In the darkness of a February night, a stranger dressed in a wide-brimmed hat and very long coat got off a train at Bramblehurst. It was bitterly cold, but there were no carriages. The man had to carry his suitcase for several hours through a snow-storm to reach the small town of Iping. When he arrived, he went to the Coach and Horses Inn. The people in the inn saw a dark figure stumble in.

Herbert George Wells(21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946), usually referred to as H. G. Wells, was an English writer. He was prolific in many genres, writing dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, satire, biography, and autobiography, including even a book on war games. He is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and is often called a "father of science fiction".