"Walter Jon Williams - Daddy's World" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Walter John)

them stand in embarrassing positions, or stand on their head and sing, or form human pyramids for
hours and hours.
Sometimes he made them fight, but they weren't very good at it.
He couldn't make Mrs. Winkle at the schoolhouse do whatever he wanted, though, or any of the
people who were supposed to teach him things. When it was time for a lesson, Princess Gigunda
turned up. She wouldn't follow his orders, she'd just pick him up and carry him to the little red
schoolhouse and plunk him down in his seat.
"You're not real!" he shouted, kicking in her arms. "You're not real! And I'm not real,
either!"
But they made him learn about the world that was real, about geography and geology and
history, although none of it mattered here.
After the first couple times Jamie had been dragged to school, his father met him outside the
schoolhouse at the end of the day.
"You need some straightening out," he said. He looked grim. "You're part of a family. You
belong with us. You're not going to stay in the castle anymore, you're going to have a normal
family life."
"No!" Jamie shouted. "I like the castle!"
Dad grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him homeward. Jamie called him a pendejo and a
fellator.
"I'll punish you if I have to," his father said.
"How are you going to do that?" Jamie demanded. "You gonna erase my file? Load a backup?"
A stunned expression crossed his father's face. His body seemed to go through a kind of
stutter, and the grip on Jamie's arm grew nerveless. Then his face flushed with anger. "What do
you mean?" he demanded. "Who told you this?"
Jamie wrenched himself free of Dad's weakened grip. "I figured it out by myself," Jamie said.
"It wasn't hard. I'm not a kid anymore."
"I--" His father blinked, and then his face hardened. "You're still coming home."
Jamie backed away. "I want some changes!" he said. "I don't want to be shut off all the
time."
Dad's mouth compressed to a thin line. "It was Becky who told you this, wasn't it?"
Jamie felt an inspiration. "It was Mister Jeepers! There's a flaw in his programming! He
answers whatever question I ask him!"
Jamie's father looked uncertain. He held out his hand. "Let's go home," he said. "I need to
think about this."
Jamie hesitated. "Don't erase me," he said. "Don't load a backup. Please. I don't want to die
twice."
Dad's look softened. "I won't."
"I want to grow up," Jamie said. "I don't want to be a little kid forever."
Dad held out with his hand again. Jamie thought for a moment, then took the hand. They walked
over the green grass toward the white frame house on the hill.
"Jamie's home!" Mister Jeepers floated overhead, turning aerial cartwheels. "Jamie's home at
last!"


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A spasm of anger passed through Jamie at the sight of the witless grin. He pointed at the
ground in front of him.
"Crash right here!" he ordered. "Fast!"