CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Walking Through the Remains of London

As I moved further and further into London, I found the streets covered in black dust. The only people I saw were those lying dead in the street, their bodies horribly burned. I did come across one living man, but he was so drunk that he could not stand. His clothing was completely covered in dust and when I tried to talk with him, he did nothing but shout at me and try to hit me with his bottle.

I walked on, thinking how strange the silence was. It was not a peaceful silence, but a dangerous one in which one expects something horrible to happen. When I reached South Kensington the silence was suddenly broken by the sound of a fighting machine that was coming. I stayed in the shadows along Exhibition Street and made my way toward Hyde Park. Along the way, I came upon a bus that had been pushed over onto its side. Nearby, there were the remains of a horse that had been completely eaten down to the bone by some kind of animal. Again, the cry of the fighting machine filled the air "Ulla, ulla, ulla!" I could not see it, but it seemed to be coming closer, or I was coming closer to it.

I turned off again, now headed for Oxford Street. As I walked, the faces of old friends came into my mind and once again, I realized how lonely I was. I missed my old way of life terribly.

Eventually, I broke into a restaurant, where I found some food and drink. Afterward, I felt sleepy and so I went to a back room and lay down on the sofa to have a rest. When I later awoke, the sun was setting and I could still hear the crying of the Martian machine. Not feeling particularly safe in the pub, I walked back out into the streets and continued my tour of the now dead city of London.

After only a few minutes, I found myself near Baker Street. Just over the tops of some trees there appeared the head of the Martian machine that had been crying out all this time. Strangely enough, I did not feel afraid. I walked out into the open, staring curiously at the giant machine, and it did nothing but remain motionless. I decided that I should get a better look at the machine, so I turned down some back streets and made my way toward it from the East. When it came into sight again, I could see that it had been seriously damaged. It looked as though it had run into a building and fallen underneath the ruins. With the last of the day's sunlight I could just barely see what I thought might be blood in the driver's seat.

I moved on and found another Martian fighting machine at Primrose Hill. It, too, cried out "Ulla, ulla, ulla," and did not move. As I passed-by, I noticed, on the other side of the Martian, that the red plant-life had spread through London's river canals.

Then the crying of the machine suddenly stopped and a shocking silence fell over the city. The stillness made me frightened again. I felt that I was surrounded by enemies waiting in the darkness for the right moment to attack. Everything looked evil; even the houses, with their ghost-like windows, seemed to be watching me.

I began to run toward Kilburn and spotted a horrible-looking body lying far down the road before me. I turned and went in another direction for fear of what I might find. For the rest of the night I closed myself inside a cabman's shelter and waited for my courage to return. Then, just before sunrise, I decided to go back out into the streets to have a look.

I found my way back to Primrose Hill, and the first thing that I saw was yet another Martian fighting machine. Just like the others, it now stood silent, as though sleeping. Upon walking closer, I saw dozens' of birds flying in circles about its domed head. My heart suddenly leaped with excitement and I began to run toward the giant. An idea had formed in my mind, but I did not want to use it before I actually knew the truth.

I finally made it to the top of the hill that overlooked the last pit the Martians had made. It was huge and filled with all kinds of war machines and bodies. This time, however, the bodies were not human. No, there, before me, lay the bodies of at least fifty Martians! I wanted to shout with joy at the sight.

The Martians, despite their incredible intelligence and their highly advanced technology, had lost the battle in the end. The battle had not, however, been won by the humans, whose weapons proved useless in the fight; it had been won by the Earth, by Nature. The Martians, who were not exposed to any bacteria on Mars, were practically swimming in it here on our planet. Although bacteria often brings sickness and death to man, this time, it had saved us all from the Martians!

Looking down into the pit, I could now see the flying machine that the Martians had been building just before they fell to their deaths. Dozens of dogs were running about the pit, eating the Martian bodies. It was strange, indeed, to look at the once horrifying fighting machines and now feel no fear whatsoever. I wanted to laugh at their harmlessness.

From where I stood, I could see most of London spread out before me. How amazing it was that it still stood here after so much death and destruction. And even though terribly damaged, how lovely and alive it looked to me now.

Soon, people would be returning to London and their homes. They would begin their lives again. I could already hear the sound of hammers at work in my mind, and what beautiful music it made. And then the thought of my own home and my family came back to me. Hope came upon me stronger than ever before. Maybe I could have my old life back again.

(end of section)