"Paul Di Filippo - The Reluctant Book" - читать интересную книгу автора (Di Filippo Paul)

and
to a lesser extent, the toilets. Often, the older books, leaders of the
community, would call meetings in front of the food dispensers. With
some
squeezing--not at all disagreeable to the small, hairy books,
especially
given the chilly conditions obtaining lately in the barn--all the books
could accomodate themselves in the open space.
On this day just such a meeting had been called--by old Incunabula,
leader
of the first-floor.
Eager to see his beloved Vellum once more, Canto was among the first to
arrive.
Generally, aside from eating and toilet errands, the books were
supposed
to remain permanently in their carrels until called by the librarian,
and
that routine still held to a large degree. But in any library of
longstanding agglomeration, the books invariably became familiar with
the
usage patterns of their owner, and felt safe in circumspectly venturing
out among themselves, especially when the librarian was asleep. Under
the
current circumstances, of course, with their owner dead, no one was
likely
to call for any volume whatsoever, and the books felt safe in
assembling
during the day. Perhaps too they were lulled by the fact that MB
Holbrook
had never assessed any penalties for going misshelved.
Beneath the louring dusty rafters of the first-floor ceiling and in
front
of the food chutes now assembled scores of books, pouring in from the
various convergent corridors. Soon Canto was surrounded by his fellow
volumes, and he had to strain onto tiptoe in search of Vellum.
All roughly three feet tall, the books evidenced their heterogenous
genetic composition in every line of their furry bodies. Part squirrel,
part babboon, part hare, part whistlepig, with a certain admixture of
human qualities, the books sat upright on big hindquarters and
lagomorphic
clawed feet, carrying their upper limbs close to their chests. Their
disproportionately large heads seemed set almost directly onto their
shoulders. Wide hazel eyes glimmered, ears twitched, and blunt chisel
teeth flashed as the books greeted each other. They spoke, of course,
in
the pure human tongue.
Canto spotted Vellum's attractive dappled pelt across the convocation
and
hustled through the musky crowd to join her.
"Hello, Vellum. Have you missed me?"