"Ron Goulart - Please Stand By" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goulart Ron)

Max nodded and Dan Padgett left. Leaning over his drawing board Max wrote Hex? on the margin of his
layout.

He listened to the piped-in music play Christmas carols for a few minutes and then started drawing again.




The bale of hay crackled as Max sat down on it. He lit a cigarette carefully and checked his watch again.
"Half hour to go," he said.

Dan Padgett poured some scotch into a cup marked Tom & Jerry and closed the Venetian blinds. "I felt
silly carrying that bale of hay up here. People expect to see you with a tree this time of year."

"You could have hung tinsel on it."

"That'd hurt my fillings when I eat the hay." Dan poured some more scotch and walked to the heater
outlet. He kicked it once. "Getting cold in here. I'm afraid to complain to the landlady. She'd probably
say —'Who else would let you keep an elephant in your rooms? A little chill you shouldn't mind.' "

"You know," said Max. "I've been reading up on lycanthropy. A friend of mine runs an occult
bookshop."

"Non-fiction seems to be doing better and better."

"There doesn't seem to be any recorded case of were-elephants."

"Maybe the others didn't want any publicity."

"Maybe. It's more likely somebody has put a spell on you. In that case you could change into most

file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ron%20Goulart%20-%20Please%20Stand%20By.html (4 of 24) [10/16/2004 3:33:44 PM]
 Please Stand By

anything."

Dan frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. What time is it?"

"Quarter to."

"A spell, huh? Would I have to meet the person who did it? Or is it done from a distance?"

"Usually there has to be some kind of contact."

"Say," said Dan, lowering his head and stroking his nose, "you'd better not sit on the bale of hay.
Animals don't like people fooling with their food." He was standing with his feet wide apart, his legs
stiff.

Max carefully got up and moved back across the room. "Something?"