"George R. R. Martin - The Sandkings" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)

way you can feed your sandkings without removing the top of the tank," Wo explained.
"You would not want to take any chances on the mobiles escaping."

The cover also included climate-control devices, to condense just the right amount of moisture
from the air. "You want it dry, but not too dry," Wo said.

Finally one of the four-armed workers climbed into the tank and dug deep pits in the four corners.
One of his companions handed the dormant maws over to him, removing them, one by one, from their
frosted cryonic traveling cases.

They were nothing to look at. Kress decided they resembled nothing so much as mottled, half-
spoiled chunks of raw meat. Each with a mouth.

The alien buried them, one in each corner of the tank. Then the work party sealed it all up and
took their leave.

"The heat will bring the maws out of dormancy," Wo said. "In less than a week mobiles will begin
to hatch and burrow up to the surface. Be certain to give them plenty of food. They will need all
their strength until they are well established. I would estimate that you will have castles rising
in about three weeks."

"And my face? When will they carve my face?"

"Turn on the hologram after about a month," she advised him, "and be patient. If you have any


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questions, please call. Wo and Shade are at your service." She bowed and left.

Kress wandered back to the tank and lit a joy stick. The desert was still and empty. He

drummed his fingers impatiently against the
plastic and frowned. t
On the fourth day Kress thought he glimpsed
motion beneath the sand-subtle subterranean
stirrings. s
On the fifth day he saw his first mobile, a
lone white.
On the sixth day he counted a dozen of them,

whites and reds and blacks. The oranges were -K
tardy. He cycled through a bowl of half
decayed table scraps. The mobiles sensed it at
once, rushed to it, and began to drag pieces .?
back to their respective corners. Each color
group was highly organized. They did not fight.
Kress was a bit disappointed, but he decided to
give them time.