For two days I did nothing. I felt a horror of those pale bodies, which were the colour of worms and horribly cold to the touch. I knew that I could only get my machine back if I went down into their world. But I was terribly alone, and even the thought of climbing down into the dark well frightened me.
On one of my walks I saw, far away to the south-west, a huge building with pale green walls, like Chinese porcelain. I decided to explore it the next day. But in the morning I understood that the green palace was only an excuse to put off the thing I was afraid of. So I went straight to a well near the ruins.
Weena danced beside me to the well. “Goodbye, little Weena,” I said, and kissed her. Then I began to feel over the edge for the metal steps, quickly, because I was afraid my courage might go. Weena gave a terrible cry and pulled at me with her little hands. I shook her off, perhaps a little roughly, and in a moment I was inside the well.
The well was perhaps two hundred yards deep, and the metal bars were made for creatures much smaller than me. Once a bar bent under my weight, and for a moment I hung by one hand above the blackness. Far above me the opening was a small blue circle with a star in it. The thud, thud of the machines grew louder. At last I found a narrow tunnel in the wall and lay down in it to rest, shaking all over.
A soft hand touching my face woke me. I struck a match and saw three bent white creatures hurrying away from the light. Their eyes were very large, like the eyes of fish in the deep sea. They could see in the dark; only the light frightened them. I said to myself, “You’re in it now,” and felt my way along the tunnel towards the noise. Soon I came into a huge cave. In the light of another match I saw great machines with black shadows, and Morlocks hiding in them. The air was hot and heavy, with a faint smell of fresh blood. On a little table lay a meal of red meat. So the Morlocks ate meat! But what animal was it? Then the match burnt my fingers and went out.
I had come into the future without weapons and without enough matches. Now I had only four left.
In the dark, a hand touched mine. Thin fingers felt over my face, and I could hear a crowd of them breathing around me. Hands pulled at my clothes and tried to take the matches from my hand. I shouted, and they jumped back. But they came closer again, and when I shouted a second time, they only made a strange laughing noise. I was terribly frightened. I struck a match and hurried back into the tunnel. But my light went out, and I heard them coming after me, pattering like rain.
Many hands caught me and tried to pull me back. I struck another match and waved it in their faces. You cannot imagine how inhuman they looked, with their pale faces without chins and their great pinkish-grey eyes. When that match went out, I lit a third, and it had almost burnt down when I reached the well. As I felt for the metal bars, hands caught my feet and pulled me backwards. I lit my last match, and it went out at once. But my hands were on the bars now. I kicked hard, pulled myself free and climbed up as fast as I could.
The climb seemed endless, and near the top I felt terribly sick. At last I stumbled out of the well into the blinding sunlight and fell on my face. Even the earth smelt sweet and clean. I remember Weena kissing my hands, and the voices of the Eloi. Then for a while I knew nothing.