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

It is darker. The people are quiet.

Fire looks up. A fat cloud hangs over him. The sun is behind the cloud. The edge
of the cloud glows golden. His nose can smell rain. His bare skin prickles,
cold. Immersed in this new moment, he has forgotten he is hungry.

The clouds part. There is a blue light, low in the sky. Fire looks at the blue
light. It is not the sun. The blue light is new.

Fire fears anything new.

The fire wriggles in his hands.

He looks down, forgetting the blue light. There is no smoke. The moss has turned
to ash. The fire is shrinking.

Fire crouches down. He shelters the moss under his belly. He feels its warmth on
his bare skin. He hoots. 'Fire, Fire! Fire, Fire!'

Stone is small-far. He turns. He shouts. He is angry. He begins to come back
towards Fire.

Loud comes to Fire. Loud hoots. His voice is loud. Loud is his name. Loud
kneels. He looks for bits of moss and dry grass. He pushes them into the bit of
fire.

Dig comes to Fire. Her hand holds arrowhead roots. She squats beside Fire. Her
taut dugs brush his arm. His member stiffens. He rocks. She grins. Her hands
push a root into his mouth. He tastes her fingers, her salty sweat.

Loud hoots. His member is stiff too, sticking out under his belly. He crams bits
of grass into Fire's hands.

Fire snaps his teeth. 'Loud, Loud away!'

Loud hoots again. He grabs Dig's arm. She laughs. Her legs take her skipping
away from both of them.

Others come to Fire. Here are women, Grass and Shoot and Cold and Wood. Here are
their babies with no names. Here are children with no names. The children
jabber. Their eyes are round and bright.

Here is Stone. Stone is dragging branches over the ground. Blue is helping Stone
drag the branches. Sing is lying on the branches. Sing is white-haired. She is
still. She is asleep.

Stone sees the dying fire. He sees Fire's stiff member. He roars. Stone's hands
drop the branches.

Stone has forgotten Sing, on the branches. Sing tips to the ground. She groans.