The Plattner Story, and OthersWells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Science
The Plattner Story, and Others
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories, English
The circumstances of his return were as singular as those of his
departure. So far as Mr. Lidgett's somewhat choleric outline can be
filled in from Plattner's hesitating statements, it would appear that
on Wednesday evening, towards the hour of sunset, the former gentleman,
having dismissed evening preparation, was engaged in his garden,
picking and eating strawberries, a fruit of which he is inordinately
fond. It is a large old-fashioned garden, secured from observation,
fortunately, by a high and ivy-covered red-brick wall. Just as he was
stooping over a particularly 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 a
sitting 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 anæsthetics. 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account