🕰️ The Time Machine – Chapter III: The Traveller Returns (Adapted for B2 Readers)

The next Thursday evening, as planned, we returned to the Time Traveller’s house. I was the first to arrive. The housekeeper let me in, saying the master was in the laboratory and had left word that he would join us shortly.

I went into the dining room. It was already set for dinner. Candles were lit, and the room was warm. I waited alone for a few minutes until the others arrived. Filby, the Medical Man, the Psychologist, and the Mayor all came in one by one.

We sat down and talked, but the Time Traveller still hadn’t appeared. “He must be running late,” someone said. We were used to his strange ways, so we just laughed and poured wine.

Suddenly, we heard a noise—the door opened, and the Time Traveller walked in.

He looked terrible.

His clothes were dusty and torn. His hair was messy, and he had cuts and bruises on his face. Everyone stood up in shock.

He walked slowly to the table, poured himself a glass of wine with a shaking hand, and drank it. Then he asked for meat, speaking like a man who hadn’t eaten in days.

We stared at him silently.

“Let me eat first,” he said. “Then I’ll tell you everything.”

He sat down and ate hungrily while we watched. After a few minutes, he looked more like his usual self. Then he leaned back, lit a cigarette, and looked at each of us in turn.

“I’ve had a most amazing journey,” he said. “I’ve been very far—through time.”

We said nothing. We didn’t know whether to believe him.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” he said. “But I’ve been to the year 802,701. Yes, more than 800,000 years into the future.”

The Mayor raised his eyebrows. “How do you know what year it was?”

“My machine had a dial,” said the Time Traveller. “It showed the year as I moved forward through time.”

He looked serious now. “You won’t believe it all, I know that. But listen to my story and judge for yourselves.”

And so, we sat around the table as he began to tell us about the future world—his voice calm, but his eyes full of wonder.

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📖 Glossary

Word/Phrase	Meaning
Laboratory	A room used for scientific work
Housekeeper	A person who takes care of a house
Bruises	Blue or purple marks on skin from injury
Poured	To serve a drink into a glass
Dial	A round control or display that shows numbers
Judge for yourselves	Decide based on what you hear

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. Where was the Time Traveller when the guests arrived?

2. What was the Time Traveller’s physical condition when he returned?

3. How did the guests react to seeing him?

4. What did the Time Traveller do before telling his story?

5. How far into the future did the Time Traveller claim to have traveled?

6. How did he know what year it was?

7. What did he ask the guests to do before he began his story?

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✅ Answers

1. He was in his laboratory.

2. He looked dusty, with torn clothes and some bruises on his face.

3. They were shocked and stood up in surprise.

4. He asked for food and wine, then ate before speaking.

5. He said he traveled to the year 802,701.

6. His machine had a dial that showed the year.

7. He asked them to listen to his story and decide for themselves whether to believe it.