"Charles L. Grant - Secrets of the Heart" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Charles L)

understood, they all asked me and I showed them. ThatтАЩs when
some of them started to leave, and thatтАЩs when they started to die.
It wasnтАЩt my fault. I didnтАЩt kill them and I didnтАЩt make them leave.
They asked me. They really did. TheyтАж asked me.
The last time there were five of them. They came to the house
late at night in the rain. The biggest man, with water all dripping
down his big funny hat, smiled at me when I answered the door
and he said: тАЬExcuse me, little girl, but would you mind if I used
your motherтАЩs telephone? We had a slight accident back there
around the bend a ways, and I have to get us a tow truck.тАЭ
My mother always told me never to let strangers into the
house, and my father did too, but these people were trying so hard
to smile in the rain and shivering and wet and cold. So I let them
all in and they stood around in the foyer like little wet puppies
while I took the big man back into the kitchen and showed him the
telephone on the wall.
тАЬMy name is Miriam,тАЭ I said then. тАЬYour friends arenтАЩt very
happy.тАЭ
тАЬGeorge Braddock,тАЭ the man said, holding out his hand after
he took off his glove. We shook hands just like big people do, and
he took off his hat to show me his hair, all white and thick, just like
a big catтАЩs. тАЬIтАЩm afraid theyтАЩre rather shaken, Miriam,тАЭ he said then.
тАЬOur car slid off the road into a ditch. WeтАЩve been driving a long
way, I got us lost, and I wasnтАЩt really paying much attention to my
driving. Let that be a lesson to you.тАЭ He reached for the phone,
then looked over at the stove. тАЬSay, would your mother mind if we
brewed up some coffee or tea or something? We sure donтАЩt want to
catch our death at this late date.тАЭ
I didnтАЩt mind at all. I put on the kettle and took a jar out of
the pantry, and while he was talking to someone at a gas
stationтАФand he was very, very unhappy at what he was hearing, I
could tellтАФput cups out on the table and went to the front again.
тАЬGeorge says you should come into the kitchen and have
coffee or tea or something else thatтАЩs warm,тАЭ I said. They didnтАЩt
seem to want to move right away until a lady yanked off her bright
blue kerchiefтАФso much hair, and so bright and yellow!тАФand said,
тАЬWell, IтАЩm not going to wait around for pneumonia, folks. Come
on. This is dumb standing around here.тАЭ
The others, another lady and two men, followed her slowly,
smiling at me as they passed and being very careful indeed not to
drip too much water on the hall carpet. When they got to the
kitchen, they took off their coats and hats and sat down and waited
for the water to boil.
тАЬOf all the damn luck,тАЭ George said, coming away from the
phone and sitting with his friends. тАЬThe man says there must be a
hundred accidents out there today. He canтАЩt possibly get out here
for a couple of hours, at the earliest. Looks like weтАЩre stuck for a
while.тАЭ
тАЬBeautiful,тАЭ the yellow lady said. тАЬThatтАЩs just beautiful.тАЭ
тАЬOh, come on, Helen, it isnтАЩt all that bad. We could be still