"Charles L. Grant - Temperature Days on Hawthorne Street" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Charles L)

wife.
In not entirely unpleasant contrast to the daylight's enervating heat, the morning was col
and a residue wind from an evening thunderstorm hunted through the neighborhood for woo
creak and leaves to sail. Silently dressing in the clothes he'd left in the kitchen, Gerry sippe
on hot coffee and rubbed his arms briskly. A groan from Sandy's sleep made him motionles
then he slipped a blanket over his shoulders and carefully opened the front door, picking ou
chair on the far end of the porch where he could watch the walk that wound round the house
the back. He lighted a cigarette when he was settled, and he was startled by the flare of the
match and shook it out quickly. He listened and heard nothing, watched and saw only the da
The air was still damp, and he hugged himself tightly but would not walk, knowing the
floorboards made near as much noise as the children playing in the afternoon. Finally, he tr
to count gorillas to pass the time, and when he awakened, the sun was full in his eyes, and
blinding.
Ruth was standing over him, smiling sadly. "Big brave watchdog," she said, offering him
steaming cup. "What were you going to do, sprinkle garlic over his horns or tackle him like
football star you thought you were?"
"Knock it off," Gerry said, feeling bad enough that his soap opera plan had failed witho
his wife telling him how foolish he looked wrapped in a blanket in the middle of August. "D
he leave anything?"
"Nothing."
"Well, damnit, he must have magicked me to sleep, or something. And I asked for a hun
dollars."
"Maybe he figures you were testing him," she said, leaning against the railing and huddl
her arms under her breasts. "Maybe he doesn't like testing."
Gerry, suddenly angry because he was more than afraid, stood abruptly and started paci
"You know, I should have listened to you, because you were right from the beginning. This
is up to no good. I think I'll cancel the contract, and we can get our milk from the store from
now on." Then he glared because his wife was laughing. "Well, what's so funny, damnit? I
spent a miserable time out here, I could have maybe even caught double pneumonia, and yo
think that's funny?"
 Shaking her head, Ruth pressed into his arms and quieted. "No, dear, I don't think it's fun
In fact, I think it's kind of sad. Things are just so different out here, I can't really explain it.
city was bad, but at least we knew where we stood. Here, we get a little boost from an
invisible milkman and we go into melodramatic hysterics. Maybe country rules are differen
don't know, but there's something wrong with us."
"What?" Gerry said.
"I'm not sure," she said. "But this isn't right."
A short exclamation from Ruth and a dry flurry dragged him reluctantly back to the pres
where the world appeared to be turning black at the edges of his vision. Feeling a shudder f
Ruth, he looked down and saw a praying mantis disappearing over the side of the steps wit
what looked like the remains of a spider in its jaws.



·····



"Do you want to change before we go out?" he asked quietly, wondering what was taking h
son so long. Ruth shook her head slowly, and he was dismayed at the ridges of darkened sk