The Crystal Egg

The Crystal Egg (L'œuf de Cristal)
Story by H.G. Wells, 1897

The story tells of a shop owner, named Mr. Cave, who finds a strange crystal egg that serves as a window into the planet Mars.
Written in the same year in which The War of the Worlds was being serialized. This story is often considered a prequel to The War of the Worlds, though there is no clear foreshadowing of the events that transpire in the novel.

First published in "New Review", 1897, then in "Les pirates de la mer", (Librairie Jules Tallandier, Romans de l'extraordinaire, 1978), then in "Les Chefs-D'œuvre De H.G. Wells", (Ed. Omnibus, 2007, above).

Adapted on television in "Tales of Tomorrow" serie, 1952.
Read the text here (in french).
Hear the text on Librivox.