"Ellen Datlow - SciFiction Originals vol 3" - читать интересную книгу автора (Datlow Ellen)

pain. But only the dark that came when the light went away was safe. The darks that came when Silent hid in
the cover, or closed the eyes, or held the hands over the eyes, these were not safe.
Silent believed that if the light could be stopped from moving, Hard Mouth would stay away. The edge of
the light touched the window and Silent tensed with wishes to the light to go back. Silent shook fists, shed
tears, and the light did not stop. The light advanced until it filled that corner of the place. Then Hard Mouth
came.
One time the light did not begin as lavender and change to white. It began dim and gray. It was so dim
and so gray that Silent could hardly see the colored spots on the wall. Surely it was too dim for Hard Mouth
to come.
Silent laughed a silent laugh, pulled at the toes, for Silent had won. The light had stopped and Hard Mouth
would stay away.
There was a sound. It was followed by Hard Mouth's head hidden in its black mist. Silent's universe
shattered. Silent had failed; the wishes had failed. Only the light and its monster Hard Mouth had succeeded.
Then followed pain. Then followed anger.

There was another black mist that would come. The other had kind lips. Kind Lips would always stand on that
side and look down at Silent with soft, dark eyes. Kind Lips had dark hair, eyes of love, and a mouth that
never looked angry.
Hard Mouth would stand at the other side when Kind Lips was there. Hard Mouth's hair was like the yellow
light. The eyes were as blue as the tiny spots on the wall, narrow and angry. The lips were hard and pressed
tightly together.
Kind Lips reached in a hand and stroked Silent's hair.
Hard Mouth reached in a hand and pinched Silent's arm.
Kind Lips pushed Hard Mouth away, and as the sounds of them struggling filled Silent's ears, the pain
wouldn't go away.

Again the white light crawled up the wall. As it moved, Silent determined that Hard Mouth would never pinch
Silent again. To do that Silent would have to stop Hard Mouth. To stop Hard Mouth Silent would have to hurt
Hard Mouth. If Hard Mouth put a hand near Silent, instead of Hard Mouth pinching Silent, Silent would pinch
Hard Mouth.
Silent held a hand up. The fingers were much smaller than Hard Mouth's fingers. Silent tried to pinch the
arm that was always in pain, but the pinching didn't hurt.
Silent stuck a finger in the mouth, bit it hard, and Silent's eyes filled with tears. That hurt. Silent
determined to bite Hard Mouth's fingers. That would stop Hard Mouth.

There was the sound. Silent listened carefully. It was Kind Lips and Hard Mouth, yet something different.
There were other sounds.
A third figure appeared. It was horribly pink and naked. It had no black mist shading its features, and it
had no hair on its head. Hard Mouth and Kind Lips both wore coverings of black. Shiny Head's coverings were
pale yellow. Shiny Head stood at one foot next to Kind Lips.
 Silent looked and there was another one standing there. The new one had no black mist, but the new one
did have light brown hair. Instead of black or yellow, Hairy Head's coverings were pale green.
Kind Lips raised a hand and moved fingers at Shiny Head. Shiny Head frowned at the moving fingers and
said to Hairy Head, "Minister Amin, I do not read Mogam." Amazing sounds.
"I thought everyone read it, save a few fanatics," replied Hairy Head. "Not that I'm implying you're a fanatic,
of course."
"Of course," answered Shiny Head.
Hairy Head leaned over and lifted the cover from Silent. "My first wife signed that you should look at my
second wife's daughter's right arm, Father Yadin. Look here."
Shiny Head moved in front of Hard Mouth, bent over, and reached toward Silent. His fingers were cold and