"John Meaney - Sanctification (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Meaney John)

some
dignity of their own, but begging nevertheless. The musical sound of
their
voices filled the air. Some recited epic poems, sagas which grew in the
telling over the years, and never ended. Some recited, from memory,
long
passages from the Scriptures. Blind beggars read holy words from
braille
hardcopies of the Bible or the Koran, preaching to busy crowds who had
little time to hear. Many had lived with their painful diseases for
over
two centuries. To Ashara, this was an unimaginable length of time to
bear
such suffering. Even among beggars, caste prevailed. The lowest were
those
who recited not from memory, but as spokespersons for cerebral
implants.
They hoped for employment, she knew, and some might find it. Their
employers were likely, though, to be less than upright citizens. Their
lives might become less painful, but drastically shorter in the world
of
shady commerce.
One old man caught her attention, his light musical voice drifting
above
the droning of the other beggars as he talked of the religions of many
worlds, and the oneness of all their paths to enlightenment. He was
blind,
Ashara noticed, with sunken eye sockets hiding a hint of something
pink.
His beard was long and grey, matted with black dirt. The lines of his
face
were deep, engraved with pure filth. And he stank. But his voice was
pure
and clear, like a child's.
Ashara squatted down to listen to him. After a while, he stopped. He
cocked his head to one side and smiled at Ashara, though he could not
see
her.
"Did you like my story, little one?"
"No," Ashara said simply.
"Why not? Isn't enlightenment worth aiming for?"
Perhaps it was meant as a joke, but Ashara thought about it, frowning.
"No," she said finally.
"Ah, now. An unbeliever."
"My master does not allow me to worship. Or listen to philosophy."
"Oh. May I ask how old you are?"
"Twelve." Defiantly.
"And do you know of the Saints who live in the monastery?"
Ashara shook her head. Then realizing that she could not be seen, she
said