Марсианские хроники
April 2000: The Third Expedition
But,hethought,justsuppose…Justsuppose,now,thattherewereMartianslivingonMarsandtheysawourshipcomingandsawusinsideourshipandhatedus,Suppose,now,justforthehellofit,thattheywantedtodestroyus,asinvaders,asunwantedones,andtheywantedtodoitinaverycleverway,sothatwewouldbetakenoffguard.Well,whatwouldthebestweaponbethataMartiancoulduseagainstEarthMenwithatomicweapons?
Theanswerwasinteresting.Telepathy,hypnosis,memory,andimagination.
Supposeallofthesehousesaren’trealatall,thisbednotreal,butonlyfigmentsofmyownimagination,givensubstancebytelepathyandhypnosisthroughtheMartians,thoughtCaptainJohnBlack.Supposethesehousesarereallysomeothershape,aMartianshape,but,byplayingonmydesiresandwants,theseMartianshavemadethisseemlikemyoldhometown,myoldhouse,tolullmeoutofmysuspicions.Whatbetterwaytofoolaman,usinghisownmotherandfatherasbait?
Andthistown,soold,fromtheyear1926,longbeforeanyofmymenwereborn.FromayearwhenIwassixyearsoldandtherewererecordsofHarryLauder,andMaxfieldParrishpaintingsstillhanging,andbeadcurtains,and"BeautifulOhio,"andturn-of-the-centuryarchitecture.WhatiftheMartianstookthememoriesofatownexclusivelyfrommymind?Theysaychildhoodmemoriesaretheclearest.
