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Horizons, v. 1, issue 3, April 1940
Page 9
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HORIZONS However that may be, there it was, as near to a natural paradise as a world could ever be. The picture stayed, not flitting past as others had done. The earth as it had been a million years ago. Elsie suddenly turned away from the picture, and drew the curtain in front of the globe. "I have seen enough. If we look again, we shall only see an endless repetition of what we have already seen. But we have not gone back to the real beginning of time on the earth, even yet, and we never shall. How long have we been travelling? In heaven's name, how long? It must be ten years, or perhaps longer. Are we every going back now?" Rem went to a window and looked out. On one side he saw only blackness, of a density -- utter darkness, the outer darkness of empty space. Not a ray of light from any planet or sun could pierce the depth of its gloom. And on the other side, far away, the galaxy, looking like a huge cart-wheel, its many suns seeming close together, dim and small. And yet, a million years ago, the earth had been where the ship now stood, and life and light had made this very place in space seem like a paradise. Elsie noted Rem's silence and asked: "What's wrong, Rem? Are we standing still? Has the power failed us? Where are we now?" "We have come to the turning point. Where the earth turned away from the outer limits of etheric space, to go back to the other side," he said. "No, we are not standing still. But we are moving much more slowly than we have yet done since we left the earth." "Where would we go if we went on? Would we meet the earth coming back on the other side?" inquired Elsie. "No, we would not," he said. "We would continue in the earth's spiral path that it followed coming out here, but we have already travelled the path it took going back. The only way to get back to the place in space is to retrace our steps -- if you want to call them that. "We shall have to go back the way we came, then when we get back to where the earth was when we left it, we shall have to chase it for quite a distance before we catch up with where it is now. But as you say, we have gone far enough. So back we go, immediately. We can slow down, if you wish, when we get near, and see what has happened since we left." "If we spend as much time going back as we have coming, we won't want to slow down anywhere," she declared. "I have seen enough. I wish we could stop here, on this earth that was a million years ago. I wish it were real." "I wish so too," said Rem, "but it is only a glimpse. And we will go back fast. You'll be surprised, Elsie, how soon we can catch the earth, if we never slow down to see the sights as we did coming out here..." He turned to look at the ship's clock, and his face paled slowly. They had been gone from earth fifty years! If that was true, he was an old man. He gasped and sank into the nearest chair, unable to conceal his agitation, even to spare Elsie. "Good heavens, Elsie," he gasped. "Fifty years! Then I am ninety years old. And you thought we might have been out here for ten years! Everything will be changed when we get home -- no one will remember us. What shall we do? --" "And I am seventyfive," said Elsie slowly. "All our youth gone -- for this." She motioned toward the black wall of space. "Well, it can't be helped now. We must go back. There is nothing else for us to do. After all, you don't look much older, though you have a few gray hairs. And I don't feel old -- not yet. Let's get going, Rem." THE RETURN They went, and the time went quickly. Elsie found time to open and play the phonograph which they had not thought to use on the way out. Rem searched the sky with his telescope for a sight of the earth, and as they drew ever nearer the center of the galaxy he saw it, the sun with its train of planets looking the same as they had always. Ever faster flew the ship, till he had hope that they would soon catch up with earth. He had to keep careful watch, in order that he might put on the brakes in time to avoid falling. A fall from space would coat them
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HORIZONS However that may be, there it was, as near to a natural paradise as a world could ever be. The picture stayed, not flitting past as others had done. The earth as it had been a million years ago. Elsie suddenly turned away from the picture, and drew the curtain in front of the globe. "I have seen enough. If we look again, we shall only see an endless repetition of what we have already seen. But we have not gone back to the real beginning of time on the earth, even yet, and we never shall. How long have we been travelling? In heaven's name, how long? It must be ten years, or perhaps longer. Are we every going back now?" Rem went to a window and looked out. On one side he saw only blackness, of a density -- utter darkness, the outer darkness of empty space. Not a ray of light from any planet or sun could pierce the depth of its gloom. And on the other side, far away, the galaxy, looking like a huge cart-wheel, its many suns seeming close together, dim and small. And yet, a million years ago, the earth had been where the ship now stood, and life and light had made this very place in space seem like a paradise. Elsie noted Rem's silence and asked: "What's wrong, Rem? Are we standing still? Has the power failed us? Where are we now?" "We have come to the turning point. Where the earth turned away from the outer limits of etheric space, to go back to the other side," he said. "No, we are not standing still. But we are moving much more slowly than we have yet done since we left the earth." "Where would we go if we went on? Would we meet the earth coming back on the other side?" inquired Elsie. "No, we would not," he said. "We would continue in the earth's spiral path that it followed coming out here, but we have already travelled the path it took going back. The only way to get back to the place in space is to retrace our steps -- if you want to call them that. "We shall have to go back the way we came, then when we get back to where the earth was when we left it, we shall have to chase it for quite a distance before we catch up with where it is now. But as you say, we have gone far enough. So back we go, immediately. We can slow down, if you wish, when we get near, and see what has happened since we left." "If we spend as much time going back as we have coming, we won't want to slow down anywhere," she declared. "I have seen enough. I wish we could stop here, on this earth that was a million years ago. I wish it were real." "I wish so too," said Rem, "but it is only a glimpse. And we will go back fast. You'll be surprised, Elsie, how soon we can catch the earth, if we never slow down to see the sights as we did coming out here..." He turned to look at the ship's clock, and his face paled slowly. They had been gone from earth fifty years! If that was true, he was an old man. He gasped and sank into the nearest chair, unable to conceal his agitation, even to spare Elsie. "Good heavens, Elsie," he gasped. "Fifty years! Then I am ninety years old. And you thought we might have been out here for ten years! Everything will be changed when we get home -- no one will remember us. What shall we do? --" "And I am seventyfive," said Elsie slowly. "All our youth gone -- for this." She motioned toward the black wall of space. "Well, it can't be helped now. We must go back. There is nothing else for us to do. After all, you don't look much older, though you have a few gray hairs. And I don't feel old -- not yet. Let's get going, Rem." THE RETURN They went, and the time went quickly. Elsie found time to open and play the phonograph which they had not thought to use on the way out. Rem searched the sky with his telescope for a sight of the earth, and as they drew ever nearer the center of the galaxy he saw it, the sun with its train of planets looking the same as they had always. Ever faster flew the ship, till he had hope that they would soon catch up with earth. He had to keep careful watch, in order that he might put on the brakes in time to avoid falling. A fall from space would coat them
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