"Thomas M. Disch M. - The Pressure of Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Disch Thomas M)

The Pressure of Time
by Thcmc:s M. Disch

They were learning all about history, the holy martyrs and Rome burning down and if you didn't burn
incense for Jupiter you had to go into the Colosseum while the pagans watched. Jupiter is a false god, but
we believe in one god the Father Almighty. There was a little girl in the picture too, with a white dress for
purity and white flowers in her hair, and Sister Augustine said the holy martyrs should be an inspiring
example for every boy and girl.

They had waited all day, because the smallest children went last, but at last the Public Health man came
and talked to Sister. He had a white dress with gold buttons, and his hair was gold, too, like tiny gold
wires, because he was English. So they put on their sweaters and went outside to wait in line beside the
medical unit in the wet gravel with puddles everywhere. Emma was the monitor. She stood at the end of
the line in her red sweater ancl her little red polly boots, fingering the pink health card with her name on it.
Her first name began with ,E and her second name began with an R, but she was slow in Reading—all
the little letters looked the same. But if you don't learn to read, you won't know what the signs say on top
of stores, you won't know what street you're on if yolt ever go to Dublin, and you can't make a shopping
Iist.

She went in the door and the man with the gold beard took her card and jiggled it in his machine, ancl
then Mary Ellen Poorlick screamed like a banshee. The man who stuck the needles in tried to talk to her,
but with his funny accent you couldn't understand a word. Jamie Baro was next, then Emma, and she
couldn't look away from the needle, as long as her own middle finger. If she had
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to be a holy martyr, she knew she'd have run away rvhen the lions came out of their cages instead of
singtng along with the others, but the door was closed behind h"r now, and the man said, "Try and relax
now, Emma." He was a tarry, because fairies have gold hair like that, and in any ease all the English are
bent as a pin. That's what Leonard said. He put somethitg cold on her arrn, while the needle filled up with
more white stuff, and she clenched herself tight all over, and he stuck it right into her arm.

She larew the very next thing after that that she must have done somethitg wrong then, because she was
in the Principal's office, and Sister M*ry Margaret was putting water on her face, but worse than that her
Cousin Bridie was there with one of the babies. Bridie was saying, n'Oh, tensionl Her mother is another
great one for tensions."

she tried to sit up in the day-nap cot, but sister Mnry Margaret pushed her flat again. "You'd better rest a
minute, my dear. You're not well."

Emma touched her arm where it hurt. There was a band-aid on it.

Cousin Bridie said, "We're taking up your time, Sister," and Sister Mary Margaret said, "Nonsense," and
handed Ennma a cone of water to drink.

"Suy thank you," said Cousin BriCie. Emma said thank you.

"'You see, it's all over now, and there wasn't anything to fuss about, was there? The pain is always in the
waitirg, not in the thing we've waited for."

cousin Bridie sighed and rocked the baby. Her lips were unhappy, the way they got when she was