The Caltraps of Time by David I. Masson

Author:David I. Masson [Masson, David I.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781592241064
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 1968-01-02T13:00:00+00:00

Doctor Fausta

Plus ça change et plus c’est la petite différence.

I first met him when I was a year or two younger. Now I’m older and, perhaps, wiser, I know better what to think of that meeting. It was a day just like today. I was walking alone in the Peak District. The weather was fine (for the north of England, anyway) but not too hot; there was a fresh breeze blowing behind me, and I was climbing up a long gentle slope in the limestone-and-grass area when I saw him, a tall figure like myself, standing stock still, a mile ahead at the top. After a bit I saw that he was looking down towards me. He had his hands in his pockets, a rucksack like mine on his back, shorts, no cap. Gave me an uneasy feeling, having him waiting there staring at me. Looked casual enough, though, with those hands in his pockets. Lost, maybe, or just lonely. I slowed down a bit as I got near the top, and the wind seemed to drop. A few bird cries around. No one else in sight. Three hundred yards away now, he sat down by the track, still staring towards me.

As I came up I saw he was smiling tentatively at me, still silent. It was he who looked guarded. Then I saw why. My heart gave a great leap. He was very like a photo of me might be, only a bit more lined, a bit less hair perhaps, mouth tenser at the corners. Must have given him as much of a turn as me to see the resemblance. Then we both grinned at one another, like children who share a secret.

‘Hello!’ was all he said. Thin voice, but I had an idea I’d heard it before, somehow.

‘Waiting for company?’ I said.

‘Thought I might as well wait, seeing you were coming this way.’ His voice trembled oddly. A nervous chap. Kept watching my face. Hands still in pockets.

‘I’m going over to the hostel down there,’ I said. ‘That your way too?’

‘Yes; mind if I come with you?’

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.