The Time Machine

24 *** That night, the full moon rose in the sky. I stood and looked down at the garden. Everything was quiet. The little people had gone. An owl flew silently past me, and I felt cold. I wanted to find a place to sleep. I looked for the White Sphinx and the small green lawn. I saw the white face of the Sphinx in the moonlight. Then I saw something that made me afraid. The Time Machine was gone! I ran fast down the hill. I fell once and cut my face, but I didn’t stop. I thought, “Maybe they moved it under the bushes.” But deep inside, I knew they had taken it far away. When I reached the place, the Time Machine was not there. I looked everywhere, but I could not find it. I felt scared and alone. I went to the big building to ask for help. Inside, many of the lit-tle people were sleeping. I shouted, “Where is my Time Machine?” I woke them up and tried to make them understand, but they only looked afraid. Some laughed. I realized they didn’t understand fear like I did. Later, I walked out again. I shouted and cried. I looked around all night but found nothing. In the morning, I felt better. I said to my-self, “Maybe the machine is only hidden. I must be patient. I must learn about this world and its people.” I checked the ground near the Sphinx and found signs. There were strange footprints, and I saw that the bronze pedestal of the Sphinx was hollow. I thought, “The machine is inside!” I tried to open the bronze doors, but there were no handles. I asked the little people to help me, but they were afraid. They didn’t want to go near the Sphinx. One of them even looked at me like I had done something very bad. I became angry and pulled him towards the Sphinx, but when I saw his scared face, I let him go. I hit the bronze panels with a stone. I made a lot of noise, but nobody came. Later, I decided to stop. I thought, “I must be calm. I must learn more about this world.” In the next days, I tried to learn their languag...