The moon was young, and the stars were hidden by scattered clouds. Nothing stirred among the trees of Bartlewood. The animals were nestling, filling their bellies on the last fruits in autumn. Gray snow was piled knee-deep alongside the road. The air was bitter cold. Elizabeth heard a distant buzz, but she was sure that it had to be an illusion. It couldn't be mid-April, could it?
The wind howled in the barren treetops. There were no leaves to rustle; even the lingering petals of dead flowers had fallen to the ground.
Elizabeth wrapped her heavy cloak more tightly around her shoulders and stumbled forward. The stone well adhering to one side of the path, marking the edge of the Bartlewood Enclosure, was still discernible, but the well itself was hidden beneath the three feet of accumulated snow.
The buzz was closer now. And louder.
A cloud of burning leaves glittered and danced over Elizabeth's head. A hawk circled above, greedily eyeing the sparks as they fell from the fire. Flames needled the darkness. Elizabeth was almost blinded by flying embers. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. She struggled on through the drifting ashes.
The silver disc that Elizabeth wore around her neck began to glow softly. The light pierced the darkness, glinting off the snow and glass shards that littered the forest floor.
She stopped walking; her eyes filled with tears as the last embers drifted off, and the charred husks that the Martians had left behind instantly became aflame.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and cried. She shook her head. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and continued.
She heard the buzzing sound again. Was it the wind? Or insects? The taste of cinders started in her throat. She tried to swallow.
The pounding was in her head.
The trees seemed to be greener now.
The earth seemed to be colder and older.
She saw her breath on the icy, moonlit air.
She heard her heart beating in her ears; she knew it was true.
The buzzing sounded louder. And louder… that was no engine anymore, that was the sound of the machines.
She hurried forward, faster and faster, digging her bare feet into the mud. If she lost her balance, she would fall into the water of the well.
The lighted head of a Martian crept through the darkness. A black metal helmet shone in the moonlight.
Elizabeth stepped backward. She stared at the towering figure. He had long metal arms that were stiff at the elbows, and he had no mouth.
She froze. Her eyes filled with tears again.
The burly Martian moved forward, stepping over the corpse of an unfortunate animal.
He pushed aside dead branches and stuck his head through the remains of a door. He lifted his metal arm and pointed at Elizabeth. His mouth was a hole in the middle of his head that sent sparks flying when the hot wind blew.
The echo of the buzzing became louder and louder.
The Martian made a beckoning gesture with his finger and arm.
The ground began to shake. The trees moved.
Elizabeth screamed. Her throat filled with terror.
The Martian dove for her. His metal hands grasped Elizabeth's shoulders. She screamed.
The Martian pulled her through the forest. The trees turned to flaming torches. The buzzing sound became a roar, and the forest collapsed.
Elizabeth was dragged down with the trees. She was dragged down and down into the water of the well. She saw the Martian's head disappear into the dark waters of the pit.
The ground was burning.
The trees were burning.
The sound of the buzzing was deafening.
Elizabeth screamed. She screamed her lungs out until her voice was gone.
The buzzing grew so loud that it could be heard even by the dead.
The ground was no longer burning.
The faces of the dead were beginning to turn inside out.
Everything was burning with the intensity of the star above.
Elizabeth stared into the honest eyes of her love. She fell into his arms and disappeared into the darkness.
The vision radiated blue light.
The buzz turned into a roar.
The bones of the dead began to shake.
The sounds of the broken world began to fade. The last embers burned bright before fading away.
The moon was young, and the stars were hidden by scattered clouds.
Nothing stirred among the trees of Bartlewood.
The animals were nestling, filling their bellies on the last fruits in autumn.
Grey snow was piled knee-deep alongside the road.
Nothing stirred among the trees of Bartlewood.
The moon was young.
The stars were hidden by scattered clouds.
The earth was silent.
Nothing stirred among the trees of Bartlewood.
The animals were nestling, filling their bellies on the last fruits in autumn.
The moon was young.
The forest was silent.
