"Bruce Holland Rogers - A Common Night" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rogers Bruce Holland)

Next was the Trey of Spades. He giggled as he was led toward the screen.
"What's funny about this?" Julian said.
"It won't really happen, you know," the card said. "This is a big cosmic joke. What happens next is an
illusion. Nobody really dies. I'll be right back, you'll see."
The axe rose and fell.
"Foolish," said Tweedledee. "There are some advantages to that one."
"They don't last long," observed Tweedledum. "Four's next." He called out, "The Four! The Four!"
The Four of Spades emerged and actually led the way to the screen. He tried to hold himself up, make
himself a little taller than his guards. "I give myself willingly," he said. "Let there be a lesson in this. I
permit, I invite it, so that you will all remember!"
"Martyr's death," Tweedledee said as the axe fell.
"Well I don't think I will forget it," Julian said, "or any of the others!"
"You can hardly call it outstanding, in that case," said Tweedledum, and he called for the Five.
The Five of Spades had to be dragged to the screen. He said nothing, looked at no one.
"Morbid sort," said Tweedledee a moment in advance of the CHOP!
"He has my sympathy," said Julian.
"But does he have your vote?" asked Tweedledum.
"Yes," said Tweedledee. "Which one wins?"
"I can hardly say that any of them won," said Julian.
"A tie!" said Tweedledum and Tweedledee together.
Tweedledum added, "Wonderful!"
"Blue ribbons for all of them!" said Tweedledee, clapping his bony hands. "How democratic!"
"Well done! Well done!"
"And since we are done," said Julian, "how do we get down?"
"Well," said Tweedledum, "you could jump."
Julian looked over the edge of the cloud. The ground was a very long way down. "Jump?" he said.
"That would be suicide."
"Contrariwise," said Tweedledee, "it could be homicide, with the proper encouragement." And he gave
Julian a push, then jumped behind him. Tweedledum followed.
As they fell, Tweedledum said, "Jumping is to Suicide as Pushing is to Homicide."
"How about burning?" said Tweedledee.
"Firecide," said Tweedledum.
"Drowning?"
"Lakecide!"
"Oceancide!"
"Rivercide!"
"Pondcide!"
"Poolcide!"
"Sewercide!"
"Oh, that one's especially good," said Tweedledum.
"Then there's dying in your sleep," said Tweedledee. "That's bedcide."
"In an automobile: Roadcide."
"By falling: cliffcide or mountaincide."
"It's not the falling that kills you," said Tweedledum. "It's the hasty stop at the end."
"Speaking of which," said Tweedledee, "how about leaping from a tall building?"
Tweedledum scratched his head with a skeletal finger. "Give me a hint?"
"What are you likely to meet?"
"The Cidewalk!"
Until then, Julian had been too busy falling to take part in the conversation, but he noticed that although
they seemed to be dropping like stones, the ground was not getting any closer. "I wonder," he said, "if