"Paul Di Filippo - Survival of the Fannish" - читать интересную книгу автора (Di Filippo Paul)

under those mild conditions. And his parents were going plumb crazy with
worry and fear. But the facts of the matter are, Michael prolonged his own
troubles and made тАШem worse by his irresponsible actions. And they all
came out of his reading. Books! ThatтАЩs what caused this whole dang
misadventure. Nothing but books!

тАЬI was in charge of debriefing the boy, and I took extensive notes.
Notes which IтАЩd like to share now with you all.

тАЬFirst off, we got the reason why Michael wandered away from Camp
Wanna-Beah-Ledge-Un in the first place. He claimed he was looking to find
the Lost City of Opar. ThatтАЩs some nonsense that comes straight outta
those Tarzan books, stuff that thankfully never got in no Tarzan movie I ever
seen. So right away you got him putting himself in harmтАЩs way due to crazy
notions he picked up from a book.

тАЬWhatтАЩs he do next, when he gets a few miles into the woods and
canтАЩt find his way home? He keeps on playing Tarzan and starts traveling
through the treetops. Lord knows how a butterball like him even did it
without breaking his fool neck. But through the treetops he went, making it
impossible for our dogs to find his scent.

тАЬSo after a day or two heтАЩs miles from where we expected him to be.
Getting tired of Tarzan, he comes down out of the treetops. And whatтАЩs he
do next? He decides that heтАЩs living inтАФand I quote the boy without quite
understanding what heтАЩs talking aboutтАФтАЩan S. M. Stirling post-apocalypse
novel.тАЩ

тАЬNow, heтАЩs right by the Big Bongwater River at this point. He couldтАЩve
followed it downstream straight into Junction City. But does he? No. Instead
of using the common sense that God gave a grasshopper, he sets about
trying to make a crossbow, to protect himself from тАШthe Lord ProtectorтАЩs
soldiers.тАЩ

тАЬAs you can imagine, he didnтАЩt get nowhere fast with that project, so
he switches to playing Conan the Dang Barbarian! The next thing we can
figure, heтАЩs climbing a set of cliffs with a stick for a sword, heading for a
turkey vultureтАЩs nest heтАЩs seen, just soтАЩs he can tryтАЩn bite the poor harmless
birdтАЩs head off! That little maneuver throws the dogs offтАЩn his trail even
worse. But he survives that climb and ends up on the Parched Plateau.

тАЬBy now itтАЩs day three, but Michael Valentine Atreides ainтАЩt done
playing yet.

тАЬHe was in a good spot to be found. The Parched Plateau is pretty
bare and wide-open. The aerial searchers wouldтАЩve spotted him right off.
But Michael decides now that heтАЩs living in some book called Dune, that
heтАЩs a тАШFremen native,тАЩ and has to hide from everyone, including
тАШsandworms.тАЩ HeтАЩs got a desert-pattern camo tarp with him. Did I mention
heтАЩs been lugging a knapsack full of books and whatnot around with him all