"Alan Dean Foster - For Love Of Mother-Not" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

УSwallowed-now just a minute,Ф the visitor began. УThis is getting ugly. Am I to wait here, accused by a mischievous child?Ф He shook an angry finger at Flinx, who did not flinch or break his cold, green stare.
УHe took them,Ф the boy repeated, Уand swallowed them.Ф
УDid you see me take these rings?Ф the bald man demanded.
УNo,Ф Flinx admitted, УI didnТt. But you took them. You know you did. TheyТre inside you.Ф
УCharming, the experiences one has on the slumworlds,Ф the man said sarcastically. УReally, though, this exercise has ceased to be entertaining. I must go. My tour allots me only two days in this -wonderful city, and I wouldnТt want to waste any more time observing quaint local customs. Out of the kindness of my nature, I will not call upon the gendarmes to arrest you all. One side, please.Ф He shoved past the uncertain shopkeepers and walked easily out into the rain.
Mother Mastiff eyed the manТs retreating back. Her friends and fellow merchants watched her expectantly, helplessly. She looked down at the boy. Flinx had stopped crying. His voice was calm and unemotional as he gazed back up at her.
УHe took them, mother, and heТs walking away with them right now.Ф
She could not explain what motivated her as she calmly told Aljean, УCall a gendarme, then.Ф
The bald man heard that, stopped, and turned back to face them through the now gentle rain. УReally, old woman, if you think IТm going to wait-У
УAljean,Ф Mother Mastiff said, УCheneth?Ф The two shopkeepers exchanged a glance, then jogged out to bring the bald man back-if false restraint charges were filed, they would be against Mother Mastiff and not them.
УIТm sorry, sir,Ф Cheneth, the candy man, said as he gestured with his pistol, Уbut weТre going to have to ask you to wait until the authorities arrive.Ф
УAnd then what? Are they going to haul a free citizen to the magistrate because a child demands it?Ф
УA simple body scan should be sufficient,Ф Mother Mastiff said as the three re-entered the shop. УSurely youТve no reason to object to that?Ф
УOf course IТd object to it!Ф the visitor responded. УThey have no reason or right to-У
УMy, but youТre suddenly arguing a lot for someone with nothing to worry about,Ф Aljean, the clothier, ob-served. She was forty-two years old and had run her way through four husbands. She was very adept at spotting lies, and she was suddenly less convinced of this visitorТs innocence. УOf course, if perhaps you realize now that youТve somehow made a bit of mistake and that we quaint locals arenТt quite the simpletons you believe us to be, and if youТd rather avoid the inconvenience of a scan, not to mention official attention, youТll learn that weТre agreeably forgiving here if youТll just return to Mother Mastiff what youТve taken.Ф
УI havenТt taken a damn-У the bald man started to say.
УThe jails of Drallar are very, very uncomfortable,Ф Aljean continued briskly. УOur government resents spending money on public needs. They especially scrimp when it comes to the comfort of wrongdoers. You being an offworlder now, I donТt think youТd take well to half a year of unfiltered underground dampness. Mold will sprout in your lungs, and your eyelids will mildew.Ф
All of a sudden, the man seemed to slump in on him-self. He glared down at Flinx, who stared quietly back at him.
УI donТt know how the hell you saw me, boy. I swear, no one saw me! No one!Ф
УIТll be blessed over,Ф Cheneth murmured, his jaw drop-ping as he looked from the thief to the boy who had caught him. УThen you did take the rings!Ф
УAy. Call off the authorities,Ф he said to Aljean УYouТve said it would be enough if I gave back the rings. I agree.Ф
Mother Mastiff nodded slowly. УI agree, also, provided that ye promise never to show your reflective crown in this part of this marketplace ever again.Ф
УMy word on it, as a professional,Ф the man promised quickly. УI did not lie when I said that I was on holiday.Ф He gave them a twisted smile. УI like to make my holidays self-supporting.Ф
Mother Mastiff did not smile back. She held out a hand. My kill rings, if ye please.Ф
The manТs smile twisted even further. УSoon enough. But first I will need certain edibles. There are several fruits which will suffice, or certain standard medications. I will also need clean cloths and disinfectant. The boy is right, you see. I did swallow them. Provide what I need and in an hour or so you will have your cursed rings back.Ф
And forty minutes later she did.
After the thief and the little group of admiring shopkeepers had gone their respective ways. Mother Mastiff took her charge aside and confronted him with the question no one else had thought to ask.
УNow, boy, ye say ye didnТt see him swallow the rings?Ф
УNo, I didnТt, Mother.Ф Now that the crowd had dis-persed and he had been vindicated, his shyness returned.
УThen how the ringap did ye know?Ф
Flinx hesitated.
УCome now, boy, out with it. Ye can tell me,Ф she said in a coaxing tone. УIТm your mother now, remember. The only one youТve got. IТve been fair and straightforward with ye. Now Сtis your turn to do the same with me.Ф
УYouТre sure?Ф He was fighting with himself, she saw. УYouТre sure youТre not just being nice to me to fool me? YouТre not one of the bad people?Ф
That was a funny thing for him to bring up, she thought. УOf course IТm not one of them. Do I look like a bad people?Ф
УN-n-no,Ф he admitted. УBut itТs hard to tell, some-times.Ф
УYouТve lived with me for some time now, boy. Ye know me better than that.Ф Her voice became, gentle again. УCome now. Fair is fair. So stop lying to me by insisting you didnТt see him swallow those rings.Ф
УI didnТt,Ф he said belligerently, Уand IТm not lying. The man was-he was starting to walk away from the case, and he was uncomfortable. He was, he felt-whatТs the word? He felt guilty.Ф
УNow how do ye know that?Ф
УBecause,Ф he murmured, not looking at her but staring out at the street where strange people scurried back and forth in the returning mist, Уbecause I felt it.Ф He put his small hand to his forehead and rubbed gently. УHere.Ф
Great Ganwrath of the Flood, Mother Mastiff thought sharply. The boyТs a Talent. УYou mean,Ф she asked again, Уyou read his mind?Ф
УNo,Ф he corrected her. УItТs not like that. ItТs just-itТs a feeling I get sometimes.Ф
УDo ye get this feeling whenever ye look at someone whoТs been guilty?Ф
УItТs not only guilty,Ф he explained, УitТs all kinds of feelings. People-itТs like a fire. You can feel heat from a fire.Ф She nodded slowly. УWell, I can feel certain things from peopleТs heads. Happiness or fear or hate and lots of other things IТm not sure about. Like when a man and a woman are together.Ф
УCan ye do this whenever ye wish?Ф she asked.
УNo. Hardly ever. Lots of times I canТt feel a thing. ItТs clean then and doesnТt jump in on me, and I can relax. Then thereТs other times when the feeling will just be there-in here,Ф he added, tapping his forehead again. УI was looking toward that man, and the guilt and worry poured out of him like a fire, especially whenever he looked at the jewel case. He was worried, too, about being discovered somehow and being caught, and a lot of other things, too. He was thinking, was throwing out thoughts of lots of quick money. Money he was going to get unfairly.Ф
УEmotions,Ф she mused aloud, Уall emotions.Ф She began to chuckle softly. She had heard of such things before. The boy was an empathic telepath, though a crude one. He could read other peopleТs emotions, though not their actual thoughts.
УItТs all right, Flinx,Ф she assured him. She put out a hand and gave his hair a playful tousle. УYe did right well. Ye saved me, saved us both, a lot of money.Ф She looked over at the small leatherine purse that now held the four recovered and cleansed rings. They still smelled of disinfectant.
УNo wonder that thief couldnТt figure out how youТd spotted him. Ye really didnТt see him take the rings.Ф
УNo, mother. I wasnТt even sure what heТd taken.Ф
УYe just felt the reaction in. his mind?Ф