"Zenna Henderson - Pilgrimage2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Henderson Zenna)

"That nothing could be worse?"
"Nothing," Lea said dully, squelching the murmur.
"Then listen." Karen hunched closer to her in the dark. "I'll take you with
me. I really shouldn't, especially right now, but they'll understand. I'll
take you along and then-then-if when it's all over you still feel there's no
wonder left in the world, I'll take you to a much more efficient suicide-type
place and push you over!"
"But where-" Lea's hands tugged to release themselves.
"Ah, ah!" Karen laughed, "Remember, you don't care! You don't care! Now I'l1
have to blindfold you for a minute. Stand up. Here, let me tie this scarf
around your eyes. There, I guess that isn't too tight, but tight enough-" Her
chatter poured on and Lea grabbed suddenly, feeling as though the world were
dissolving around her. She clung to Karen's shoulder and stumbled from sand to
solidness. "Oh, does being blindfolded make you dizzy?" Karen asked. "Well,
okay. I'll take it off then." She whisked the scarf off. "Hurry, we have to
catch the bus. It's almost due." She dragged Lea along the walk on the bridge,
headed for the far bank, away from the town.
"But-" Lea staggered with weariness and hunger, "how did we get up on the
bridge again? This is crazy! We were down-"
"Wondering, Lea?" Karen teased back over her shoulder.
"If we hurry we'll have time for a hamburger for you before the bus gets
here. My treat."
A hamburger and a glass of milk later, the InterUrban roared up to the curb,
gulped Lea and Karen in and roared away. Twenty minutes later the driver,
expostulating, opened the door into blackness.
"But, lady, there's nothing out there! Not even a house for a mile!"
"I know," Karen smiled. "But this is the place. Someone's waiting for us."
She tugged Lea down the steps. "Thanks!" she called. "Thanks a lot!"
"Thanks!" the driver muttered, slamming the doors. "This isn't even a corner!
Screwballs!'" And roared off down the road.
The two girls watched the glowworm retreat of the bus until it disappeared
around a curve.
"Now!" Karen sighed happily. "Miriam is waiting for us somewhere around here.
Then we'll go-"
"I won't." Lea's voice was flatly stubborn in the almost tangible darkness.
"I won't go another inch. Who do you think you are, anyway? I'm going to stay
here until a car comes along-"
"And jump in front of it?" Karen's voice was cold and hard.
"You have no right to draft someone to be your executioner. Who do you think
you are that you can splash your blood all over someone else?"
 "Stop talking about blood!" Lea yelled, stung to have had her thoughts caught
from her. "Let me die! Let me die!"
"It'd serve you right if I did," Karen said unsympathetically.
"I'm not so sure you're worth saving. But as long as I've got you on my
hands, shut up and come on. Cry babies bore me."
"But-you-don't-know!" Lea sobbed tearlessly, stumbling miserably along,
towed at arm's length behind Karen, dodging cactus and greasewood, mourning
the all-enfolding comfort of nothingness that could have been hers if Karen
had only let her go.
"You might be surprised," Karen snapped. "But anyway God knows, and you