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

He crawled under the covers between Momma and Daddy. They each kissed him, and Daddy turned
off the light. "Just go to sleep, trouper," he said. "And don't worry. You'll only have only good
dreams from now on."
Selena, faintly glowing in the darkness, sat silently in the corner. "Shall I sing?" she
asked.
"Yes, Selena," Daddy said. "Please sing for us."
The birds have tucked their heads, Selena began to sing,
The night is dark and deep
All is quiet, all is safe,
And little Jamie goes to sleep.

But Jamie did not sleep. Despite the singing, the dark night, the rhythmic breathing of his
parents and the comforting warmth of their bodies.
It wasn't a dream, he knew. His family had really been frozen.
Something, or someone, had turned them to stone. Probably that evil disembodied head and pair
of hands. And now, for some reason, his parents didn't remember.
Something had made them forget.
Jamie stared into the darkness. What, he thought, if these weren't his parents? If his
parents were still stone, hidden away somewhere? What if these substitutes were bad people--
kidnappers or worse-- people who just looked like his real parents. What if they were evil people
who were just waiting for him to fall asleep, and then they would turn to monsters, with teeth and
fangs and a horrible light in their eyes, and they would tear him to bits right here in the bed...
Talons of panic clawed at Jamie's heart. Selena's song echoed in his ears. He wasn't going to
sleep! He wasn't!
And then he did. It wasn't anything like normal sleep-- it was as if sleep was imposed on
him, as if something had just ordered his mind to sleep. It was just like a wave that rolled over
him, an irresistible force, blotting out his senses, his body, his mind...
I won't sleep! he thought in defiance, but then his thoughts were extinguished.
When he woke he was back in his own bed, and it was morning, and Mister Jeepers was floating
outside the window. "Jamie's awake!" he sang. "Jamie's awake and ready for a new day!"
And then his parents came bustling in, kissing him and petting him and taking him downstairs
for breakfast.
His fears seemed foolish now, in full daylight, with Mister Jeepers dancing in the air
outside and singing happily.
But sometimes, at night while Selena crooned by his bedside, he gazed into the darkness and
felt a thrill of fear.
And he never forgot, not entirely.

****

A few days later Don Quixote wandered into the world, a lean man who frequently fell off his
lean horse in a clang of home-made armor. He was given to making wan comments in both English and
his own language, which turned out to be Spanish.
"Can you teach me Spanish irregular verbs?" Jamie asked.
"Sí, naturalmente," said Don Quixote. "But I will have to teach you some other Spanish as
well." He looked particularly mournful. "Let's start with corazón. It means ‘heart. ’ Mi corazón,"


file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Walter%20Jon%20Williams%20-%20Daddy's%20World.txt (3 of 14) [10/16/2004 5:37:08 PM]
 file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Walter%20Jon%20Williams%20-%20Daddy's%20World.txt