Show MY COMPANION IN DARKNESS by OWEN OLIVER copyright by joseph bowles there was a time when none would speak of the horror which came upon the world but now that three years have passed men tall about it openly and ak one another v hat it was and how it happened it was on the afternoon of the twenty second of tune 1950 I 1 was hurrying down broadway it was i hot bright day anu I 1 wis shading my eyes to look across the street when suddenly the went out I 1 thought was smitten with blind ness and flung up my arms and gave a great cry I 1 heard the beginning of lit then all sound stopped the tumble of vehicles the scurry of feet the cries of the venders the shouts of the newspaper boys all the ham of life ceased in an instant I 1 thought at first that I 1 had died I 1 could feel my limb feel my aut ps moving as I 1 cried tor help feel the vibration of the traffic that I 1 could not hear I 1 am blind I 1 shouted ind and deaf hold me oner same tone I 1 heard no call and no answer I 1 wildly in the darkness and met other hands that were groping too jl seized some one b the shoulder and others seized me their bands twitched they were crying out as I 1 was I 1 knew by touching their apen mouths and face contorted with fright it is possible that I 1 fainted but wa held up on my feet by the pressure ol 01 the crowd tor I 1 seemed to lose myself for a time and to come back to myself in a swaying clutching mass of un seen unheard people I 1 felt sick and almost suffocated and tried vainly to push my way out till the crowd was scattered by a plunging horse which brushed against me as it passed I 1 took a few hurried steps and found myself somewhere alone I 1 was more afraid of the loneliness than I 1 had been of the crowd presently when I 1 had gone some way two hands clutched my legs they were such small hands that I 1 did not fear them greatly I 1 stooped down and felt a small child lying on the lap of a woman the woman s hair was loose and hanging over her face I 1 thought she was young she shivered at my touch but I 1 at down beside her she laid my hand on the child as it she appealed to me for help I 1 felt its mouth moving as it it cried for some thing I 1 invented an alphabet and spelt out a message with taps upon her shoulder one tap tor A two for and so on but she put my hand to her head to feel that she shook it I 1 could tell by the way she held my hand that ehe did not mean to refuse my friend thipa but to show that she could not understand my signs i I 1 plucked at her s aeve to rise and with me and she came she was scarcely able to stand so I 1 took the child from her and carried it she felt the texture of my clothing carefully and my scarf and watch chain and even my she evidently wanted to know what man ner of man I 1 was apparently he was satisfied for she held gently to my sleeve when she had finished her in after a few minutes I 1 took her hand and tried my alphabet again and this time she understood and answered this was the conversation knelt out slowly letter tor letter I 1 friend she friend I 1 john carter frien i she yo Y o s friend alice thorn I 1 Dont know she I 1 doltl now she I 1 Find your home we were very hungry and at last we met some policemen who under stood our new language one of them took us to an eating house I 1 offered him money but he refused j N u s e he tapped E n d t world we had a good meal and lay down to sleep in an inner room in the morning it it were morning when we awoke we found a basi et filled it with food and boules of water and started again I 1 a m h a p p n w alice ed out I 1 began to spell out an answer but the letters would not come quick ly enough tor her and suddenly she caught at me and wrote with her fin ger on my cheek I 1 could read the writing easily and it was much quick than the taps we were so pleased our quicker conversation that e stood still writing on one another s faces as fast as our fingers would move we always used this way after ward we discussed at length the calamity which had come upon the world and perhaps I 1 concluded it Is a sor of fog over new york shall we try to reach the country 7 I 1 I 1 will do whatever you tell me behe wrote back i tell me jut what you are like I 1 wrote what is the color of your haira how old are youa I 1 shall not tell you she wrote because it ou like me now per 1 aps iou would not then it the sun j ever rises again I 1 can look just as i ou like me to look and be just as old s you aiu now shall we go ona e walked on for a long time and lit last we came to some railings As we felt our way by them we met a leoman coming along in the othe botlon we felt one another with our bands and accepted acquaintance ane was i very intelligent lady and under stood our writing it Is union square she wrote I 1 urn looking for my son he went out or tome provisions and has not come back have you met hima no I 1 answered can we sleep 7 my bouse she offered and took us mere we stayed with them for two days their name was roberts and they were a very r e sant family we learned to know them all by touch to find our way all over the house and even to do work in the dark but alice wanted to get to her fara t a lly and I 1 to take her so on the thild day we took a stock of pro visions and started off together we left the baby whom alice had hap on by chance with mrs she atter warl adopted him as his parents were never found we lost ir selves in the first few minutes and could cot find anyone who could understand our signs and direct us after a long time we found a shel ter and concluded that we were in a park e could not find the way out alice wrote on n cheek ery cold hungry tired frightened she want ed to sit down but ve were shivering already and I 1 dired not stop inovia till we fo nd a heap of small leafy branches cut from tl e trees we sat down and bilked alternately then I 1 slipped into some water about three feet deep I 1 duessel a pond we drank greedily and I 1 wrung the water out of ni clothes then we crawled away to a eat and fell into a sleep or stupor I 1 was roused by alice shaking my arm the darl ness is moving she wrote on my face moving I 1 have often ed her to describe whit she saw but she can find no oth er words than thib to me it seemed as it the blindness of mv eyes had WE SAT AND STARED gone but they could not see through the darkness me an over whelming blackness that rolled upon us in black waves outrunning the black mist at the bick I 1 could feel it taste it it almost stifled me and my tongue swelled till it nearly filled my mouth and I 1 gasped tor breath the end I 1 wrote good bye and suddenly the black waves pass ed and the world sprang upon us out of the dark it was a bright day and the sky was blue alice grasped my arm till her finger hurt we turned to one another and saw strangers alice has never told me what she expected to see and what she saw and I 1 have never told her but I 1 think she expected to discover handsome well groomed young gentleman and I 1 know that I 1 had thought of her as a dark haired dark eyed rosy cheeked pret dressed girl of 20 she found a creature who looked like a tramp a bent unkempt unshaven ruffian who might have been 40 I 1 saw a fair haired blue eyed white laced travel stained child for she whom I 1 had taken for the lady of my dreams waa but a tall schoolgirl of 16 we sat and stared at one another our lips trembled when we tried to speak I 1 think we should have hurt one another 11 we had spoken but the woman s heart in her childish body saved everybody she took my hand and wrote on it slowly friend kind friend and then I 1 took her hands in mine and spoke my voice was with thirst and weakness god bless ou gear I 1 said god blesa you ahls is the sun and the sound we are the loyal and loving friends that we have been t bat we shall be always always she said and we rose and walked forth to find the world hand in hand it was central park ana the people gave us food and drink and in an hour we reached her home that la the end of my story of the dark days that men lost you know as well as I 1 that the astronomers reckon that they were seven and say that the darkness and deafness were due to our passing through an ether less space which stopped light and in some way which they cannot explain deadened the sound vibrations of tha air sometimes I 1 think that the days of darkness were not in vain and last night I 1 almost wished them back I 1 was leaving alice s house and sie si e saw me to the door as usual we have always loved one another as a man and a child may love and now she haa ceased to be a child and does her hair up in a golden knob I 1 think her very beautiful we had just reached the door when suddenly the electric light went out she gave a sharp cry and in a moment she was in my arms then I 1 lifted her face and wrote with my finger on her cheek I 1 love you love you love you she did not speak but pressed my hand upon her face to feel her smile the that lit my heart in the dark days |