Chapter 6 The Disappearance of the Time Machine.
The full moon was rising above the green countryside.
The alloy had gone.
It was getting cold, so I decided to walk down the hill and find a place to sleep.
I looked back toward the white building where I had eaten and saw the white sphinx.
Near it were the bushes with purple flowers and the grass lawn.
Suddenly, I realized that something was wrong.
The lawn was empty.
The time machine was gone.
All at once, I imagined being trapped in the future.
What had happened to my time machine?
What if I couldn't return home?
My heart was filled with fear, and I ran down the hill as fast as I could.
I ran so quickly that I tripped and fell, cutting my face.
As I bolted through the bushes, I told myself that the alloy must have moved it.
Maybe they had pushed it into the bushes where I couldn't see it, or moved it into one of their buildings, but deep down I knew it wasn't them.
They hadn't shown any interest in the machine when I arrived and besides, they weren't strong enough to move it.
Something else must have happened to it.
Why had I left the machine?
Finally, I reached the lawn.
I searched for my invention in the bushes, but I found nothing.
I pulled at my hair and looked up.
The sphinx seemed to look down at me with a laughing smile on its face.
I didn't know who had moved the time machine or where it was, but at least I knew that it hadn't been sent through time.
I still had the lever in my pocket, and the machine would not work without it.
But where could it be?
I was filled with panic again.
I ran through the bushes in the moonlight.
As I dashed about, I scared some sort of white animal and it ran off.
I guessed that it was a deer.
Finally, I gave up and returned to the great white building.
The hall where I had eaten was empty.
I lit a match and wandered into the next room.
The floor of the room was covered with cushions.
The alloy were lying on them, asleep.
Some woke up and looked at me.
I grabbed them by the shoulders and shook them.
Where is my time machine?
I cried.
Some laughed and some were confused at my question.
I finally stopped when I saw how foolish I was acting.
I ran out of the room and into the moonlight.
I could hear the Eloi yelling from inside the building.
They sounded frightened.
It was as if they didn't want me to go outside.
I was very tired and upset, but I tried to look for my machine again.
As I stumbled through the bushes, I thought I saw more animals hiding in the shadows.
Finally, I couldn't search anymore.
I lay down on the ground near the sphinx and quickly fell asleep.
When I woke up, it was morning.
I sat up and remembered my problem, but the sun was shining and I was rested.
Last night's panic was behind me and I felt better.
Instead of running around in the bushes, I knew I would have to learn more about this world.
If the time machine was gone, maybe I could find enough tools and parts to make another.
If I couldn't, at least this world was beautiful and carefree.
I could be happy here.
But my best hope was still to search for my machine.
I began by asking the Aloy if they knew where it was, but they didn't understand my questions and I got nowhere.
So I carefully examined the lawn.
It wasn't long before I found a mark in the grass where something had been dragged.
I also came across small, oddly-shaped footprints.
The mark in the footprints led me to the base of the white sphinx.
The base was made of bronze and had square panels on its sides.
They didn't have handles, but I was sure the panels were doors.
I knocked on the doors.
From the sound, I could tell the base was hollow.
It was clear to me that my time machine was inside the base of the statue, behind the bronze doors.
How it got there was another question.
Two young Eloy in orange robes were watching me.
I smiled at them and motioned them to come closer.
I showed them that I wanted to open the bronze doors.
It was clear from the looks on their faces that this idea bothered them very much.
It was as if I had said something rude and shocking.
They turned and walked away, mumbling to each other as they looked back over their shoulders.
I tried again with another fellow, but he acted the same way.
As he walked away, I lost my temper.
I ran after him, grabbed his robe and pulled him back toward the sphinx, but his face filled with horror and fear and I let him go.
If I was going to get inside the base, I would have to do it alone.
I banged my fist on the metal door.
It was very odd, but I thought I heard a sound, like a laughing voice.
I found a big rock on the ground nearby and hammered the base until I had put a dent in it, but my effort did nothing to help me get inside.
I was hot and tired, so I left the statue and headed to the hill again.
I sat on the metal bench and thought about my problem.
I realized that I just had to stay calm and take my time.
I wasn't going to get my machine back by banging on the metal walls.
If they had it, whoever they were, I needed to wait and find out more about.
Again, I saw that I needed to learn more about this world.
I had to find clues that would help me recover my time machine.
