"Robert A. Heinlein - Space Family Stone" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

can win a game once. No, don’t start whimpering - or I’ll take your slide rule
away from you for a week.’ The child thought it over, shrugged, and his face
became placid. Hazel turned to her son. ‘Do you suppose he really does hear
thoughts?’
Her son looked at his least son. ‘I’m afraid to find out.’ He sighed and added,
‘Why couldn’t I have been born into a nice, normal, stupid family? Your fault,
Hazel.’
‘His mother patted his arm. ‘Don’t fret’ Roger. You pull down the average.’
‘Hummph! Give me that spool. I’d better shoot it off to New York before I lose
my nerve.’
Hazel fetched it; Mr Stone took it to the apartment phone, punched in the
code for RCA New York with the combination set for highspeed transcription
relay. As he slipped the spool into its socket he added, ‘I shouldn’t do this. In
addition to that “Galactic Overlord” nonsense, Hazel, you messed up the
continuity by killing off four of my standard characters.’
Hazel kept her eye on the spool; it had started to revolve. ‘Don’t worry about
it. I’ve got it all worked out. You’ll see.’
‘Eh? What do you mean? Are you intending to write more episodes? I’m
tempted to go limp and let you struggle with it - I’m sick of it and it would
serve you right. Galactic Overlords indeed!’
His mother continued to watch the spinning spool in the telephone. At
highspeed relay the thirty-minute spool zipped through in thirty seconds.
Shortly it went spung! and popped up out of the socket; Hazel breathed relief.
The episode was now either in New York, or was being held automatically in
the Luna City telephone exchange, waiting for a break in the live Luna-to-
Earth traffic. In either case it was out of reach, as impossible to recall as an
angry word.
‘Certainly I plan to do more episodes’ she told him. ‘Exactly seven, in fact.’
Huh! Why seven?’
Haven’t you figued out why I am kiling off characters? Seven episodes is the
end of this quarter and a new option date. This time they won’t pick up your
option because every last one of the characters will be dead and the story
will be over. I’m taking you off the hook, son.’
‘What? Hazel, you can’t do that! Adventure serials never end.’
‘Does it say so in your contract?’
‘No, but -‘


17
‘You’ve been grousing about how you wanted to get off this golden treadmill.
You would never have the courage to do it yourself, so your loving mother
has come to the rescue. You’re a free man again, Roger.’
‘But -‘ His face relaxed. ‘I suppose you’re right Though I would prefer to
commit suicide, even literary suicide, in my own way and at my own time.
Mmm. .. see here, Hazel, when do you plan to kill off John Sterling?’
‘Him? Why, Our Hero has to last until the final episode, naturally. He and the
Galactic Overlord do each other in at the very end. Slow music.’
‘Yes. Yes, surely... that’s the way it would have to be. But you can’t do it’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I insist on writing that scene myself. I’ve hated that mealy-mouthed