"Thomas Easton - Organic Future 02 - Greenhouse" - читать интересную книгу автора (Easton Thomas A)

CHAPTER 1



"Do you have the new Slugabeds?"

"Of course we do, Ma'am." Tom Cross smiled at the customer and tugged
surreptitiously at the side of his light green coverall. She was old enough to
be his mother, and her paisley coverall was both three years behind the
fashion and a hair too tight. Yet she was stylish enough in other ways; she
wore no rings or earrings, and the chain around her neck was blackened
aluminum, its pendant a classic pewter peace sign, both as current as could
be. She must, he thought, hate to admit that she was losing her struggle to
keep the figure of her youth. "Right this way, please."

She babbled, as customers tend to do: "We have an antique waterbed, you
know. And it doesn't leak. But I saw the ad, and I thought how interesting it
would be. Almost like having a pet. And it wouldn't have to be plugged in."

Tom didn't know she had a waterbed, antique or new. He didn't care whether
she had seen an ad, or how interesting she thought a Slugabed might be. It was
enough that she had chosen to visit Mr. Greengenes' Appliance Garden. And that
he had a chance to earn a commission. Someday, perhaps, he would have a Garden
of his own. For now...

He gestured at the potted plants they were passing. "Then you don't have
any bioppliances? Our hanky bush is quite useful. And the bathroom model is
very productive."

"Oh, we have one of those. But it doesn't do much, you know?"

"Neither does a Slugabed. It just lies there."

"But it's warm! And it wiggles. That's what the ad said."

The young man nodded. "If you wish. It'll massage you, or cuddle you,
or..." He shrugged. "And yes, it keeps itself--and you--at body temperature.
It'll warm you or cool you, depending on the weather."

The Slugabed display was around the next corner, just past the goldfish
bushes. "These are more active," he said. "Just drop the flowers in a bowl of
water, and..."

"My sister has two."

He sighed as quietly as he could, hoping she would not notice, and led her
onward. "There," he said. "We have a good selection." The Slugabeds, looking