Some people are a little telepathic, just a little. They know what another person, perhaps a brother or a

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and 
OXFORD ENGLISH 
are trade marks o f O xford University Press
ISBN 0 19 422983 1
Original edition © John Christopher 1954 
First published as ‘The New Wine’ in 
The Twenty-Second Century, G rayson &c G rayson 1954 
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Illustrated by G ary Bines
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C O N T E N T S
STORY I NTRODUCT I ON 
i
1 Earth 2029: A walk in the park 
1
2 Project X 
6
3 2129: Return to Earth 
14
4 Where have all the people gone? 
20
5 A look around the Earth 
26
6 News from an old man 
32
g l o s s a r y
 
40
a c t i v i t i e s
: 
Before Reading 
44
a c t i v i t i e s
: 
While Reading 
46
a c t i v i t i e s
: 
After Reading 
48
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
52
ABOUT BOOKWORMS 
53

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Chapter 1
Earth 2029: A walk in the park
T
he leaves hurried across the park in a dance of 
brown and gold and red. Ellen turned her head to 
watch them for a minute. It was the end of October. She 
and Harl were walking through the trees in the last of the 
daylight.
‘I like this time of year best,’ Ellen said.
Harl watched her. She didn’t look at him, and he knew 
what she was thinking.
‘I decided to go a long time ago,’ he said. ‘I know 
there’ll be no autumn leaves, no spring sunshine, and I 
know for how long.’
‘Eight years,’ Ellen said slowly. ‘Eight years without 
summer or winter, without real days or nights. Eight years 
of the same food, the same life, day after day, with the 
same people in a little space ship fifty metres long.’
‘Fifty-five,’ said Harl.
‘Fifty-five, then,’ Ellen said angrily.
They came to the top of a small hill. Ellen stopped and 
looked around her. Harl stopped too, and smelled the 
autumn leaves and the soft warm wind. For a second he 
began to think that he was making a mistake - could he 
really leave all this behind?

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Return to Earth

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Earth 2029: A walk in the park
Ellen said: ‘And it’s all so unnecessary - you’re going 
for nothing.’
Harl shook his head. He felt sure of himself again now. 
‘No. You’re wrong. This journey is important, really 
important.’
‘More important than me?’ Ellen said softly.
She moved near him, and he took her in his arms. 
‘You’re a good scientist,’ he said. ‘We need people like 
you. I can still get you a place on the space ship - if you 
want to come.’
‘I’m afraid, Harl. Not of the danger, but I’m afraid of 
the long years of living in a small space ship. I can’t do 
that. I need to see trees and flowers, feel the wind on my 
face. That year in New York nearly killed me, but cities do 
have some trees and parks. And there’s another thing. I 
don’t want to wait years to have children.’
Harl moved away from her.
‘There you are,’ he said. ‘We both want different 
things, and neither of us will change.’ He laughed. ‘When 
I get back, I’ll say hello to your great-great-granddaughter. 
Perhaps I’ll marry her.’
Ellen shook her head. It was getting dark now, and he 
could not see her face easily.
‘Will the time really be so different when you return?’ 
she said. ‘Are you sure about that? I can’t understand how 
that can be true.’
3

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