This fantastical tale of time travel was a bit of a challenge for me to read and blog about. While I very much enjoy and appreciate tales with a strong spiritual message, I believe that this one could be interpreted as a touch heavy handed by some readers. In addition, not only does it present a unique interpretation of time travel, it also presents an interesting protagonist who is a “doubter” — a doubter both in time travel and in the comfort of faith.
Here we go.
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“When the Graves Were Opened” by Arthur J. Burks first appeared in the December 1925 issue of Weird Tales magazine and again in 1935, as a reprint.
The story also was included in a collection of Burks’ tales entitled Black Medicine published in 1966 by Arkham House. To the very best of my knowledge, it has appeared nowhere else. On a side note, I find it noteworthy that this tale is not included in most lists of Burks most well-regarded tales. Nor have I been able to uncover any meaningful write-ups discussing “When the Graves Were Opened.” Interesting omissions...
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Arthur
Josephus Burks was not a typical writer of pulp tales, though he was an
extremely prolific one. Born on 13 September 1898 in Washington State to a farm
family, he married in 1918 and fathered four children. Following his service in
the Marine Corps during World War I, Burks was stationed in the Dominican
Republic where he was exposed to the practice of voodoo. This led to Burks
writing supernatural tales that he would sell to Weird Tales in 1924. "Thus Spake the Prophetess,"
published in the November issue (under a pseudonym) was the first of many to
follow.
His success
in getting his stories published afforded him the freedom to pursue writing
full-time. He resigned from the Marine Corps in 1927. By 1928, Burks had gained
a following due to his tremendous writing output. Over the course of his
career, he would publish over 800 short tales (or 1400 – sources differ) in a
variety of genres.
Burks
writing slowed down in the late 30s, most likely due to the pressure of having
written so much in such a short time. Whether this decision had any effect on
his decision to return to active duty, I cannot say. Burks returned to active
duty as the US was drawn into World War II. He eventually retired with the rank
of Lieutenant Colonel.
After the
war, in 1948, Burks and his family moved to Paradise, Pennsylvania, where he
would live until his death. In the 1960s, Burks shifted the focus of his
writing to paranormal and metaphysical matters. Indeed, his involvement in this
field grew such that he was giving lectures on the subjects.
On the 13th
of May 1974, at the age of 75, Arthur Josephus Burks passed away.
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“Jess,” he said, in a voice so
low I could scarcely hear it, “my dearest friend, Jess! For years I have
listened to your blasphemies—for years I have looked at you in wonder while you
propounded your terrible and searching propositions—and always I have watched
you spellbound, expecting that the wrath of the Lord would descend upon your
head from the heavens, and wipe you off the face of the earth! Why it has not
done so, He only knows! Jess, this machine, upon which I have gone a hundred
times farther than did Edison on his ‘spirit’ machine, will do just as I have
claimed for it. If you wish to go back to Golgotha you will do just that—when I
press this little button. Think, Jess! If you believed that it would work would
you still wish to go back?”
Page 743
Before I get
into the story itself, I would like to
say a few words about the two principal characters in “When the Graves Were
Opened.”
Harvey
Hesford is a scientist who invents a time machine. He is also a man of deep
Christian faith with a firm belief that science is a means to know the Divine.
Harvey Hesford is also dearest friends with Jess Gibbons.
Jess
Gibbons, the narrator of the tale, in his own words, is “…an atheist, a
blasphemer, an iconoclast…” He is a doubter, both in faith and in the
possibility of time travel.
This short
story is made of four parts:
•a brief
prefatory statement of foreboding,
•an opening
section that lays out the instigating circumstances,
•a large
middle section where all the action occurs, and finally,
•a small
epilogue
As the story
proper opens, the narrator, Jess, arrives at the home of his close friend,
Harvey.
Synopsis:
Jess arrived
at his friend’s house, in response to Harvey’s invitation to see his latest
invention. Jess laughed when Harvey explained that he had invented a time
machine. Jess insisted that he be the first to try out the machine. And, since
Jess was such an avowed and confrontational atheist, he boasted that he wanted
to witness the actual crucifixion. In particular, Jess desired to know the fate
of those who rose up when, “the graves gave up their dead.”
Before
Harvey activated the machine, Jess asked for paper and pencil so that he could
make a record of his experience if possible. Then Harvey pressed the button.
Harvey’s
time machine kind of worked, indirectly. It had the effect of freeing Jess’
consciousness, leaving his body behind in the lab. Jess’ intent, his will, his
desire, sent his “spirit” back to the time and place he wanted—Jerusalem, just
prior to the crucifixion of Jesus. In addition, as a disembodied consciousness,
Jess could only witness, and therefore not interfere in the events (thereby
neatly sidestepping the Grandfather Paradox).
After
observing Pontius Pilate wash his hands of Jesus’ fate, Jess then followed the
procession to Golgotha and witnessed the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus.
For the several long hours of Jesus’ death, what Jess sees agrees with events
as recorded in the New Testament; including the final words of Jesus.
Returning to
Jerusalem, through one of the city’s cemeteries, Jess comes across shattered
graves, open and empty. However, there is no smell of death or corruption.
While still on the path to the city, Jess found himself in a throng of
people—the people who were the former occupants of the graves. The dead had
risen, appearing whole and healthy, if not bewildered, as to what had happened.
Spurred on
by his desire to know the fate of these risen people, Jess went with them.
Local people ran in fright recognizing the formerly dead. Even a Roman
centurion, confronting the crowd, trembled in fear of them. The centurion sent
a messenger to inform Pilate. Curious himself, Jess followed the messenger.
Pilate was
only concerned with his position as governor. The messenger told Pilate that
the dead only want to return to their homes. Pilate wanted to know why the dead
had returned at all. An officer put forward that following the death of “he who
called himself the ‘King of the Jews’” (page 750), an earthquake cracked open
the graves at Golgotha.
It was
decided that those newly alive be confined at a nearby leper colony, and thus
hidden from public view. Pilate ordered the messenger to return and inform the
recently risen of his will. Again, Jess went with the messenger. Upon hearing
of Pilate’s decision, the formally-dead returned to the cemetery from
which they rose. Once there, they all
knelt to beseech God to take back his gift of life and return them to death.
Their wish was granted and Jess was alone in the cemetery.
Curious,
Jess willed himself forward in time to the moment of Pilate’s death to observe
how Pilate would face the afterlife. Jess saw Pontius Pilate bound to Earth
till the end of time. Washing his hands, vainly attempting to clean a stain
which could never be cleansed. Jess had seen enough—but try as he might, he
could not return to the present time!
Meanwhile,
back at Harvey’s house, in trying to bring Jess’ consciousness back to his
body, Harvey had accidentally broken the time machine. The police blamed Harvey
for Jess’ death. Because of his machine, Harvey condemned his best friend to a
near eternity standing next to Pilate as he washed his hands.
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Despite
being a novelette, “When the Graves Were Opened” is a complex tale and not at
all easy to summarize. In addition, to have such a fundamental episode of
Christianity serving as the background to this tale of time travel could well
have turned some readers away. It almost did me. To fully appreciate the power
of this tale (for those who wisely choose to read it)—it is necessary to
mention the Biblical basis of this story. From the King James Bible, Matthew
27:50-54:
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud
voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And,
behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;
and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the
graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came
out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and
appeared unto many.
54 Now when
the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake,
and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was
the Son of God.
Early in the story, Jess mockingly states that he wants to use the time machine to “. . . stand on Golgotha during the Crucifixion.” And Jess goes on to add that he wants to solve the mystery of what happened after the graves gave up their dead.
All this
seems rather profound for Weird Tales
magazine. Addressing a core tenet of one of the world’s major religions as a
major plot point in a sci-fi story is an easy way to offend a lot of readers.
That is not to say that Weird Tales
had not broached daring topics for its day, but, to my mind, not one quite so .
. . sensitive.
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The approach
to time travel presented here is one I have not encountered before. It bears a
strong resemblance to the idea of astral projection, which, together with
Spiritualism, had gained in popularity following the end of World War I in
1918. However, here, the astral projection is achieved via technology rather
than occult knowledge.
And, the
purpose of this post is not to dissect aspects of Christian dogma, but to treat
this tale as an exemplar of early time travel fiction. With that in mind, the
means of time travel are actually explored more in “When the Graves Were
Opened” than other time travel stories discussed on this blog to date.
There are
two perspectives to consider in “When the Graves Were Opened;” that of Harvey,
the inventor and Jess, the time traveler.
For Harvey,
it is ironic, but it seems that he did not fully understand how his time
machine actually worked... He thought that by attaching oneself to his machine,
the constraints of time and place were removed. And, by making a wish, the
traveler would be sent to when and where he desired.
Jess, the
traveler, focuses on his experiences rather than the machine’s workings. After
Harvey activated the machine, Jess felt an intense shock surge through his
body. Ultimately, he came to realize that he had become a disembodied
consciousness.
But I tell you now that I was the me
of my corporeal body; that I was a soul that had been released! Perhaps Hesford
himself can not explain to you just why this is so; but I, being a free spirit
now, can do so. This, then, was what his machine did to me: It merely separated
my soul from my body . . . It has no power to project a spirit into the past as
Hesford claimed for it—of itself! But I, now, can project myself into the past
as you understand the past! For over here there is no such thing as past,
present, or future!
Jess
realized what Harvey’s time machine actually did. It “separated my soul from my
body” (page 744). According to Jess’ understanding, by separating the soul from
the body, there was no past, nor present, nor future for his unattached
consciousness—only an exertion of will mattered. Since Jess had jokingly
expressed a desire to witness the Crucifixion, Harvey’s machine provided the
means to manifest this desire.
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To my
knowledge, it is rare for one to be a Marine Corps veteran of both World Wars
and be a successful writer of pulp fiction. Yet here is Arthur J. Burks and his
“When the Graves Were Opened.” I valued
reading his unique interpretation of time travel—as a form of astral projection.
More, I appreciated the daring it took for the author to tackle this theme.
This story takes the time travel tale to an
oft-thought-about-but-rarely-implemented place.
Good
Evening.
References
Print
Resources
Digital
Resources
Burks, Arthur J. “When the
Graves Were Opened.” Weird Tales.
Popular Fiction Publishing Co. December 1925. Volume 6 Number 6. [PDF file]. https://archive.org/details/WeirdTalesV06N06192512/mode/2up
Online
Resources
~. “Arthur J Burks.” Newspapers.com. Ancestry. 14 May 1974.
Web. 06 October 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55042167/arthur-josephus-burks
Contento, William G. &
Phil Stephensen-Payne, Editors. “Burks, Arthur J.” The FictionMags Index. Galactic Central Publications. Web. 18
October 2020. http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/d/d925.htm#A26894
Gallagher, Cullen. “Arthur J.
Burks on Words and Writing.” Pulp Serenade.
Blogger.com. 02 January 2010. Web. 17 October 2020. http://www.pulp-serenade.com/2010/01/arthur-j-burks-on-words-and-writing.html
Maynard, William Patrick.
“120 Years of Arthur J. Burks.” Pulpfest.
Pulfest. 10 September 2018. Web. 06
October 2020. https://www.pulpfest.com/2018/09/120-years-of-arthur-j-burks/
Find a Grave, database
and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 October 2020), memorial page for
Arthur Josephus Burks (1898–1975), Find a Grave Memorial no. 55042167, citing Paradise
Mennonite Cemetery, Paradise,
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA.
Von Ruff, Al. “Summary
Bibliography: Arthur J. Burks.” The
Internet Speculative Fiction Database. ISFDB. Web. 15 October 2020. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?1155
Von Ruff, Al. “Title: When
the Graves were Opened.” The Internet Speculative
Fiction Database. ISFDB. Web. 30 September 2020. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?85731
Wikipedia contributors.
"Arthur J. Burks." Wikipedia,
The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 09 May 2020. Web.
30 September 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_J._Burks
