"Bradbury, Ray - The Illustrated Man" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bradbury Ray)

There was a terrible screaming from the nursery.

УThere it is,Ф said George Hadley. УSee what you make of it.Ф

They walked in on the children without rapping.

The screams had faded. The lions were feeding.

УRun outside a moment, children,Ф said George Hadley. УNo, donТt change the mental combination. Leave the walls as they are. Get!Ф

With the children gone, the two men stood studying the lions clustered at a distance, eating with great relish whatever it was they had caught.

УI wish I knew what it was,Ф said George Hadley. УSometimes I can almost see. Do you think if I brought high-powered binoculars here andЧУ

David McClean laughed dryly. УHardly.Ф He turned to study all four walls. УHow long has this been going on?Ф

УA little over a month.Ф

УIt certainly doesnТt feel good.Ф

УI want facts, not feelings.Ф

УMy dear George, a psychologist never saw a fact in his life. He only hears about feelings; vague things. This doesnТt feel good, I tell you. Trust my hunches and my instincts. I have a nose for something bad. This is very bad. My advice to you is to have the whole damn room torn down and your children brought to me every day during the next year for treatment.Ф

УIs it that bad?Ф

УIТm afraid so. One of the original uses of these nurseries was so that we could study the patterns left on the walls by the childТs mind, study at our leisure, and help the child. In this case, however, the room has become a channel towardЧdestructive thoughts, instead of a release away from them.Ф

УDidnТt you sense this before?Ф

УI sensed only that you had spoiled your children more than most. And now youТre letting them down in some way. What way?Ф

УI wouldnТt let them go to New York.Ф

УWhat else?Ф

УIТve taken a few machines from the house and threatened them, a month ago, with closing up the nursery unless they did their homework. I did close it for a few days to show I meant business.Ф

УAh, ha!Ф

УDoes that mean anything?Ф

УEverything. Where before they had a Santa Claus now they have a Scrooge. Children prefer Santas. YouТve let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your childrenТs affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents. And now you come along and want to shut it off. No wonder thereТs hatred here. You can feel it coming out of the sky. Feel that sun. George, youТll have to change your life. Like too many others, youТve built it around creature comforts. Why, youТd starve tomorrow if something went wrong in your kitchen. You wouldnТt know how to tap an egg. Nevertheless, turn everything off. Start new. ItТll take time. But weТll make good children out of bad in a year, wait and see.Ф

УBut wonТt the shock be too much for the children, shutting the room up abruptly, for good?Ф

УI donТt want them going any deeper into this, thatТs all.Ф

The lions were finished with their red feast.