Meda: a Tale of the Future. Kenneth Folingsby
a slight clank on the stool, and there lay a bright plate similar to the one that he had sent away a few seconds previously. The sage advanced and lifted the plate, which evidently contained the reply to his message. Having read it he came up to me, and addressed me in Latin, thus: "What are you?" I replied "A Man." At this answer he smiled and said, "You mean you are an antiquated specimen of an extinct race!" This put me on my mettle, and made me feel inclined to give him the benefit of an antiquated answer that would not have been very complimentary, but he went on:—
"Where do you come from?"
"From Great Britain," I replied.
At this he smiled again in a provoking way, and said:—
"Do you seriously say so?"
It was as much as I could do to restrain myself, but prudence gained the day. I just clenched my fist, and said to myself, "You might kill the poor creature, so keep your temper, and see the fun out."
He then said, "Your Name?"
And I replied, "Kenneth Folingsby."
Here he looked me hard in the face and said, "What is your profession?"
An Artist," I replied.
"You are quite sure that all you have told me is profound truth?"
"All profound truth," I replied.
Then he said, "Advance under the charge of your guides!" and sitting down on the message stool, placed his elbow on his left knee, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at me in such a comical incredulous way that I could scarcely keep from laughing. My two guides passed along in the same noiseless gliding fashion as before, and led me towards the central building.
On my way across the vacant space, I could do nothing but reflect on the curious adventure in which I was engaged. Everything was so novel and so ethereal, that I began to think that death must have overtaken me, and that my spirit was passing through that land which some say intervenes between earth and heaven. Still this could not be the case, as the city and country through which I had passed was in some way or other familiar to me, although the city and the river bank had the decay of ages stamped on them. Whilst in the midst of these meditations, I arrived with my guides at the door of the great central building. This door, like that in the outer wall, was bronze, and was provided with a knocker after the same pattern, but of much less dimensions. One of my guides lifted the knocker, and gave a single tap: immediately the door swung open, and we entered a large square hall, the walls of which were formed of great slabs of white marble.
Here we were met by another sage who was seated on what I have termed a message stool. In his hand he held a metal plate which I have no doubt was that on which the first sage wrote the description of me. He consulted his plate from time to time, looking at me to see that this message was correct. Being satisfied of its accuracy he made a sign to my guides, and they at once retired, the door closing behind them. As soon as we were alone, he came up to me and took me by the hand. This was the first time one of these creatures actually touched me. The sensation I experienced, when our hands came into contact, was most peculiar. I cannot describe it better than by saying, that it was a pleasant kind of gruesome feeling that seemed to tingle through every nerve, muscle, and bone of my body. It did not come in jerks, but in a steady continuous flow, that, although awesome, was exceedingly pleasant. When he released my hand from his grasp, I felt relieved, but at the same time sorry. It was that sort of sorrowful feeling that is experienced when by some accident one is stopped just in the act of doing something wrong, but pleasant. Sage Number Two now addressed me in Latin, asking me exactly the same questions as Sage Number One had done, but finding that I spoke Latin with much difficulty, he said, "What is your native tongue?" I replied, "English." At this he seemed perplexed, but after a moment's thought, he said, "I will send for one versed in extinct tongues." Thereupon he produced a metal plate, on which he wrote something, and placing it on the stool, touched the button, the plate disappearing as before. Now, the hall in which we stood was completely closed in. All the doors were shut, and where the light came from I could not say, but it was as bright as day. I could see no wires or telephonic connections, and to me the mystery was, how did that plate get out of the hall. I was evidently in the land of marvels, and could only wait with patience for explanations. I had not much time to ruminate, as almost immediately a door in the other end of the hall opened, and there entered a stately-looking old man whose appearance struck me as being very pleasing. He was much taller than any of the other specimens of this new race that I had seen, being about five feet eight inches high. His head, like those of the others, was abnormally large, but there was only a very slight bald patch on the crown, and there was an abundance of flowing white locks, and a long white beard. His features, too, were beautifully chiselled, and his eyes were bright and luminous. His skin was almost transparent, and I imagined I could see right through and through him. His dress was much the same as that of the others, but the material of which it was made was finer in texture.
He came up to me with the plate in his hand, and looked intently at me. After conversing with Sage Number Two for a short time, he turned to me, and taking me by the hand, I experienced the same sensation as before, but much more intensely. The pleasure of the feeling almost made me faint. He dropped my hand, and said in pure English, "You speak ancient English." I replied that he must have been misinformed, as I spoke modern English, possibly with a slight Scotch accent. He smiled (a most pleasant smile it was) and said, "I fear, my friend, you do not understand modern English. Did you understand the language your guides spoke? I see from your expression you did not. Well, that is modern English."
At this remark I could not help laughing, my previous experiences causing me to do so very quietly. He laughed also, but his laughter was very subdued, as was his voice.
At last I found enough breath to say, "My dear sir, this is the year of our Lord 1888, and the language I speak is the English spoken in 1888. Could you possibly get anything more modern than that?"
He gazed at me with admiration, his eyes and features beaming with delight, and ejaculated—"Oh! this is a reward! This is a treasure worth a life's labour on earth! What a glorious, what a magnificent specimen of extinct man you are!" And with this the dear old fellow skipped round the hall with wonderful agility for one of his years, and coming up to me again, said:—
"This is not the year of our Lord 1888, my friend, but it is the year of our Lord 5575."
My mental observation at that moment was, "This dear old thing is mad! They all are mad! I must be mad too!" I clasped my head in my hands, and swung to and fro in a state of intense mental agony. "5575!" My agony was so great that I exclaimed aloud, "I am Mad! Mad! Mad!" and was about to swoon away, when he took hold of my hand, permeating me again with that stimulating energy, that drove out all other thoughts and said:—
"Specimen, I wonder not at your surprise; you have much to learn, much to see and much to experience, but all will come in good time. You will reside with me, and I will instruct you. This is the year of our Lord 5575. You are not mad, I am not mad, nor is any one of us mad. Madness is now of the antique past; intelligence is omnipotent. Follow me."
Thus saying he led the way out of the hall by the door through which he had entered, and passing through another door we entered a spacious room lighted I knew not how. This hall was lined right round with stone shelves, on which were arranged myriads of what looked to me to be metal plates placed on edge. I asked what these were, and he said:—
"These are the complete records of the past 5575 years. This is my department in the state; I am keeper of the records, but now you must rest. Intelligence requires rest like all our other faculties. You have experienced great fatigue to-day, and you have seen many things that have astonished you, so you must now lie down on that couch, and allow me to pass you to sleep. When I see that your mental and bodily strength is restored I will put your sleep away, and bring you, my Specimen, into active life again."
"Well," I said, "before I go to rest, please tell me to what nation you belong, and where we are?"
"That is easily answered; but lie down first, and then I will tell you." I lay down and he went on to say:—