"Follett, James - Earthsearch 00 - Mindwarp" - читать интересную книгу автора (Follett James)

`You can read?' the boy asked.
Father Gilith toyed with his medallion. `Why, yes. All
technicians can read. And if you're selected to become a
technician to serve the Guardian of Destiny, you too will be
taught to read and write at the GoD Centre.'
Ewen said nothing.
`So what do you think of my little toy?' Father Gilith
nodded to the dancing ball.
Ewen took his eyes off the medallion to give the ball an
indifferent glance. `What should I think of it?'
`It stays up without anything you can see that holds it
up.'
Ewen shrugged. `I've got a toy balloon at home that stays
up anywhere. Not just in one place.'
Father Gilith wished that he hadn't had the cornea re-
profiling operation to correct his shortsightedness.
Polishing the spectacles he used to wear would have given him
time to think. This boy was different.
`What do you think holds it up, Ewen?'
`Hot air.'
`No -- not your balloon,' said Father Gilith patiently. `I
mean that ball.'
`The jet of air coming from that hole in your desk.'
A surprisingly prompt answer and it got the test underway.
`Really, Ewen? So, without touching the ball, how would
you prove to me that a jet of air holds it up?'
Even before he had finished the sentence, Ewen had leaned
forward and cupped his hand over the hole. Air hissed around
his surprisingly long fingers. The ball dropped. Ewen turned
his hand over quickly and caught it. He smiled sheepishly at
Father Gilith.
`Sorry -- I touched it. I thought it might break.' He
positioned the ball in the jet of compressed-air, watched it
settle into place, suspended above the desk, and sat back in
his chair.
Father Gilith wondered how many children had he had
interviewed since taking this job five-years' ago. 500? 1000?
He had no idea. What he did know was that not one kid in that
five years had done what Ewen had just done. Sure, there had
been a few who had eventually worked out what held the ball
up. About one in a hundred, and that was usually after a
guessing game with plenty of prompting. Although those kids
had invariably been selected, not one had ever followed
through his or her reasoning with a practical demonstration.
And so quickly.
And none had ever put the ball back!
The technician pushed a box of plastic sticks of uniform
length across his desk. `Take out three sticks please, Ewen.'
Instead of counting out three sticks one by one, Ewen
picked up a small bundle and allowed the surplus to fall back