"Harlan Ellison - Paladin of the Lost Hour" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ellison Harlan)

Billy nervously touched his lower lip with a finger. He looked at Gaspar as long as hecould, then turned
away. He walked off a few paces, stared at the barren trees. It seemedsuddenly much chillier here in this
place of entombed remembrances. From a distance hesaid, "But it's only ... what? A chronological
convenience. Like daylight savingtime; Spring forward, Fall back. We don't actually lose an hour; we get
it back."

Gaspar stared at Minna's grave. "At the end of April I lost an hour. If I die now,I'll die an hour short in
my life. I'll have been cheated out of one hour I want,Billy." He swayed toward all he had left of Minna.
"One last hour I could havewith my old girl. That's what I'm afraid of, Billy. I have that hour in my
possession. I'mafraid I'll use it, god help me, I want so much to use it."

Billy came to him. Tense, and chilled, he said "Why must that hour nevertoll?"

Gaspar drew a deep breath and tore his eyes away from the grave. His gaze locked withBilly's. And he
told him.

The years, all the days and hours, exist. As solid and as real as mountains and oceansand men and
women and the baobab tree. Look, he said, at the lines in my face and denythat time is real. Consider
these dead weeds that were once alive and try to believe it'sall just vapor or the mutual agreement of
Popes and Caesars and young men like you.

"The lost hour must never come, Billy, for in that hour it all ends. The light,the wind, the stars, this
magnificent open place we call the universe. It all ends, and inits place -- waiting, always waiting -- is
eternal darkness. No new beginnings, no worldwithout end, just the infinite emptiness."

And he opened his hand, which had been lying in his lap, and there, in his palm, restedthe watch, making
no sound at all, and stopped dead at eleven o'clock. "Should itstrike twelve, Billy, eternal night falls;
from which there is no recall."

There he sat, this very old man, just a perfectly normal old man. The most recent inthe endless chain of
keepers of the lost hour, descended in possession from Caesar andPope Gregory XIII, down through the


file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ha...n%20-%20Paladin%20of%20the%20Lost%20Hour.htm (18 of 22) [10/18/2004 4:56:25 PM]
 Harlan Ellison - Paladin of the Lost Hour

centuries of men and women who had served ascaretakers of the excellent timepiece. And now he was
dying, and now he wanted to cling tolife as every man and woman clings to life no matter how awful or
painful or empty, evenif it is for one more hour. The suicide, failing from the bridge, at the final
instant,tries to fly, tries to climb back up the sky. This weary old man, who only wanted to stayone brief
hour more with Minna. Who was afraid that his love would cost the universe.

He looked at Billy, and he extended his hand with the watch waiting for its nextpaladin. So softly Billy
could barely hear him, knowing that he was denying himself whathe most wanted at this last place in his
life, he whispered, "If I die withoutpassing it on . . . it will begin to tick."

"Not me," Billy said. "Why did you pick me? I'm no one special. I'm notsomeone like you. I run an all-
night service mart. There's nothing special about me theway there is about you! I'm not Ronald Colman!
I don't want to be responsible, I've neverbeen responsible!"