🕰️ The Time Machine – Chapter IX: The Palace of Green Porcelain (B2-Level Adaptation)

“After the terrible night in the burning forest,” the Time Traveller said, “I walked for hours, alone and exhausted. The peaceful beauty of the world around me felt empty now. The flowers, the singing birds, the clear blue sky—none of it brought comfort. I could not stop thinking about Weena.”

“I had failed to protect her.”

“But then I remembered something. On an earlier walk, I had seen a strange structure far in the distance. It was a great green building that sparkled under the sun. From far away, it looked like glass or green stone. At the time, I thought it was just another ruin. But now, with no one to trust and danger always near, I needed to find answers—and weapons. So I headed for the building.”

“It took hours to reach it. The building was large and made of long, green panels. Some were broken, and parts of the walls had collapsed. It looked like it had once been very important, but now it was just another ruin of time.”

“I stepped inside.”

“It was cold and silent. My footsteps echoed through wide, empty rooms. The walls were smooth, and many were made of some green crystal or porcelain—still shiny after thousands of years. I soon realized the building had once been a museum.”

“In the first rooms, I saw broken machines and parts of metal. Everything was dusty and old. Some objects I could not understand. Some had rusted, others had fallen apart completely. I was careful as I moved—some of the floor tiles were cracked, and the air smelled old and dry.”

“In one section, I found a collection of skeletons—strange animal bones that had been carefully placed in rows. These creatures no longer lived in this world. It reminded me how much time had passed, how much had been lost.”

“Then, in a long dark hallway, I found what I had hoped for: a room filled with tools and weapons. There were knives, clubs, and spears. Many were broken or weak, but I found one good metal bar, sharp at one end. I also discovered something more valuable—a box of matches, dry and ready to use.”

“In another room, I found glass jars and boxes with strange labels. One of them held camphor, a chemical that burns very brightly. I knew the Morlocks were afraid of light, so I kept it with me.”

“I continued walking through the museum. Then I found the library—or what had once been a library. Books lined the walls, but most of them were ruined. When I touched them, they turned to dust. Pages crumbled in my hands. Knowledge from thousands of years ago had vanished, lost forever.”

“I felt angry. The people of the future—the Eloi—had forgotten so much. They lived without history, without work, without curiosity. And beneath them, in the dark, the Morlocks waited.”

“But now I had something I didn’t have before: fire, a weapon, and the will to act.”

“I left the Palace of Green Porcelain stronger. The bright sun hurt my eyes after the dark halls, but I walked out with a plan. I would go back to the place where I first saw the metal doors. I would fight the Morlocks if I had to. I would get back my Time Machine.”

“Nothing else mattered now.”

---

📖 Glossary

Word/Phrase	Meaning
Exhausted	Very tired
Structure	A building or construction
Collapsed	Fell down or broke apart
Porcelain	A shiny, smooth material like ceramic or glass
Museum	A place where important old objects are shown
Skeletons	The bones of dead creatures
Camphor	A chemical that burns with a bright flame
Ruined	Destroyed or badly damaged
Curiosity	The desire to learn or understand

---

❓ Comprehension Questions

1. Why did the Time Traveller decide to visit the green building?

2. What was the building made of?

3. What kind of place did it used to be?

4. What types of things did the Time Traveller find in the museum?

5. How did he react to seeing the ruined books?

6. What supplies did he collect while exploring?

7. What did he decide to do after leaving the museum?

---

✅ Answers

1. He remembered seeing it earlier and hoped it might contain useful tools or answers.

2. It was made of green panels, glass, or porcelain—many were cracked or broken.

3. It used to be a museum filled with machines, bones, books, and tools.

4. He found skeletons, broken machines, weapons, matches, and chemicals like camphor.

5. He was angry and disappointed that so much knowledge had been lost.

6. A sharp iron bar, a box of matches, and a container of camphor.

7. He planned to return to the metal doors and fight the Morlocks to get his Time Machine back.