"The Experiment" was first published in the UK in The Purple Hours; it was published in the US by Raw Bone in 1986 and is also included in Gerald England's collection Stealing Kisses. Gerald is a British poet, living on the edge of the Pennines with his lace-making wife, a son and a Manchester terrier. He has been active on the small press scene for over 27 years and edits New Hope International. He has published ten collections of poetry and been translated into several languages. His work has also appeared on various websites and he is a member of Cyberscribers, a group of writers on the Internet. Dark Planet is designed and edited by Lucy A. Snyder. If you spot any errors, or if you have any comments, please contact her at lusnyde@cyberus.ca. All materials copyright 1996-1997 by their respective creators. No stories, articles, poems or images from this webzine may be posted or published without the written consent of their creator(s).

The Experiment by Gerald England The experiment was conceived out of two minds not as a game like chess to give further excitement exactness two minds so tuned together they gave birth to a single thought of death And when one died the other knew not only the thoughts of the dying but for just a moment, after the heart stopped, before the blood of the brain congealed, the first telepathed thoughts from beyond the point of death. For a long time he did not stir. Did not then speak but before he went into the sleep that became nonrecovering coma he left two scribbled sheets, the result of the experiment, the sight of infinity. She knew the content of the notes even before they were removed to her handbag. Some weeks later a car crashed on the motorway the driver having fallen asleep at the wheel. Some charred pieces of paper were found in the burnt-out wreckage. There was a half-smile on her face.