"Myst - 01 - The Book Of Atrus" - читать интересную книгу автора (Miller Rand)

darkness.

Anna reached out, her fingers brushing his hair back from his eyes. In some ways
he was an ungainly child, yet there was something about him that was noble. The
kindness, the sharp intelligence in his eyes-these things distinguished him,
giving the lie to his physical awkwardness.

"It changes," he said, his eyes meeting hers again.

"Changes?"

"The rate at which the dune travels. Sometimes it barely moves, but when there's
a storm ..."

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"It's the wind," he said. "It pushes the smaller grains up the windward side of
the dune. From there they tumble over the crest, onto the leeward side. That's
why the dune is shaped the way it is. The larger, coarser grains don't move so
much, that's why the windward slope is gradually curved. It's packed densely.
You can walk on it as on a rock. But the leeward side ..."

"Yes?" she said, encouraging him.

He frowned, wrinkling up his nose as he thought it through. "Well, the leeward
side is constantly changing. The fine grains build up, forming a steep slope,
until... well, until they all tumble down. If you try to walk on it you sink
down into it. It's not packed like the windward side."

Anna smiled, her eyes never leaving his face. "You say it tumbles over. Do you
know why?"

Atrus nodded enthusiastically, making Flame stir in his lap. "It has to do with
how the grains balance on each other. Up to a certain angle they're fine, but
beyond that..."

"And have you measured that angle?" she asked, pleased with him.

Again he nodded. "Thirty-five degrees. That's the steepest it gets before it
begins to slip."

"Good," she said, resting her hands on her knees. "It seems like you've
considered everything, Atrus. You've tried to see the Whole."

Atrus had looked down, gazing at the sleeping kitten. Now he looked up again.
"The Whole!"

She laughed softly. "It's something my father used to say to me. What I mean by
it, is that you've looked at the problem from many angles and considered how the
pieces fit together. You've asked all the questions that needed to be asked and