"Janet Kagan - The Nutcracker Coup" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kagan Janet)

Achinto-well-seasoned and just the thing for growing children.
Nick would really have enjoyed seeing this, Marianne thought. Esperanza was filming the whole
party, but that just wasn’t the same as being here.
 Killim brought the glass ornaments herself. She’d made more than the commissioned dozen.
The dozen glass balls she gave to Marianne. Each was a swirl of colors, each unique. Everyone ooohed
and aaahed-but the best was yet to come. From her sidepack, Killim produced a second container.
“Presents,” she said. “A present for your Awakening Tree.”
Inside the box was a menagerie of tiny, bright glass animals: notrabbits, fingerfish, wispwings....
Each one had a loop of glass at the top to allow them to be hung from the tree. Scarcely trusting herself
with such delicate objects of art, Marianne passed them on to George to string and hang.
Later, she took Killim aside and with Tatep’s help, thanked her profusely for the gifts. “Though
I’m not sure she should have. Tell her I’ll be glad to pay for them, Tatep. If she’d had them in her shop,
I’d have snapped them up on the spot. I didn’t know how badly our Christmas needed them until I saw
her unwrap them.”
Tatep spoke for a long time to Killim, who rattled all the while. Finally, Tatep rattled too.
“Marianne, three humans have commissioned Killim to make animals for them to send home.” Killim said
something Marianne didn’t catch. “Three humans in the last five minutes. She says, Think of this set as
a-as an advertisement.”
“No, you may not pay me for them,” Killim said, still rattling. “I have gained something to trade
for my dyes.”
“She says,” Tatep began.
“It’s okay, Tatep. That I understood.”
Marianne hung the wooden ornaments she’d carved and painted in bright colors, then she
unsnagged a handful of tinsel from Tatep’s ruff, divided it in half, and they both flung it onto the tree.
Tatep’s handful just barely missed Matsimoto who was hanging strings of beads he’d bought in the
bazaar, but Marianne’s got Juliet, who was hanging chains of paper cranes it must have taken her the
better part of the month to fold. Juliet laughed and pulled the tinsel from her hair to drape it-length by
length and neatly-over the deep red branches.
Then Kelleb brought out the star. Made of silver wire delicately filigreed, it shone just the way a
Christmas tree star should. He hoisted Juliet to his shoulders and she affixed it to the top of the tree and
the entire company burst into cheers and applause.
Marianne sighed and wondered why that made her feel so down. “If Nick had been here,”
Tatep observed, “I believe he could have reached the top without an assistant.”
“I think you’re right,” said Marianne. “I wish he were here. He’d enjoy this.” Just for a
moment, Marianne let herself realize that what was missing from this Christmas was Nick Minski.
“Next year,” said Tatep.
“Next year,” said Marianne. The prospect brightened her.
The tree glittered with its finery. For a moment they all stood back and admired it-then there was
a scurry and a flurry as folks went to various bags and hiding places and brought out the brightly
wrapped presents. Marianne excused herself from Tatep and Killim and brought out hers to heap at the
bottom of the tree with the rest.
Again there was a moment’s pause of appreciation. Then Clarence Doggett-of all people-raised
his glass and said, “A toast! A Christmas toast! Here’s to Marianne, for bringing Christmas thirty light
years from old Earth!”
Marianne blushed as they raised their glasses to her. When they’d finished, she raised hers and
found the right traditional response: “A Merry Christmas-and, God bless us, every one!”
“Okay, Marianne. It’s your call,” said Esperanza. “Do we open the presents now or”-her voice
turned to a mock whine-”do we hafta wait till tomorrow?”
Marianne glanced at Tatep. “What day is it now?” she asked. She knew enough about local
time reckoning to know what answer he’d give.