"Carolyn Ives Gilman - Okanoggan Falls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gilman Carolyn Ives)

"But the water's not dirty, not now."

"Water is always dirty,тАЭ he said. тАЬIt teems with bacteria. It transmits a thousand diseases, yet you humans
touch it without any caution. You allow your children to play in it. You drink it, even. I suppose you have
gotten used to it, living on this world where it soils everything. It even falls from the sky. It is impossible to
get away from it. You have no choice but to soak in it."

Struck by the startling image of water as filth, Susan said, тАЬOccupying our world must be very unpleasant
for you. What is your planet like?"

"It is very dry,тАЭ he said. тАЬMiles and miles of hot, clean sand, like your Sahara. But your population does
not live in the habitable spots, so we cannot either."

"You must drink water sometimes. Your metabolisms are not that different from ours, or you would not
be able to eat our food."

"The trace amounts in foods are enough for us. We do not excrete it like you do."
"So that's why you don't have bathrooms,тАЭ she said.

He paused, clearly puzzled. Then it dawned on him what she had left out of her explanation. тАЬYou use
this room for excretory functions?"

"Yes,тАЭ she said. тАЬIt's supposed to be private."

"But you excrete fluids in public all the time,тАЭ he said. тАЬFrom your noses, your mouths, your skin. How
can you keep it private?"

For a moment the vision of humans as oozing bags of bacteria left her unable to answer. Then she said,
тАЬThat's why we come here, to clean it all off."

He looked around. тАЬBut there is no facility for cleaning."

"Sure there is.тАЭ She turned on the shower. тАЬSee?"

He reacted with horror, so she quickly shut it off. She explained, тАЬYou see, we think of water as clean.
We bathe in it. How do you bathe?"

"Sand,тАЭ he said. тАЬTubs of dry, heated sand. It is heavenly."

"It must be.тАЭ She could picture it: soft, white sand. Like what lay under the Okanoggan limestone. She
looked at him in dawning realization. тАЬIs that why you wantтАФ?"

"I cannot say anything about that,тАЭ he said. тАЬPlease do not ask me."

Which was all the answer she needed.

When they came back out, Tom and the boys were in the kitchen, so that was where they went.

"Sorry, we got caught up in a really interesting conversation,тАЭ Susan said breezily, with an