"Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. The snail on the slope" - читать интересную книгу автора

Barnacle accompanied Kandid as far as the house but declined to have
dinner, out of tact. After chatting for fifteen minutes about how they lured
fish in the Reed-bed lake by wiggling their fingers, and promising to drop
in on Hopalong to remind him of the journey to the City, and asserting that
Ears was no Ears at all, but only a very deranged man, and that the
deadlings caught women for food, since men had tough flesh and the deadlings
had no teeth, and promising to prepare fresh supplies and drive off the old
man without mercy, he at last departed.
Kandid got his breath back with difficulty, and before going in stood
awhile in the doorway shaking his head. You, Dummy, don't forget that
tomorrow you've to go to New Village, early in the morning, don't forget:
not to the Reed-beds, not to Clay Clearing, but New Village . . . and why
should you go there, Dummy, better go to the Reed-beds, lots of fish there .
. . good fun. ... To New Village, don't forget, New Village, don't forget
Kandid . . . tomorrow morning to New Village . . . talk the boys into it,
you'll never get to the City with just the four of you. ... He entered the
house without realizing it.
Nava was still absent, but the old man was seated at the table waiting
for someone to put his dinner out. He squinted testily at Kandid and said:
"You walk slow, Dummy, I've been in two houses-- everybody's having
dinner but here there's nothing. . . . Likely that's why you've got no
children, you walk slow and there's nothing in the house at dinner time. . .
."
Kandid went right up to him and stood there for some time, reflecting.
The old man continued:
"How long will you take to get to the City, if you're as late as this
for dinner? It's a long way to the City, they say, a mighty long way, I know
everything about you now, I know you've decided to head for the City, only
thing I don't know is how you're going to reach it if you spend a whole day
getting to a pot of food and still don't get there. . . . I'll have to go
with you, I'll lead you there, I should have gone long ago, only I don't
know the road, but I've got to get to the City to fulfill my duty and tell
everything about everything to the proper person. . . ."
Kandid took him under the arms and hoisted him swiftly from the table.
The old man was dumbfounded. Kandid carried him out of the house in
outstretched arms and placed him on the road; he wiped his hands on the
grass. The old man recovered his wits.
"Just don't forget to take along food for me," he said to Kandid's
back. "Take a lot of good stuff for me, because I'm going to fulfill my duty
and you're going for your own pleasure and though 'not done'. . . ."
Kandid returned to the house, sat down at the table and lowered his
head onto clenched fists. Never mind, I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, he
thought. Let me not forget that: day after tomorrow. Day after tomorrow, he
thought, day after tomorrow.


Chapter Three
Pepper was awakened by the touch of cold fingers on his bare shoulder.
He opened his eyes and perceived someone standing over him, dressed in
underwear. The room was dark, but the man was standing in a shaft of