The Feminine Future: Early Science Fiction by Women Writers (Dover Thrift Editions)

The Feminine Future: Early Science Fiction by Women Writers (Dover Thrift Editions)

Author:Mike Ashley
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2015-02-16T16:00:00+00:00


Flight

My guide led me into a thicket and we followed a narrow path through the scarlet growth until we came to a clearing. There before us stood an aircraft of peculiar design and on the ground near it lay a woman. But what a woman! Tall almost as the creature beside me, she was magnificently proportioned. Short, crisp black hair covered her head. Her face was beautiful but the features were set in grim lines. An arrow had pierced her left breast and her clothing, a single blue tunic, was saturated with blood. She was dead, but my heart lightened considerably at the sight of her and her aircraft. These savage beast men were not the only inhabitants of this plane. Another and more intelligent group of people were here also and, no doubt, they were the ones who had been communicating with our world by way of the light-wave machine. Even now, Dad might be with them!

I turned from the figure of the dead woman and scrutinized closely the vehicle beside her. It was an aircraft of the enclosed cabin type. I had never seen one just like it before and I itched to get in and try out the various strange-looking controls I could see through the glass of the cabin door.

By pantomime, I asked permission to enter and investigate the machine. But my guide, hastily placing himself between me and the car, motioned me away.

Waves of fury mounted to my brain. Was I to let a stupid savage keep me prisoner when here was a chance to get away? My hand slid along my belt and I cautiously grasped the butt of my gun, which my captors, not knowing what it was, had not bothered to take away from me.

Not by a flicker of an eye did my guide show that he thought he was in danger, but he kept motioning me to go back the way we had come. Go back and miss this wonderful chance to escape?—Not much!

Quickly I drew and fired pointblank at the creature’s leg. What a howl he let out! Between the noise of the shot and his terrible howling, the whole pack would be here soon. I pulled open the door and hastily climbed into the plane.

“Oh God! please let it work!” I grasped a handle and pulled. With a suddenness that took my breath away, I shot vertically upward. Recovering, I pushed the handle back to the first notch and the car ceased its upward flight and shot forward. Well, I didn’t know where I was going but I was on my way!

A few manipulations of the dials and switches and the strange-looking knobs on the control board, and I soon learned what they were for. I flew in a straight line, hoping for a sight of civilization, but for mile after mile I could see nothing but the red sun above and the scarlet forests below.

Suddenly, as three tiny bulbs in front of the cabin lit up, the vehicle swerved sharply to the right and I found myself traveling at a right angle to my previous direction.



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.