"Baxter, Stephen - Manifold 03 - Origin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Baxter Stephen)

'Let's go UFO-hunting,' Malenfant snapped. 'We got nothing better to do today,
right?'

She wasn't about to argue; as so often in her relationship with Malenfant she
was, literally, powerless.



Fire:

Stone and Blue put branches into the fire. Leaves and twigs bum. Stone and Blue
pull out the burning branches. Their legs carry them into the wood. Small
animals squeal and run before the fire. Stone and Blue pursue, their eyes
darting, their hands hurling rocks and bits of wood.

Fire's hands are very red and raw.

Dig comes to him. Water is in her mouth. The water spills on his hands. The
water is cool. Dig has leaves. Her hands rub them on his burns.

Fire has no name. Sing is huge and smiling. Sing's hands rub his palms with
leaves.

Fire has his name again. It is Dig who tends his burned hands, smiling.

'Blue light!' he shouts, suddenly.

Dig looks at him. Her eyes narrow. She tends his hands.

Fire's hand reaches out. It cups one conical breast. The breast is hot in his
hand.

The fire is hot in his hand. A captured bat is hot in his hand.

His member does not rise. Dig tends his hands.

Blue and Stone return. Their hands carry rabbits. The rabbits are skinned. There
is blood on the mouths of the men. The rabbits fall to the ground.

The children with no names fall on the rabbits. They jabber, snapping at each
other. The children's small faces are bloody. The adults push the children
aside, and growl and jostle over the rabbits. All the people work at the meat,
stealing it from each other.

Grass and Cold throw some pieces of meat on the fire. The meat sizzles. Their
hands pick out the meat. Their mouths chew the burned meat, swallowing some.
Fire sees that their mouths want to swallow all the meat. But their fingers take
meat from their mouths. They put the meat in the mouths of their babies with no
names.