"Anthony Piers - Golem in the Gears" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

XANTH




Chapter 1. Quest

Grundy Golem stretched and bounced off his
cushion. He looked at himself in the mirror, not totally
pleased. He stood the height of a normal man's spread-
fingered hand, and that was fine for sleeping on a cushion
but not all that great when it came to making an impression
on the Land of Xanth.

It was a nice new day. Almost, he was able to forget
that he was the least significant of living creatures. When
he had been a true golem fashioned of wood and rag he
had longed to be a real living thing, supposing that he
would be satisfied if only he could become flesh. At last
he had won that goal and for a time he had believed that
he was happy. But slowly the truth had sunk in: he was
still only a handsbreadth greater than nothing.

No one took him seriously. They thought he had a
smart mouth because he liked insulting people; actually
it was because he was trying desperately to cover over
his deepening awareness of his own inadequacy. When
he used his talent of language to make some other person
or creature feel low, he felt a little higher himself—for a
moment. But now he knew that this was a false device,
and that his mouth had mainly brought him the contempt
of others. He wished he could undo that damage and make




2 Golem in the Gear*

of himself a genuinely worthwhile and respected person—
but he didn't know how.

Meanwhile, he was hungry. That was a consequence
of being real: he had to eat. It hadn't been that way when
he had been a true golem. Then he had suffered no hunger,
pain, or calls of nature. But he liked it better this way,
he decided, because he also felt living pleasures.

And living miseries...

He slid down the banister and scrambled out the win-