"Jerry Davis - Elko the Potter (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davis Jerry)

Forty-two years was a long time to be alive. His face lined,
his hands hard and stiff with arthritis, Elko the potter could no
longer work. His wife was long dead, and his sons had already
taken over his trade. He was nothing but a burden on them, now,
and so one night with the moon full in the sky --- and having the
distinct feeling that he was being watched --- Elko scraped up
with dignity he still had and took a walk along one of his late
father's canals to the river. There on the shore, he removed his
shirt, headpiece, skirt, and sandals, and waded out into the
churning muddy water. "I give myself to the gods of Earth and
Water," he said, "in thanks for the gift of my life."
The current grew strong and swept him off his feet. He
treaded water as he was carried along past the city and out beyond
the farmlands. To either side of him were great expanses of
moonlit desert, calm and peaceful. Elko felt relaxed, and floated
easily. He wasn't in a rush to get it over with. He was reliving
memories of his wife and his children.
A ring of lights glared down at him, and there was a harsh
sloshing sound as a lot of water tried to climb up the side of a
silver wall. It only reached so far, then came surging down in a
wave that came back at Elko. He bobbed with it as it passed him,
then amazingly the wave hit another silver wall on the other side
and came back again. There was a round silver wall completely
surrounding him. The ring of lights from above seemed to be
mounted on a ceiling. He was in a room!
The water drained quickly and left him splayed in dismay on a
cold metal floor. He took a breath and sat up, wincing with the
pain and stiffness. Slowly, carefully, he got to his feet and
shuffled back and forth, looking at the metal and wondering how
he'd arrived here. "Hello?" he said. His voice echoed with a
ringing quality. There was no response, so he stood and patiently

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waited.
A round hole opened in the ceiling and a ladder dropped into
view. A strangely-dressed man climbed down and spoke to him with a
thick accent. "I am a friend," he said. "Nothing here will hurt
you."
Elko looked him up and down, seeing finely woven cloth of
thread so thin you could barely see it, and sandals that covered
all of the feet in a black shell like a foot-sized dung beetle.
The man's face and smile were oddly disconcerting, and his eyes
were a watery green. Without a doubt, this was a god. Which god,
Elko had no idea --- but definitely a god. "I am your humble
slave," Elko said.
"No, you are my friend. You will understand in time. Come
with me."
With difficulty and fear, Elko followed the god up the