"Andre Norton - Long Night of Waiting" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

What—what are we going to do?" Lesley squeezed her hands so tightly together they hurt. She really
wanted to run, as far and as fast as she could.

Rick was not running. He stood there, still holding to Alex's belt, just as he had grabbed his brother to
keep him from following Matt. Following him where?

"We won't do anything," Rick answered slowly.

"But people'll ask—all kinds of questions. You only have to look at that—" Lesley pointed with her chin
to what was now before them.

Alex still struggled for freedom. "Want Matt!" he yelled at the top of his voice. He wriggled around to
beat at Rick with his fists.

"Let me go! Let me go—with Matt!"

Rick shook him. "Now listen here, shrimp. Matt's gone. You can't get to him now. Use some
sense—look there. Do you see Matt? Well, do you?"

Lesley wondered how Rick could be so calm— accepting all of this just as if it happened every
day—like going to school, or watching a tel-cast, or the regular, safe things. How could he just stand
there and talk to Alex as if he were grown up and Alex was just being pesty as he was sometimes? She
watched Rick wonderingly, and tried not to think of what had just happened.

"Matt?" Alex had stopped fighting. His voice sounded as if he were going to start bawling in a minute or
two. And when Alex cried—! He would keep on and on, and they would have questions to answer. If
they told the real truth—Lesley drew a deep breath and shivered.

No one, no one in the whole world would ever believe them! Not even if they saw what was right out
here in this field now. No one would believe—they would say that she, Lesley, and Rick, and Alex were
all mixed up in their minds. And they might even be sent away to a hospital or something! No, they could
never tell the truth! But Alex, he would blurt out the whole thing if anyone asked a question about Matt.
What could they do about Alex?

Her eyes questioned Rick over Alex's head. He was still holding their young brother, but Alex had
turned, was gripping Rick's waist, looking up at him demandingly, waiting, Lesley knew, for Rick to
explain as he had successfully most times in Alex's life. And if Rick couldn't explain this time?

Rick hunkered down on the ground, his hands now on Alex's shoulders.

"Listen, shrimp, Matt's gone. Lesley goes, I go, to school—"

Alex sniffed. "But the bus comes then, and you get on while I watch—then you come home again—" His
small face cleared. "Then Matt—he'll come back? He's gone to school? But this is Saturday! You an'
Lesley don't go on Saturday. How come Matt does? An' where's the bus? There's nothin' but that mean
old dozer that's chewin' up things. An' now all these vines and stuff—and the dozer tipped right over
an'—" He screwed around a little in Rick's grip to stare over his brother's hunched shoulder at the
disaster area beyond.

"No." Rick was firm. "Matt's not gone to school. He's gone home—to his own place. You remember