"Nicola Griffith - Yaguara" - читать интересную книгу автора (Griffith Nicola)

Not knowing what else to do, knowing only that it was
pointless shouting when neither understood the other, Jane went
back out into the sunshine. The leaf was a big one, dull gray-green
now, but it would have been bright when fresh, the color of the
paste Ixbalum had smeared on CleisтАЩs shoulder. It had six points,
and a tracery of veins like a spiderтАЩs web.


Night came as a rising cloud of living sound. The creaky
chorus of thousands of insects rubbing together chitinous legs and
wing combs echoed and reverberated through the trees. Fireflies
streaked the dark with yellow.
Jane lay on her back on her bunk. Her arms were grazed and
scratched from pushing aside branches, being caught by
unexpected thorns. She had cut her palm on a frond of razor grass.
Her throat was sore from calling. For the first time she was
unclothed and not covered with a sheet. She lay naked to the world,
as an offering. Please come back. Just come back safe.


Cleis returned at dusk the next day. She pushed the door open
and walked in slowly. Her hair was filthy, her face drawn. She
stopped when she saw Jane. тАЬYouтАЩre back early.тАЭ Her voice was flat
with exhaustion.
Jane wanted to touch her face, hold her, make sure she was all
right. тАЬI got back yesterday. IтАЩve been waiting, and worrying. I went
out looking.тАЭ Cleis swayed a little. тАЬItтАЩs dangerous to get too tired
out there.тАЭ
Cleis sat down on her bunk, sighed, and closed her eyes as she
leaned back against the wall. тАЬI didnтАЩt know youтАЩd be here to
worry.тАЭ
тАЬI justтАжтАЭ Jane did not know how to explain why she had
come back early. тАЬI just wanted to know where youтАЩve been.тАЭ
CleisтАЩs eyes flicked open. Underneath, her skin was dark with
fatigue, but the eyes themselves were bright, intense. тАЬDo you? Do
you really?тАЭ
Jane took a deep breath; she felt very vulnerable. тАЬYes.тАЭ


тАЬThe simple answer,тАЭ Cleis said, over a cup of hot tea, тАЬis that
I donтАЩt know where IтАЩve been.тАЭ They were sitting at the table, a
Coleman lamp drawing moths that fluttered against the screen.
Jane had insisted that Cleis eat something, rest a little, before
talking. тАЬThe complex answerтАж What do you know about
dreaming?тАЭ
Jane was momentarily thrown off balance. тАЬNot much.тАЭ
тАЬDreams are something I researched in my twenties, a long
time before becoming interested in Mayan civilization. Simply
stated, the human brain exists in three parts, one cobbled onto the
other, communicating uneasily, each with differentтАж behaviors.