Jules Verne Forum

<jvf@Gilead.org.il>

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

[The Blog of Phileas Fogg: 1883 onwards] October 17th 1884

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:40:10 -0700 (PDT)
To: jvf~at~gilead.org.il

If anyone is imagining that travelling in space is very exciting, let
me put that to rest instantly. It's intensely boring! Since we left the
moon about 36 hours ago, all we have done is pretty much eat (floating
soup), sleep and play games such as "I Spy" (although when the answers
can only be space, Columbiad and people even that can get boring as
well).

After one such game (when the article in question was my hat),
Passepartout asked a question that took me and Mr. Barbicane quite by
suprise. "Is anyone going to believe us, Monsieur?"

Asking why he was wondering that, he explained that as he understood
it, the Columbiad launched about a fortnight ago, travelled into space
and from the prescpective of anyone on Earth went behind the moon and
came out about a week or so later (as expected) and was now heading
back and that if we suddenly said "Ah, did we mention that we landed on
the moon by accident and met a bunch of aliens called Selenites?"
everyone would think that we were mad. I nodded at this assessment as
did Mr. Barbicane and started to think about how we could explain what
happened.

"Can we tell Torchwood?" asked Mr. Barbicane. I pondered the idea
knowing that Torchwood has been established to defend the British
empire from aliens but wondered if at the same time they would consider
the Doctor a threat as well. Just then Passepartout made a statement
that amazed me, not only for it's brillance but it's
simplicity. "You're writing that blog, Monsieur, why not turn it into a
story?" "Of course!" I exclaimed, "Passepartout, you're a genius!"

After several moments looking on this box of tricks for authors who
would be interested we narrowed it down to two people and agreed on the
following plan. When we arrived back in London, I would start work and
turn the blog sections relating to the moon into a story whilst Mr.
Barbicane would write the section dealing with the journey to and from
the moon as another story. When we both finished we would then contact
two authors with just enough popularity to ensure that the work could
be believed as a work of fiction. I would contact my friends at the
Reform Club and see if they knew anyone who could publish my story and
Mr. Barbicane would contact Monsieur Verne and offer his story to him
explaining that he would never be able to publish it himself as he was
going to enter the stock market and generate income for a new project
in Northern Canada.

"And do you know what?" I said, half laughing "No one will ever believe
it!"

--
Posted By Harry Hayfield to The Blog of Phileas Fogg: 1883 onwards on
7/30/2009 09:38:00 PM

Received on Thu 30 Jul 2009 - 23:40:19 IDT

JV.Gilead.org.il
Copyright © Zvi Har’El
$Date: 2009/07/31 15:00:01 $$