The Time Machine

By H. G. Wells

It is the story of a time traveller. He builds a machine which can take him forward or backward on the scale of time. He sees many weird things when he travels through time. He also meets Weena, a little girl. After seeing many fascinating things, he comes back. Then, he narrates his experiences to a group of gentlemen. The author, H.G. Wells, was a famous science fiction author of England. This is probably his best novel. The original flavour of these classics has been carefully retained in these abridged versions. Must be read by the youth, housewives, students and executives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Release date: Sep 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9789350839171

H. G. Wells

H. G. Wells (1866-1946) is best remembered for his science fiction novels, which are considered classics of the genre, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898). He was born in Bromley, Kent, and worked as a teacher, before studying biology under Thomas Huxley in London.

Book preview

A Unique Machine

It was the residence-cum-laboratory of a scientist. The guests had assembled for dinner. The host was a young man. He looked weird. Professor Filby was one of the guests.

The young scientist curried. Professor Filby asked him what had happened to him. He was not very keen to welcome his guests. It seemed as if he were the victim of a trauma or accident or something similar to a long struggle.

He invited the guests inside the home. He made them come into a room.

The group discussed the concepts of three dimensions, viz;, length, width and thickness. Then, they also discussed the fourth dimension—Time!

Then, the young scientist declared that it was possible to go back in time or go ahead in the future. The guests laughed at the idea.

The scientist showed them a glittering object. He told them that it was a model of the Time Machine he had been talking about. It had two white levers—one to move in the future and the other one to move back, into the past when the psychologist pressed one lever, the machine whirled around, blurred and resembled a shadow of itself. Then, it disappeared.

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CHAPTER II

An Awesome Device

The guests were startled and began to guess where the machine had disappeared. Has it tumbled down under the table? asked Manning as he checked under the table. The Time Traveller laughed wildly at this. Come on, tell us, said Dr. Perry, are you sure that you contraption has travelled into Time?

Certainly I am, said the Time Traveller. Otherwise I wouldn't have called you here to waste your time.

Manning was trying hard to appear normal after this unbelievable incident. In nervousness, he forgot to cut off the tip of his cigar and was having difficulty in lighting the uncut end. Are you trying to say that your machine has travelled into the future? he asked between hard, smokeless puffs.

Either into the future or into the past—I'm not sure where it has gone, answered the Time Traveller. You see, it has moved only through time, not through space. Since it passed through large portions of time in only a second, it started fading out, and finally it has become invisible.

Right now, everything seems very credible, said the doctor, but I can't say what we'll think about all this tomorrow, when we regain common sense.

Are you interested to see the real Time Machine? asked the Time Traveller. Everyone thought that their host must be joking with them. What do you mean? shouted Manning.

You bet, you are not serious! added Perry.

You have a sense of humour! said Filby. Just come along, said the Time Traveller and led the way across the long corridor to his lab. The men were even more puzzled at this revelation. They quietly followed their host who opened the lab door. There, they found a full-size version of the little model that had disappeared in the dining room. The parts of the real Time Machine were made of nickel ivory and rock crystal. The thing seemed to be complete in every respect, except for the twisted crystalline bars. They were lying half finished on the workbench along with some drawings. Filby picked up one of the bars to have a closer look. It's quartz? I suppose, he asked. The Time Traveller smiled and nodded in approval. Now listen, said Filby to the Time Traveller, or is this just another trick to startle us like the one last Halloween when you made a ghost to appear before us? The Time traveller held the lamp high to throw its light over the entire machine.

I intend to explore Time in this machine, he said. Is everything clear now? I was never more serious about anything in my whole life!

During the following week, Filby met the doctor at their club. What is your opinion about what we witnessed last Thursday? Filby asked curiously. Well, you know our scientist friend has always been a bit of an eccentric. He is clever, yes, but it's hard to take him seriously.

But how could he manage to make that model disappear?

It was a fine trick, after all, laughed Dr. Perry. I remember one performed at a magic show. But I can't explain either one of them.

Are you going there again this Thursday to dine with our friend? asked Filby. I plan to see you there.

Filby was late in arriving at Time traveller's dinner party next Thursday and found four men already gathered in the drawing-room. Besides Dr. Perry and Manning, there were Clark, an editor and Brice, a writer. But their host was nowhere to be seen. Perry was standing by the fire place holding a piece of paper in one hand and