"L. Lee Lowe - Mortal Ghost" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowe L Lee)

Chapter 4 31

Sarah turned and went.

Half an hour later, Jesse was still sitting on the willow bench, back hunched, head in his hands and Nubi at his
feet. There was no point in just sitting here, yet he couldn't bring himself to do anything else. He didn't even
want a cigarette. He tried to think where he should go.

'Jesse.'

Jesse looked up. Sarah stood with the sun behind her so that he couldn't make out the expression on her face.
The light was warm and liquid, dripping redgold highlights onto her chestnut hair. She held out a bag.

'Indian takeaway. I hope you like curry.'

'Yeah.' He gazed at her. He had no idea what else to say.

'Come on, then. I know the perfect picnic spot.'

The small cornfield was hidden behind a stand of trees. Sarah pushed her way into the tall heads, fresh and
colourful and heavy with ripening seed. Jesse sneezed once, then a second time. The sound was unexpectedly
loud, and both of them giggled as if they were six years old and raiding the biscuit tin. As they tunnelled
through the leafy grain they were completely enclosed, isolated from the outside world -- even the sounds of
the city had receded to an almost indistinguishable murmur. Occasionally a child's high-pitched voice floated
down through the dense matrix, but it was disembodied, androgynous, a reedy dreamtime fragment. Jesse was
beginning to wonder if Sarah had lost her way when the corn ended abruptly. They emerged into a grassy
clearing. Jesse swivelled, a smile slowly lighting up his face. They were in the midst of a perfect circle.

'Well?' asked Sarah, her eyes zesting with delight.

Jesse gestured with his free hand. 'Who planted all this?'

'No clue. One of the gardeners, I reckon. But it's good, isn't it?'

'Very.'

'I've never seen wheat in these colours before. Must be a special hybrid.'

'That's because it's not wheat. It's amaranth.'

'English, please.'

Jesse grinned. 'Huautli to the Aztecs, who even used it in their religious ceremonies. It's been around for
thousands of years -- first known record dates from about 4000 B.C. -- and now grows just about everywhere.
Cultivated a lot in India, where it's both a leaf and grain crop. Very high in protein. And very productive. I've
read that from one plant you can get 100,000 seeds.'

'Is that so? Then it won't matter that you've harvested several hundred of them.'

She pointed to his head and giggled once again. They had masses of seed, chaff, and torn leaf caught in their