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

At first under the impression that still standing class-room He perceived quite distinctly the surprise boys entry of Mr Lidgett quite positive upon that score hear their remarks; but that he ascribed deafening effect experiment Things about him seemed curiously dark and faint, but his mind explained that obvious but mistaken idea explosion had engendered huge volume of dark smoke dimness the figures of Lidgett boys moved, as faint and silent as ghosts Plattner's face still tingled stinging heat flash He, was, , "all muddled " His first definite thoughts seem personal safety He thought perhaps blinded and deafened his limbs and face in gingerly manner Then his perceptions grew clearer, and astonished to miss the old familiar desks and other schoolroom furniture about him Only dim, uncertain, grey shapes stood place Then came thing that made him shout aloud, and awoke his stunned faculties to instant activity Two boys, gesticulating, walked one other clean through him ! Neither manifested the slightest consciousness presence difficult to imagine the sensation They came against him, , with no more force than wisp of mist

Plattner's first thought dead Having been brought up with thoroughly sound views matters, however, little surprised his body still about him His second conclusion not dead, but others were: explosion had destroyed the Sussexville Proprietary School and every soul except himself But that, too, was scarcely satisfactory thrown back upon astonished observation

Everything about him was profoundly dark: at first it seemed an altogether ebony blackness Overhead was black firmament The only touch of light scene was faint greenish glow edge sky in one direction, which threw into prominence horizon of undulating black hills This, , was his impression at first As his eye grew accustomed darkness, he began to distinguish faint quality of differentiating greenish colour circumambient night Against this background the furniture and occupants class-room, it seems, stood out like phosphorescent spectres, faint and impalpable He extended his hand, and thrust it without an effort wall room fireplace

He describes himself as making strenuous effort to attract attention He shouted to Lidgett, and tried to seize the boys went to and fro He only desisted attempts when Mrs Lidgett, whom he (as an Assistant Master) naturally disliked, entered the room the sensation of being , and yet not part of it, was an extraordinarily disagreeable one He compared his feelings, not inaptly, of cat watching mouse through window Whenever motion to communicate dim, familiar world about him, an invisible, incomprehensible barrier preventing intercourse

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

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

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 world became relatively or absolutely fainter Probably both, must earthly sunset as his vision world went, Plattner, by his few steps downhill, had passed floor class-room, and was now, it seemed, sitting in mid-air larger schoolroom downstairs 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 of crib, compilation whose existence he had hitherto never suspected time passed, they faded steadily, as steadily light green dawn increased

Looking down valley, light had crept far down its rocky sides, and profound blackness abyss was now broken by minute green glow, like the light of glow-worm And almost immediately the limb of huge heavenly body of blazing green rose over the basaltic undulations distant hills, monstrous hill-masses about him came out gaunt and desolate, in green light and deep, ruddy black shadows He became aware of vast number of ball-shaped objects drifting as thistledown drifts over the high ground There were none nearer to him opposite side 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 world, green sun other universe rose, is curious point Plattner insists During the Other-World night difficult to move about, on account vividness the things world are visible It becomes riddle to explain why, if case, we world catch no glimpse Other-World due, perhaps, comparatively vivid illumination world of ours Plattner describes the midday Other-World, at its brightest, as not being nearly so bright 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 Other-World invisible, same principle that faint phosphorescence is only visible profoundest darkness , since me his story, something Other-World by sitting for long space in photographer's dark room at night certainly seen indistinctly the form of greenish slopes and rocks, but only, 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 Other-World, but probably due memory scenes It seems quite possible that people with unusually keen eyesight may occasionally catch glimpse strange Other-World about us