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

So while the Don and the Princess embraced, kissed, and began to warble a love duet, Becky
turned to Jamie.
"What's that stuff about the floating head?" she asked. "Where did you come up with that?"
"I dunno," Jamie said. He didn't want to talk about his memory of his family being turned to
stone, the eerie glowing figure floating before them. He didn't want to remember how everyone said
it was just a dream.
He didn't want to talk about the suspicions that had never quite gone away.
"That stuff was weird, Digit," Becky said. "It gave me the creeps. Let me know before you
start talking about stuff like that again."
"Why do you call me Digit?" Jamie asked. Becky smirked.
"No reason," she said.
"Jamie's home!" Mister Jeepers’ voice warbled from the sky. Jamie looked up to see Mister
Jeepers doing joyful aerial loops overhead. "Master Jamie's home at last!"

****

"Where shall we go?" Jamie asked.
Their lessons for the day were over, and he and Becky were leaving the little red
schoolhouse. Becky, as usual, had done very well on her lessons, better than her older brother,
and Jamie felt a growing sense of annoyance. At least he was still better at Latin and computer
science.
"I dunno," Becky said. "Where do you want to go?"
"How about Pandaland? We could ride the Whoosh Machine."
Becky wrinkled her face. "I'm tired of that kid stuff," she said.
Jamie looked at her. "But you're a kid."
"I'm not as little as you, Digit," Becky said.
Jamie glared. This was too much. "You're my little sister! I'm bigger than you!"
"No, you're not," Becky said. She stood before him, her arms flung out in exasperation. "Just


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notice something for once, will you?"
Jamie bit back on his temper and looked, and he saw that Becky was, in fact, bigger than he
was. And older-looking. Puzzlement replaced his fading anger.
"How did you get so big?" Jamie asked.
"I grew. And you didn't grow. Not as fast anyway."
"I don't understand."
Becky's lip curled. "Ask Mom or Dad. Just ask them." Her expression turned stony. "Just don't
believe everything they tell you."
"What do you mean?"
Becky looked angry for a moment, and then her expression relaxed. "Look," she said, "just go
to Pandaland and have fun, okay? You don't need me for that. I want to go and make some calls to
my friends."
"What friends?"
Becky looked angry again. "My friends. It doesn't matter who they are!"
"Fine!" Jamie shouted. "I can have fun by myself!"
Becky turned and began to walk home, her pale legs rapidly scissoring against the deep green
hillside. Jamie glared after her, then turned and began the walk to Pandaland.