The Plattner Story by H.G. Wells
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prolific plant, there_was a flash in_the air and a heavy thud, and before he_could look round, some heavy body struck him violently from behind . he_was pitched forward, crushing the strawberries he held in_his hand, and_that so roughly, that his silk hat-- Mr Lidgett adheres to_the older ideas of scholastic costume-- was driven violently down upon his forehead, and almost over one eye . this heavy missile, which slid over him sideways and collapsed into asitting posture among_the strawberry plants, proved to_be our long- lost Mr Gottfried Plattner, in an extremely dishevelled condition . he_was collarless and hatless, his linen was dirty, and there_was blood upon his hands .Mr Lidgett was so indignant and surprised that he remained on all-fours, and with_his hat jammed down on_his eye, while he expostulated vehemently with Plattner for_his disrespectful and unaccountable conduct .

this scarcely idyllic scene completes what I_may call the exterior version of_the Plattner story-- its exoteric aspect . it_is quite unnecessary to enter here into all the details of_his dismissal by_Mr Lidgett . such details, with_the full names and dates and references, will_be found in_the larger report of_these occurrences that was laid before_the society for_the investigation of abnormal phenomena . the singular transposition of Plattner's right and left sides was scarcely observed for_the first day or so, and then first in connection with_his disposition to write from right to left across the blackboard . he concealed rather than ostended this curious confirmatory circumstance, as he considered it would unfavourably affect his prospects in a new situation . the displacement of_his heart was discovered some months after, when he_was having a tooth extracted under anaesthetics . he then, very unwillingly, allowed a cursory surgical examination to_be made of himself, with a view to a brief account in_the _Journal of anatomy . that exhausts the statement of_the material facts; and we_may now go on to consider Plattner's account of_the matter .

but first let_us clearly differentiate between_the preceding portion of_this story and what_is to_follow . all I_have told thus far is established by such evidence as even a criminal lawyer would approve . every_one_of_the witnesses is still alive; the reader, if he have the leisure, may hunt the lads out to- morrow, or even brave the terrors of_the redoubtable Lidgett, and cross- examine and trap and test to_his heart's content; Gottfried Plattner himself, and_his twisted heart and_his three photographs, are producible . it may_be taken as proved that he_did disappear for nine days as_the consequence of an explosion; that he returned almost as violently, under circumstances in their nature annoying to Mr Lidgett, whatever the details of_those circumstances may_be; and_that he returned inverted, just as a reflection returns from a mirror . from_the last fact, as I_have already stated, it follows almost inevitably that Plattner, during those nine days, must_have been in some state of existence altogether out of space . the evidence to_these statements is, indeed, far stronger than that upon_which most murderers are hanged . but for_his own particular account of where he had_been, with its confused explanations and wellnigh self- contradictory details, we_have only Mr Gottfried Plattner's word . I_do_not wish to discredit that, but I_must point out-- what so_many writers upon obscure psychic phenomena fail to_do-- that we_are passing here from_the practically undeniable to_that kind of matter which any reasonable man is entitled to_believe or reject as he thinks proper . the previous statements render it plausible; its discordance with common experience tilts it towards the incredible . i_would prefer not to sway the beam of_the reader's judgment either way, but simply to_tell the story as Plattner told it me .

he_gave me his narrative, I_may state, at my house at Chislehurst, and so soon as he had left me that evening, I went into my study and wrote down everything as I remembered it . subsequently he_was good enough to read over a type- written copy, so_that its substantial correctness is undeniable .

he states that at_the moment of_the explosion he distinctly thought he_was killed . he_felt lifted off his feet and driven forcibly backward . it_is a curious fact for psychologists that he thought clearly during his backward flight, and wondered whether he_should hit the chemistry cupboard or the blackboard easel . his heels struck ground, and he staggered and fell heavily into asitting position on something soft and firm . for a moment the concussion stunned him . he became aware at once of a vivid scent of singed hair, and he_seemed to hear the voice of Lidgett asking for him . you_will understand that for a time his mind was greatly confused .

at first he_was under the impression that he_was still standing in_the class- room . he perceived quite distinctly the surprise of_the boys and_the entry of Mr Lidgett . he_is quite positive upon that score . he_did_not hear their remarks; but that he ascribed to_the deafening effect of_the experiment . things about him seemed curiously dark and faint, but his mind explained that on_the obvious but mistaken idea that_the explosion had engendered a huge volume of dark smoke . through_the dimness the figures of Lidgett and_the boys moved, as faint and silent as ghosts .Plattner's face still tingled with_the stinging heat of_the flash . he, was, he_says, " all muddled ." his first definite thoughts seem to_have_been of_his personal safety . he thought he_was perhaps blinded and deafened . he_felt his limbs and face in a gingerly manner . then his perceptions grew clearer, and he_was astonished to miss the old familiar desks and other schoolroom furniture about him . only dim, uncertain, grey shapes stood in_the place of_these . then came a thing that made him shout aloud, and awoke his stunned faculties to instant activity . two of_the boys, gesticulating, walked one after_the other clean through him ! neither manifested the slightest consciousness of_his presence . it_is difficult to imagine the sensation he_felt . they came against him, he_says, with no more force than a wisp of mist .

Plattner's first thought after_that was_that he_was dead .Having been brought up with thoroughly sound views in_these matters, however, he_was a little surprised to_find his body still about him . his second conclusion was_that he_was not dead, but that_the others were: that_the explosion had destroyed the Sussexville proprietary school and every soul in_it except himself . but that, too, was scarcely satisfactory . he_was thrown back upon astonished observation .

everything about him was profoundly dark: at first it seemed to_have an altogether ebony blackness . overhead was a black firmament . the only touch of light in_the scene was a faint greenish glow at_the edge of_the sky in one direction, which threw into prominence a horizon of undulating black hills . this, I_say, was his impression at first . as his eye grew accustomed to_the darkness, he began to distinguish a faint quality of differentiating greenish colour in_the circumambient night . against this background the furniture and occupants of_the class- room, it seems, stood out like phosphorescent spectres, faint and impalpable . he extended his hand, and thrust it without an effort through_the wall of_the room by_the fireplace .

he describes himself as making a strenuous effort to attract attention . he shouted to Lidgett, and tried to seize the boys as_they went to and fro . he only desisted from_these attempts when Mrs Lidgett, whom he ( as an assistant master) naturally disliked, entered the room . he_says the sensation of being in_the_world, and yet not a part of it, was an extraordinarily disagreeable one . he compared his feelings, not inaptly, to_those of acat watching a mouse through a window . whenever he_made a motion to communicate with_the dim, familiar world about him, he_found an invisible, incomprehensible barrier preventing intercourse .

he then turned his attention to_his solid environment . he_found the medicine bottle still unbroken in_his hand, with_the remainder of_the green powder therein . he put this in_his pocket, and began to_feel about him .Apparently he_was sitting on a boulder of rock covered with a velvety moss . the dark country about him he_was unable to_see, the faint, misty picture of_the schoolroom blotting it out, but he had afeeling ( due perhaps to a cold wind) that he_was near the crest of a hill, and_that a steep valley fell away beneath his feet . the green glow along the edge of_the sky seemed to_be growing in extent and intensity . he stood up, rubbing his eyes .

it would seem that he_made a few steps, going steeply downhill, and then stumbled, nearly fell, and sat down again upon a jagged mass of rock to watch the dawn . he became aware that_the world about him was absolutely silent . it_was as still as it_was dark, and though there_was a cold wind blowing up the hill- face, the rustle of grass, the soughing of_the boughs that should_have accompanied it, were absent . he_could hear, therefore, if he could_not_see, that_the hillside upon_which he stood was rocky and desolate . the green grew brighter every moment, and as it did so a faint, transparent blood- red mingled with, but did_not mitigate, the blackness of_the sky overhead and_the rocky desolations about him .Having regard to what follows, I_am inclined to_think that that redness may have_been an optical effect due to contrast . something black fluttered momentarily against the livid yellow- green of_the lower sky, and then the thin and penetrating voice of a bell rose out_of_the black gulf below him . an oppressive expectation grew with_the growing light .

it_is probable that an hour or more elapsed while he sat there, the strange green light growing brighter every moment, and spreading slowly, in flamboyant fingers, upward towards the zenith . as it grew, the spectral vision of_our world became relatively or absolutely fainter . probably both, for_the_time must_have been about_that of_our earthly sunset . so_far as his vision of_our world went, Plattner, by his few steps downhill, had passed through_the floor of_the class- room, and was now, it seemed, sitting in mid- air in_the larger schoolroom downstairs . he_saw the boarders distinctly, but much more faintly than he had seen Lidgett . they were preparing their evening tasks, and he noticed with interest that several were cheating with their Euclid riders by_means of a crib, a compilation whose existence he had hitherto never suspected . as_the time passed, they faded steadily, as steadily as_the light of_the green dawn increased .

looking down into_the valley, he_saw that_the light had crept far down its rocky sides, and_that the profound blackness of_the abyss was now broken by a minute green glow, like the light of a glow- worm . and almost immediately the limb of a huge heavenly body of blazing green rose over the basaltic undulations of_the distant hills, and_the monstrous hill-masses about him came out gaunt and desolate, in green light and deep, ruddy black shadows . he became aware of a vast number of ball- shaped objects drifting as thistledown drifts over the high ground . there were none of_these nearer to him than_the opposite side of_the gorge . the bell below twanged quicker and quicker, with something like impatient insistence, and several lights moved hither and thither . the boys at work at their desks were now almost imperceptibly faint .

this extinction of_our world, when_the green sun of_this other universe rose, is a curious point upon_which Plattner insists . during the other- world night it_is difficult to move about, on account of_the vividness with_which the things of_this world are visible . it becomes a riddle to explain why, if this_is_the case, we in_this world catch no glimpse of_the other- world . it_is due, perhaps, to_the comparatively vivid illumination of_this world of ours .Plattner describes the midday of_the other- world, at its brightest, as not being nearly so bright as_this world at full moon, while its night is profoundly black . consequently, the amount of light, even in an ordinary dark room, is sufficient to render the things of_the other- world invisible, on_the same principle that faint phosphorescence is only visible in_the profoundest darkness . I_have_tried, since he_told me his story, to_see something of_the other- world by sitting for a long space in a photographer's dark room at night . I_have certainly seen indistinctly the form of greenish slopes and rocks, but only, I_must admit, very indistinctly indeed . the reader may possibly be more successful .Plattner tells me that since his return he has dreamt and seen and recognised places in_the other- world, but this_is probably due to_his memory of_these scenes . it seems quite possible that people with unusually keen eyesight may occasionally catch a glimpse of_this strange other- world about us .

however, this_is a digression . as_the green sun rose, a long street of black buildings became perceptible, though only darkly and indistinctly, in_the gorge, and after some hesitation, Plattner began to clamber down the precipitous descent towards them . the descent was long and exceedingly tedious, being so not_only by_the extraordinary steepness, but also by reason of_the looseness of_the boulders with_which the whole face of_the hill was strewn . the noise of_his descent-- now_and_then his heels struck fire from_the rocks-- seemed now the only sound in_the universe, for_the beating of_the bell had ceased . as he drew nearer, he perceived that_the various edifices had a singular resemblance to tombs and mausoleums and monuments, saving only that_they were all uniformly black instead of being white, as most sepulchres are . and then he_saw, crowding out_of_the largest building, very_much as people disperse from church, a number of pallid, rounded, pale- green figures . these dispersed in several directions about_the broad street of_the place, some going through side alleys and reappearing upon_the steepness of_the hill, others entering some_of_the small black buildings which lined the way .

at_the sight of_these things drifting up towards him, Plattner stopped, staring . they were_not walking, they were indeed limbless, and_they had the appearance of human heads, beneath which a tadpole- like body swung . he_was too astonished at their strangeness, too full, indeed, of strangeness, to_be seriously alarmed by_them . they drove towards him, in front of_the chill wind that was blowing uphill, much as soap-bubbles drive before a draught . and as he looked at_the nearest of_those approaching, he_saw it_was indeed a human head, albeit

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