"Harry Harrison - 50 in 50 - Fifty Stories in Fifty Years" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

It was a surprise then when after seventeen of the trebly-long Wes-ker days, he found a delegation at
his doorstep when he emerged after breakfast. Itin was their spokesman, and his mouth was open
slightly. Many of the other Weskers had their mouths open as well, one even appearing to be yawning,
clearly revealing the double row of sharp teeth and the purple-black throat. The mouths impressed Garth
as to the seriousness of the meeting: this was the one Wesker expression he had learned to recognize. An
open mouth indicated some strong emotion: happiness, sadness, anger, he could never be really sure
which. The Weskers were normally placid and he had never seen enough open mouths to tell what was
causing them. But he was surrounded by them now.
"Will you help us, Garth?" Itin said. "We have a question."
"I'll answer any questions you ask," Garth said, with more than a hint of misgiving. "What is it?"
"Is there a God?"
"What do you mean by 'God'?" Garth asked in turn. What should he tell them? What had been going
on in their minds that they should come to him with this question?
"God is our Father in Heaven, who made us all and protects us. Whom we pray to for aid, and if we
are Saved will find a placeтАФ"
"That's enough," Garth said. "There is no God."
All of them had their mouths open now, even Itin, as they looked at Garth and thought about his
answer. The rows of pink teeth would have been frightening if he hadn't known these creatures so well.
For one instant he wondered if perhaps they had been already indoctrinated and looked upon him as a
heretic, but he brushed the thought away.
"Thank you," Itin said, and they turned and left.
Though the morning was still cool, Garth noticed that he was sweating and wondered why.
The reaction was not long in coming. Itin returned that same afternoon. "Will you come to the
church?" he asked. "Many of the things that we study are difficult to learn, but none as difficult as this.
We need your help because we must hear you and Father Mark talk together. This is because he says
one thing is true and you say another is true and both cannot be true at the same time. We must find out
what is true."
"I'll come, of course," Garth said, trying to hide the sudden feeling of elation. He had done nothing,
but the Weskers had come to him anyway. There could still be grounds for hope that they might Yet be
free.
It was hot inside the church, and Garth was surprised at the number of Weskers who were there,
more than he had seen gathered at any one time before. There were many open mouths. Father Mark sat
at a table covered with books. He looked unhappy but didn't say anything when Garth came in. Garth
spoke first.
"I hope you realize this is their ideaтАФthat they came to me of their own free will and asked me to
come here?"
"I know that.тАЭ the priest said resignedly. "At times they can be very difficult. But they are learning and
want to believe, and that is what is important."
"Father Mark, Trader Garth, we need your help," Itin said. "You both know many things that we do
not know. You must help us come to religion, which is not an easy thing to do." Garth started to say
something, then changed his mind. Itin went on. "We have read the bibles and all the books that Father
Mark gave us, and one thing is clear. We have discussed this and we are all agreed. These books are
very different from the ones that Trader Garth gave us. In Trader Garth's books there is the universe
which we have not seen, and it goes on without God, for He is mentioned nowhere, we have searched
very carefully. In Father Mark's books He is everywhere and nothing can go without Him. One of these
must be right and the other must be wrong. We do not know how this can be, but after we find out which
is right then perhaps we will know. If God does not exist..."
"Of course He exists, my children," Father Mark said in a voice of heartfelt intensity. "He is our
Father in Heaven who has created us all. . ."
"Who created God?" Itin asked and the murmur ceased and every one of the Weskers watched