"Avram Davidson - Young Virgil 1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Avram)

young vergil
and the wizard

by Avram Davidson
This is the last unpublished short story by Avram
Davidson, one of America's great literary
fantasists. It tells of an event in the youth of the
Mage Vergil, the main character in Avram's
lifework, the Vergil Magus stories.

As he was staring at the bottoms of the weathered
planks of the moss-encrusted, ragged-eaten door,
a foot or so beneath the level of the turfy ground,
the door sank as it were backwards: what dread
feet he saw, then! At once his eyes flew upwards.
Swift, his thought-mind told him, "This is a
particularly hideous old man dressed up as a
particularly hideous old woman!" In a second, he
changed his opinion at once. Later, some, he was
to conclude that he had at first been right. More
than this, or other than this, he did not for a much
longer time suspect.

Getting up his courage to proœde, perceiving
certain several things a-hand beside the door, he
was in an instant both startled and afeared. But for
an instant only: then he relaxed, recognizing them
for the masks, simulate faces, which some clever
hands were wont to make for this festival, this
play, or that; sometimes out of painted cloth,
sometimes out of cloth and scraps of
trash-parchment glued together, sometimes out of
untanned leather, sometimes out of leather, tanned.
They were dreadfully like. They stank dreadfully,
too.

Down to the door. As in some long-familiar tale,
told whilst peeling chestnuts round the winter fire,
had "he rapped on the warlock's door and the
door opened instantly—" "—as though someone
were standing right behind it?"— "—as though
someone were standing right behind it!" "—and a
voice spoke, saying—?" "—and a voice, spoke,
saying—" But he had instantly forgotten those
kitchen congregations and their well-familiar
stories. The door had not so much as creaked
even a little, on its leathern hinges; he was canny
enough to test by the easiest method some sticky
traces found afterwards adhering to his clothing;
for "with taste and scent, no argument," and taste