Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction (British Library Science Fiction Classics Book 15) by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-apocalyptic, eco-disaster, ecocritical, green, ecofiction, global warming, natural disaster
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2020-08-28T20:00:00+00:00

That afternoon, a man walked into a garage in a little Connecticut township.

“I want to rent a car for twenty-four hours,” he said. “Drive it myself.”

He was dirty, his shirt was torn, his flannel trousers were muddy and wet up to the knees, his face was badly scratched, and he walked with a heavy limp.

“Got references?” the garage owner asked him.

“No. I don’t know anyone here. But I’ll give you a hundred dollar deposit.”

“Got your driver’s licence?”

“Yes. But—I don’t want to show it just now. This is—private business. A hundred and fifty deposit.”

“Sorry, man, but that’s not good enough,” said the owner. “My cars are all worth a lot more than that.”

Some hours later, after it was dark, the man came back, and this time he had a rifle with him. He found the owner alone; he tied him up, and gagged him, and drove off in a small car, leaving two $50 bills on the desk.

The owner got himself free, and called the police, gave them a description of the car, and its licence number. A little before 11 that night, a car with those licence plates was intercepted, and the driver arrested.

But they let him go, in a hurry. He was a doctor, a well-known and respectable one. He had been sent for by a patient, and when he left the patient’s house, he had got into his car and started home.

“Certainly I didn’t look at my licence plates!” he shouted. “Never thought of such a thing. If you policemen were worth your salt, things like this couldn’t happen. Someone must have come along while I was with my patient, and stolen my plates and tacked on his own. It’s an outrage!”

He was going to sue everyone, the police Captain, the Mayor of the town, the Governor of the state; he was going to write to all the newspapers, expose everyone; he was very tired, and he was furious.

With considerable difficulty, he was persuaded to accept apologies and go home, and the police were now alerted to find the car with the doctor’s licence plates. This they were not able to do at once, for it was then in a most unlikely spot. It was parked outside a police station in New Haven.

“I want to see the chief of police here—and quick!” said the young man who had driven it.

“He’s home. You can tell me the tale,” said the sergeant at the desk.

“I want your chief,” said the young man. “This is way out of your class.”

He was dirty, and muddy, with a torn shirt, a scratched face; it was obviously difficult and painful for him to walk. Nuts, that’s it, thought the sergeant. And wouldn’t the chief take me apart, if I called him up, this hour of the night, for some loony, or hop-head, or whatever he is.

“Listen!” said the young man. “This is the biggest thing that’s ever happened.”

“Sure! Sure! And you’re Napoleon, aren’t you?”

“Listen!” said the young man, again. “Come out and see what I’ve got in my car.

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