День триффидов
Evacuation
Itwastruethattheyounggreencropswouldneverbeharvestedwhentheyhadripened,northefruitfromthetreesgathered;thatthecountrysidemightneveragainlookastrimandneatasitdidthatday,butforallthatitwouldgoon,afteritsownfashion.Itwasnot,likethetowns,sterile,stoppedforever.Itwasaplaceonecouldworkandtend,andstillfindafuture.Itmademyexistenceofthepreviousweekseemlikethatofaratlivingoncrumbsandferretingingarbageheaps.AsIlookedoutoverthefieldsIfeltmyspiritsexpanding.
Placesonourroute,townslikeReadingorNewbury,broughtbacktheLondonmoodforawhile,buttheywerenomorethendipsinagraphofrevival.
Thereisaninabilitytosustainthetragicmood,aphoenixqualityofthemind.Itmaybehelpfulorharmful,itisjustapartofthewilltosurvive—yet,also,ithasmadeitpossibleforustoengageinoneweakeningwarafteranother.Butitisanecessarypartofourmechanismthatweshouldbeabletocryonlyforatimeoverevenanoceanofspiltmilk—thespectacularmustsoonbecomethecommonplaceiflifeistobesupportable.Underawideblueskywhereafewcloudssailedlikecelestialicebergsthecitiesbecamealessoppressivememory,andthesenseoflivingfreshenedusagainlikeacleanwind.Itdoesnot,perhaps,excuse,butitdoesatleastexplainwhyfromtimetotimeIwassurprisedtofindmyselfsingingasIdrove.
AtHungerfordwestoppedformorefoodandfuel
