The Plattner Story by H.G. Wells
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of_the Living .amultitude had eyes only for_the sufferer in_the room, another multitude, in infinite anguish, watched the woman as she hunted with greedy eyes for something she_could_not find .They crowded about Plattner, they came across his sight and buffeted his face, the noise of_their unavailing regrets was all about him . he_saw clearly only now_and_then .At other times the picture quivered dimly, through_the veil of green reflections upon their movements . in_the room it must have_been very still, and Plattner says the candle flame streamed up into aperfectly vertical line of smoke, but in_his ears each footfall and its echoes beat like aclap of thunder . and_the faces ! Two, more particularly near the woman's: one awoman's also, white and clear-featured, aface which might_have once been cold and hard, but which_was now softened by_the touch of awisdom strange to earth .The other might_have_been the woman's father .Both were evidently absorbed in_the contemplation of some act of hateful meanness, so it seemed, which they_could no longer guard against and prevent .Behind were others, teachers, it may_be, who had taught ill, friends whose influence had failed .And over the man, too--a multitude, but none that seemed to_be parents or teachers ! Faces that might once have_been coarse, now purged to strength by sorrow ! And in_the forefront one face, agirlish one, neither angry nor remorseful, but merely patient and weary, and, as it seemed to Plattner, waiting for relief .His powers of description fail him at_the memory of_this multitude of ghastly countenances .They gathered on_the stroke of_the bell . he_saw them all in_the space of asecond .It would seem that he_was so worked on by his excitement that, quite involuntarily, his restless fingers took the bottle of green powder out of_his pocket and held it before him .But he_does_not remember that .

Abruptly the footsteps ceased .He waited for_the next, and there_was silence, and then suddenly, cutting through_the unexpected stillness like akeen, thin blade, came the first stroke of_the bell .At that_the multitudinous faces swayed to and fro, and alouder crying began all about him .The woman did_not hear; she was burning something now in_the candle flame . at_the second stroke everything grew dim, and abreath of wind, icy cold, blew through_the host of watchers .They swirled about him like an eddy of dead leaves in_the spring, and at_the third stroke something was extended through them to_the bed . you_have heard of abeam of light . this_was like abeam of darkness, and looking again at it, Plattner saw that_it_was ashadowy arm and hand .

The green sun was now topping the black desolations of_the horizon, and_the vision of_the room was very faint .Plattner could_see that_the white of_the bed struggled, and was convulsed; and that_the woman looked round over her shoulder at it, startled .

The cloud of watchers lifted high like apuff of green dust before_the wind, and swept swiftly downward towards the temple in_the gorge .Then suddenly Plattner understood the meaning of_the shadowy black arm that stretched across his shoulder and clutched its prey . he_did_not dare turn his head to_see the Shadow behind the arm .With aviolent effort, and covering his eyes, he set himself to run, made, perhaps, twenty strides, then slipped on aboulder, and fell .He fell forward on_his hands; and_the bottle smashed and exploded as he touched the ground .

In another moment he_found himself, stunned and bleeding, sitting face_to_face with Lidgett in_the old walled garden behind the school .

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There the story of Plattner's experiences ends . I_have resisted, I believe successfully, the natural disposition of awriter of fiction to dress up incidents of_this sort . I_have told the thing as far as possible in_the order in_which Plattner told it to_me . I_have carefully avoided any attempt at style, effect, or construction .It would_have_been easy, for instance, to_have worked the scene of_the death-bed into akind of plot in_which Plattner might_have_been involved .But, quite apart from_the objectionableness of falsifying amost extraordinary true story, any such trite devices would spoil, to my mind, the peculiar effect of_this dark world, with its livid green illumination and its drifting Watchers of_the Living, which, unseen and unapproachable to_us, is yet lying all about us .

It remains to add that adeath did actually occur in Vincent Terrace, just beyond the school garden, and, so_far as can_be proved, at_the moment of Plattner's return .Deceased was arate-collector and insurance agent .His widow, who was much younger than himself, married last month aMr Whymper, aveterinary surgeon of Allbeeding . as_the portion of_this story given here has in various forms circulated orally in Sussexville, she has consented to my use of her name, on condition that I make it distinctly known that she emphatically contradicts every detail of Plattner's account of her husband's last moments .She burnt no will, she says, although Plattner never accused her of doing_so; her husband made but one will, and_that just after their marriage .Certainly, from aman who had never seen it, Plattner's account of_the furniture of_the room was curiously accurate .

One other thing, even at_the risk of an irksome repetition, I_must insist upon, lest I seem to favour the credulous, superstitious view .Plattner's absence from_the world for nine days is, i_think, proved .But that_does_not prove his story . it_is quite conceivable that even outside space hallucinations may_be possible .That, at_least, the reader must bear distinctly in mind .

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