"Kathleen Ann Goonan - Nanotech 04 - Light Music" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goose Mother)

Engineer of the Flower City of Chicago. But that had been decades
ago, and his wife had long since killed herself. That was when he
left Chicago in a haze of astonished numbness and anger.
He tried to ignore the memory, despite its power, and resolved to
visit the elephant. That was always calming.
After half an hour of walking, eschewing the small charged
scooters one could pick up anywhere, Peabody walked onto a
hexagon of land several acres in area.
 Graced with plane trees, surrounded by sea, the elephantтАЩs
domain held a freshwater pond where herons and egrets
congregated. Tall grass rustled in the night breeze. Surf boomed
against the breakwater and those same lights were out on the
water, perhaps closer. The salt breeze was strong.
Standing on the observation porch, he located the dark silhouette
of the elephant beneath a fledgeling bo tree.
He watched the elephant. It was oddly soothing. She shifted
restlessly and curled her trunk into the air. From time to time, the
wind brought him her huffing sounds and musty scent.
He wondered what she was thinking, and how much she knew.
She had been endowed with picturing capabilities, but had never
used them despite the most intense and warm efforts of many
dedicated researchers. She was the only elephant, though, and was
five years oldтАФa child. This elephant, by nature a social creature,
had no family.
PeabodyтАЩs darkness intensified as he considered this. It was a sin,
and others beside himself thought so. With this success, more
elephants were planned, but land was slow to grow. Debates raged,
in this small sliver of concern, about whether they should risk two
or even three elephants here; if there was sufficient food; if the
needs of the elephant outbalanced other concerns. Such debates
were common in Crescent City. Votes were called almost
constantly, though were often limited to neighborhood concerns.
Waves of iridescent color washed the island during a vote, and
during important citywide votes, the waves could last for days as
new debates emerged and were considered.
He felt the afterglow of the strange light. The night seemed a bit
brighter than it ought, comprised of buzzing particles lit from
within.
Or perhaps this was just his imagination.
The elephantтАЩs trumpet was wild; searing. The boards beneath
PeabodyтАЩs feet vibrated. He had read that elephants communicated
with sounds of such long wavelength that they were inaudible to
human ears as they traveled through the ground to distant pods
and tribes.
 Did the elephant ever wonder if her communications were
understood? Or, growing up alone, did she perhaps believe that she
existed in the image of her keepers?
This was only depressing him further.
To his surprise, the elephant wheeled, turning toward him.
He had a moment of fear, though he knew that this elephant, so