"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Roadside Picnic (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

play for a few seconds. He had learned from the Reports that the lights were
supposed to mean something, maybe something very important. He put the pin
in a different spot from the first and picked up another.
He ended up with seventy-three pins, twelve of which spoke. The rest
were silent. Actually they too could speak, but fingers were not enough to
get them started. You needed a special machine the size of the table.
Redrick put on the light and added two more numbers to his list. And only
then did he decide to do it.
He stuck both hands into the bag and holding his breath brought out a
soft package and placed it on the table. He stared at it for a while,
thoughtfully rubbing his chin with the back of his hand. Then he picked up
the pencil, played with it with his clumsy rubbery fingers, and put it
aside. He took another cigarette and smoked the entire thing without taking
his eyes off the package.
"What the hell!" he said out loud and decisively stuffed the pack- age
back into the bag "That's it. Enough."
He quickly gathered all the pins into the box and got up. It was time
to go. He probably could get a half hour's sleep to clear his head, but on
the other hand, it was probably a much better idea to get there early and
check out the situation. He took off the gloves, hung up the apron, and left
the storeroom without turning out the light.
His suit was ready and laid out on the bed. Redrick got dressed. He was
doing his tie in front of the mirror when the floor creaked behind him, and
he heard heavy breathing, and he made a face to keep from laughing.
"Ha!" a tiny voice shouted next to him and someone grabbed his leg.
"Oh-oh!" Redrick exclaimed, falling back onto the bed.
Monkey, laughing and squealing, immediately clambered up on him. She
trampled him, pulled his hair, and inundated him with an endless stream of
news. The neighbor's boy Willy tore off dolly's leg. There was a new kitten
on the third Boor--all white and with red eyes, he probably didn't listen to
his mama and went into the Zone. She had porridge and jam for dinner. Uncle
Gutalin was smashed again and was sick. He even cried. Why don't fish drown
if they live in water? Why didn't mama sleep at night? Why are there five
fingers, and and only two hands, and only one nose? Redrick carefully hugged
the warm creature that was crawling all over him and looked into the huge
dark eyes that had no whites at all, and cuddled his cheek against the plump
little cheek covered with silky golden fleece.
"Monkey. My little Monkey. You sweet little Monkey, you." The phone
rang by his ear. He picked up the receiver.
"I'm listening."
Silence.
"Hello! Hello!"
No answer. There was a click and then short repeated tones. Redrick got
up, put Monkey on the floor, and put on his trousers and jacket, no longer
listening to her. Monkey chattered on nonstop, but he only smiled with his
lips in a distracted way. Finally she announced that daddy had bit off his
tongue and swallowed it and left him in peace.
He went back into the storeroom, put everything from the table into a
briefcase, got his brass knuckles from the bathroom, came back to the
storeroom, took the briefcase in one hand and the basket with the bag in the