"Greg Egan - Oceanic" - читать интересную книгу автора (Egan Greg)

transition from sea to land would have been. When I jumped from the deck to the pier, though, it
was like colliding with something massive and unyielding, the rock of the planet itself. I'd been
on land twice before, for less than a day on both occasions. The wedding celebrations would last
ten days, but at least we'd still be able to sleep on the boat.




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As the four of us walked along the crowded streets, heading for the ceremonial hall where
everything but the wedding sacrament itself would take place, I stared uncouthly at everyone in
sight. Almost no one was barefoot like us, and after a few hundred tau on the paving stones --
much rougher than any deck -- I could understand why. Our clothes were different, our skin was
darker, our accent was unmistakably foreign ... but no one stared back. Freelanders were hardly a
novelty here. That made me even more selfconscious; the curiosity I felt wasn't mutual.
In the hall, I joined in with the preparations, mainly just lugging furniture around under
the directions of one of Agnes's tyrannical uncles. It was a new kind of shock to see so many
Freelanders together in this alien environment, and stranger still when I realized that I couldn't
necessarily spot the Firmlanders among us; there was no sharp dividing line in physical
appearance, or even clothing. I began to feel slightly guilty; if God couldn't tell the
difference, what was I doing hunting for the signs?
At noon we all ate outside, in a garden behind the hall. The grass was soft, but it made my
feet itch. Daniel had gone off to be fitted for wedding clothes, and my parents were performing
some vital task of their own; I only recognized a handful of the people around me. I sat in the
shade of a tree, pretending to be oblivious to the plant's enormous size and bizarre anatomy. I
wondered if we'd take a siesta; I couldn't imagine falling asleep on the grass.
Someone sat down beside me, and I turned.
"I'm Lena. Agnes's second cousin."




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"I'm Daniel's brother, Martin." I hesitated, then offered her my hand; she took it, smiling
slightly. I'd awkwardly kissed a dozen strangers that morning, all distant prospective relatives,
but this time I didn't dare.
"Brother of the groom, doing grunt work with the rest of us." She shook her head in mocking
admiration.
I desperately wanted to say something witty in reply, but an attempt that failed would be
even worse than merely being dull. "Do you live in Ferez?"
"No, Mitar. Inland from here. We're staying with my uncle." She pulled a face. "Along with
ten other people. No privacy. It's awful."
I said, "It was easy for us. We just brought our home with us." You idiot. As if she didn't
know that.
Lena smiled. "I haven't been on a boat in years. You'll have to give me a tour sometime."
"Of course. I'd be happy to." I knew she was only making small talk; she'd never take me up