burning forest. In the middle was a small hill, and it was as bright as day. On the hill were thirty or forty Morlocks. They were completely blinded by the light and the heat of the fire. They bumped into each other, crying in terror. At first, I was so afraid that I hit them with my iron bar, killing one and hurting others. But when I saw how helpless and miserable they were, I stopped. I walked around the hill, avoiding them, and looked for Weena. But she was gone.
I sat on top of the small hill and watched the blind creatures all night. Sometimes, a Morlock ran straight into the fire by accident. It felt like a terrible nightmare. I hit the ground and rubbed my eyes, wishing I could wake up. But finally, morning came. The fire died down, and the bright white light of the day replaced the red flames.
I searched again for Weena, but I found nothing. It was clear that she had died in the forest. I felt terribly sad, but I was also relieved that she had escaped the terrible Morlocks. Now, I was absolutely alone again. From the top of the hill, I could see the Palace of Green Porcelain, and I knew the way to the White Sphinx. I tied some grass around my feet and slowly walked across the smoking, black ground. I was exhausted, hurt, and heartbroken about little Weena.
But as I walked under the bright morning sky, I made a wonderful discovery. Inside my pocket, there were still a few loose matches! The box must have broken before the Morlocks stole it. I was ready to find my Time Machine.