День триффидов
The Coming of the Triffids
ItismyguessthatoverthePacificOcean,somewherehighupinthestratosphere,hefoundhimselfattackedbyRussianplanes.ItmaybethatthefirstheknewofitwaswhencannonshellsfromRussianfightersstartedtobreakuphiscraft.
PerhapsUmberto’splaneexploded,perhapsitjustfelltopieces.Whicheveritwas,Iamsurethatwhenthefragmentsbegantheirlong,longfalltowardtheseatheyleftbehindthemsomethingwhichlookedatfirstlikeawhitevapor.
Itwasnotvapor.Itwasacloudofseeds,floating,soinfinitelylighttheywere,evenintherarefiedair.Millionsofgossamer-slungtriffidseeds,freenowtodriftwhereverthewindsoftheworldshouldtakethem.
Itmightbeweeks,perhapsmonths,beforetheywouldsinktoEarthatlast,manyofthemthousandsofmilesfromtheirstartingplace.
Thatis,Irepeat,conjecture.ButIcannotseeamoreprobablewayinwhichthatplant,intendedtobekeptsecret,couldcome,quitesuddenly,tobefoundinalmosteverypartoftheworld.
Myintroductiontoatriffidcameearly.Itsohappenedthatwehadoneofthefirstinthelocalitygrowinginourowngarden.Theplantwasquitewelldevelopedbeforeanyofusbotheredtonoticeit,forithadtakenrootalongwithanumberofothercasualsbehindthebitofhedgethatscreenedtherubbishheap.Itwasn’tdoinganyharmthere,anditwasn’tinanyone’sway.Sowhenwedidnoticeitlateron,we’djusttakealookatitnowandthentoseehowitwasgettingalong,andletitbe.
