"Emil Petaja - Dinosaur Goes Hollywood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Petaja Emil)

from side to side. He looked like he was plenty surprised, too, to find himself in the middle of Hollywood
— instead of among a lot of funny looking fern trees back in the Mesozoic Age.
"He was brilliantly colored—sort .of orange and vivid green shades—and from him there came an
ugly swamp odor.
"He looked around with his silly little eyes, and that simpery smile on his homely snake's puss. He
didn't seem much bothered by the gaping crowd that stopped their cars to stand around him and
look—but nobody got very close.
"There was a couple minor smashups, and three or four f rails passed out cold, but nothing very
serious happened.
"At last he headed out, seeming to know just where he wanted to go. He lumbered thunderously out
into the middle of Wilshire Boulevard, which was blocked off for the big premiere. He paid no attention
to the frantic drivers, just shuffled nonchalantly toward the Cathay Square Theatre, his long snaky neck
still weaving slowly from side to side.
"It was almost like daylight, on account of all the searchlights. They stabbed up into the dark sky.
Hollywood's way of telling everybody what's coming off.
"Ethel shuddered, putting her taffy hair up close to me. I was making the most of the situation when a
cop poked his head in the window and barked,
"` Say, you're Doctor Greylock's handy man, aren't you?'
" 'I'm his assistant,' I corrected him. " 'This is his car, ain't it?' he snapped. 'Where is the Doc? He
told three of my boys to stand guard over
the La Brea Pits entrances, but he didn't let on this was going to happen! That monster's on the
loose! You'd better get hold of Greylock right away!'
" 'Sure,' I says, letting loose of Ethel. `Right now!'

"I FOUND Doc Greylock puttering away in his lab.
"I think I know what was wrong now,' he said almost happily, nodding to me as I stepped in. 'My
calculations were inaccurate by only a few hours. If we hurry right over to La Brea—'
" 'Doc!' I yells. 'You found out too late! It's come already!'
" What—' he started to say.
" 'The dinosaur! One of those giant lizards! He's lumbering along up Wilshire toward the premiere!
Holy sugarbags—if we don't get up there and do something, I don't know what'll break loose in that mob
up there!'
He jumped back a little, looking at me kind of funny, then started frantically building one of his
Time-Bombs.
" 'Jock, we must hurry!' he rasps, his hands flying around the table, mixing chemicals. 'Not a minute
to lose! I'll never forgive myself if—'
" 'Take it easy, Doc,' I warns him. `You'll blow a fuse if you don't slow down. I'll get all the junk
loaded in the station wagon, and send Ethel home in a cab.'
"I went out, and done it. I was plenty excited, myself, but I knew somebody better keep on the
beam, else we'd never even get over there.
"Ethel was glad to go home. She said her mother would kick her out in the street if she went
cavorting around with a mess of zoic monsters. Hollywood woof-woofs was bad enough.
"It wasn't long until we were spinning burn-rubber down side streets. I wanted to make time. We
finally got within a couple blocks of the theatre. There the crowds stopped us.
"I used a little Hollywood lip-magic about being chauffeur to a movie mogul who had to get through.
That got us a ways in, but then the crowd wouldn't budge.
"The crowd was gabbing hilariously. I heard one slick haired bozo shout to his red-head gal, 'This
here Brindell van Hastings sure does things up right! Imagine a mechanical monster what's that big! I
wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it!'
" 'Ain't it the truth, Joe,' the redhead wagged, gleefully. 'You wouldn't know it from a real