"Bruce Holland Rogers - Something Like the Sound of Wind in the Trees" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rogers Bruce Holland)

illusion.
On the morning that Jerry opened the front door and saw, not his front walk, but blue waves stretching
to the horizon, his feet had already started down a path that was no longer there. He stepped into the
sea. The weight of his water-logged suit nearly pulled him under, but he managed to grab onto the rose
trellis and pull himself back onto the front stoop.
For a long time he sat there, dripping, looking out at the sun-flecked waves. He should be worried, he
knew. There were many things now to worry about. But the sound of the waves lapping gently against
the aluminum siding, the sound of the house creaking as it turned slowly in the current, these comforted
him almost beyond belief.
***


8. When You Let Your Head Slip Under the Water
***


It's been a tough day. Well, when was the last time you had a day that was easy? But for once you're
taking care of yourself. For once you're up to your ears in hot bathwater, and you've taken the phone off
the hook. You relax and let most of your head slip under the surface. The water has a sound to it, a
warm, cottony, muffled sound. Eyes closed, you hear yourself breathing, but distantly. There are clicks
and tappings in the building, things you don't ordinarily hear. Life in the womb must have been like this.
This is the sound you came from. You stay until the water grows cold, and when you open your eyes,
your knees surprise you like islands sighted after a year at sea.
***


9. White Noise
***


I think it was the sound of my grandfather's last breath amplified many times over. I think it was the
sound of a gunshot played back at quarter speed. I think it was rain. I think it was the sound of swimmers
dividing the water. I think it was the sound of wind in tall grass or the sound of a brush fire. It was the
sound of three degrees Kelvin, the sound of snowfall, of ashes stirring, of smoke rising up on the cold
air.
Published by Alexandria Digital Literature. ( http://www.alexlit.com/ )

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