"Ian Watson & Roberto Quaglia - The Mass Extinction of My Beloved" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watson Ian)

"Since we use diplomatic passports to travel, we are all registered Swiss, but emotionally I am French. A
Bardot may need to use a condom while seducing someone who's endangering a species because such
men may have chlamydia or syphilis — usually it's such men who endanger species. Oh I have just
thought! How about condoms for use by endangered species? Species-suicide condoms?"

Brigitte was trying to emulate my Machiavellian powers of imagination.

I did not wish to scorn her inspiration. Yet I felt bound to say, "Who would put the condoms on rhinos
and crocodiles? Trained apes? And who would replace the condoms?"

"I'm thinking," said Brigitte, "of something like an automated milking parlour to which cows become
accustomed to walk to be emptied. Millions of similar installations in the wild. Using animal porn videos
as the bait."
"Species-extinction through automated masturbation? Would enough endangered animals be fooled?"

Alberto slammed his crozier on the floor. "I have a message from The Holy Father."

"What a paradox," Brigitte said naughtily and flirtatiously. "He is in fact the Anti-Father since he never
fucks." She allowed the sheet to slide, to expose a beautiful breast familiar to millions of old movie
addicts. "Though admittedly," she added, "he has filled the Vatican with cats, whom he loves."

I felt jealous. However, Alberto did not seem aroused. Or, at least, only aroused to wrath.

"Whore of Paris!" he thundered. "The Holy Father has become aware that species extinction is inspired
from right here in San Marino. A Bardot in Portugal was seriously injured falling out of a train carriage,
and she confessed to a priest on the platform."

"Oh, Giuseppe, that is the sudden pain I had yesterday. I told you it felt like a miscarriage."

"You never had a miscarriage. You cannot."

"I can imagine one."

Alberto continued: "In the Bible, God gave human beings dominion over the beasts. This is our sacred
duty. We cannot exercise dominion if there are no beasts to dominate! The Holy Father is issuing a papal
Bull against extinctions, Dominatio Animalorum." My cousin gazed at me. "You'll be excommunicated if
you persist in causing these, out of lust." How well my cousin knew me.

"Ooh la la," said Brigitte, wide-eyed. "And do clones have souls to excommunicate? Maybe I share one
soul with all my sisters! In which case I myself only have one five-hundredth of a soul, so I can only be
one five-hundredth excommunicated. That shouldn't hurt too much. More like burning your finger on a
cigarette instead of being burned at the stake."

"I am addressing the Human Being in that bed. You, Young Madam, are a blasphemy, Clone-Whore of
Paris."

To my amazement my Beloved began to talk theology to Alberto.

"Ah, what is blasphemy? That depends on what is sacred. However, what is sacred should be an
invisible and ineffable mystery, as in the heart of the Temple of Solomon, which was empty, containing