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The Crystal Egg
A1 · English · Free ?
Mr Cave, a dealer in curiosities, becomes fascinated by a crystal egg in his shop. Under particular conditions it reveals landscapes and creatures unlike those of Earth. His observations suggest that the object might connect distant worlds, but domestic pressures and commercial interests interfere with investigation. The narrative assembles a strange possibility through second-hand evidence and incomplete observation. Wells brings cosmic speculation into an ordinary business setting, where a potentially extraordinary discovery is vulnerable to misunderstanding and loss.
General English edition: simplified and original readings, with word and culture notes. No translations.
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This story comes from Mr. Wace, a young man who studies science. He tells me about an unusual object and the man who owned it.
Mr. Cave has a small shop in London. He sells old and unusual things. There are animal bones, old games, fishing things and a dirty glass tank. In the window stands a bright piece of crystal. It is shaped like an egg.
One day, two men stop outside the window. One is a churchman. The other is a young man who is very interested in the crystal egg.
They come inside and ask the price.
“Five pounds,” Mr. Cave says.
It is a high price. He hopes they will not pay it. But the young man tells his friend to buy the egg.
Mr. Cave looks afraid. Now he says that he cannot sell it. Someone else may want it first.
His wife hears them. She comes out of the next room.
“Of course it is for sale,” she says. “Five pounds is a good price.”
She cannot understand her husband. They need money. Why will he not take it?
The customers agree to return in two days. That evening, Mrs. Cave and her children ask more questions. Mr. Cave gives confused answers. He cannot explain his true reason.
The next day, he hides the egg behind some books. His wife finds it and puts it in the window again. Later, he takes it away once more.