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

"No," said Dan. He leaned far forward, reaching for the floor with his hands. "I just have an itch. My
stomach."

Max watched as Dan scratched his stomach with his trunk. "Damn."

Raising his head, the middle-sized, gray elephant squinted at Max. "Hell, I thought it wouldn't happen
again."

"Can I come closer?"

Dan beckoned with his trunk. "I won't trample you."

Max reached out and touched the side of the elephant. "You're a real elephant sure enough."

"I should have thought to get some cabbages, too. This stuff is pretty bland." He was tearing trunkfuls of
hay from the bale and stuffing them into his mouth.

Max remembered the cigarette in his hand and lit it. He walked twice around the elephant and said,
"Think back now, Dan. To the first time this happened. When was it?"

"I told you. Halloween."

"But that's not really a holiday. Was it the day after Halloween? Or the night itself?"

"Wait. It was before. It was the day after the party at Eando Carawan's. In the Beach."

file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ron%20Goulart%20-%20Please%20Stand%20By.html (5 of 24) [10/16/2004 3:33:44 PM]
 Please Stand By



"Where?"

"North Beach. There was a party. Anne knows Eando's wife. Her name is Eando, too."

"Why?"

"His name is Ernest and hers is Olivia. E-and-0. So they both called themselves Eando. They paint those
pictures of bug-eyed children you can buy in all the stores down there. You should know them, being an
artist yourself."

Max grunted. "Ernie Carawan. Sure, he used to be a free-lance artist, specializing in dogs. We stopped
using him because all his dogs started having bug-eyes."

"You ought to see Olivia."

"What happened at the party?"

"Well," said Dan, tearing off more hay, "I get the idea that there was some guy at this party. A little