"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - A Red Heart of Memories" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

She opened dream-eyes and pecked at his mental landscape. A forest clearing, with a single tree
rising from the center, sunlight stroking one side of its trunk. Wind blew and the tree leaned into it as
though its bark were skin, its core supple. The leaves wavered and flickered, winking diamonds of light.
Not threatening, but not clear, either. тАЬWhat were you doing in the wall?тАЭ
тАЬStanding still.тАЭ
тАЬHow come?тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs how the spirit moved me.тАЭ
тАЬHuh?тАЭ
He shrugged. тАЬI just wander around until something tells me to act. I happened to stop here a while
back, and the wall spoke to me.тАЭ
Matt felt a stir inside. She traveled far and often and had been talking with human-made things all
over the country for years. SheтАЩd never met anyone else who talked with them. тАЬWhat did it say?тАЭ
тАШтАЬCome here.тАЩтАЭ
She glanced back at the wall under its cloak of ivy.тАФDid you say тАЬcome hereтАЭ to this guy?тАФshe
asked it.
тАФYes,тАФsaid the wall.
тАФWhy?тАФ
тАФI wanted him.тАФ
Nothing ever seemed to want Matt, though lots of things enjoyed meeting her, and most of them
were nice to her.тАФWhy?тАФ
тАФHeтАЩs a certain kind of brick. HeтАЩs hot. He makes everything fit better.тАФ
Matt looked at Edmund. His eyebrows rose.
тАЬYouтАЩre a brick?тАЭ she said.
тАЬA brick,тАЭ he repeated, with a question in it.
тАЬWall says youтАЩre a brick. A hot brick.тАЭ
тАЬWhat?тАЭ He glanced at the wall. He reached out and placed his palm flat against it.
Seemed like he hadnтАЩt heard her conversation, then. Matt felt better. She had been talking to
everything for a long time without other human beings hearing her. She didnтАЩt want to be overheard.
EdmundтАЩs arm stained brick red.
тАФWhatтАЩs he doing?тАФMatt asked the wall.
тАФConnecting,тАФthe wall said.тАФAre you talking to me?тАФIts voice had changed slightly.
тАФAm I?тАФMatt looked at Edmund. His mouth opened slightly, and his eyebrows stayed up.
тАФYes,тАФsaid the wall. тАЬYes,тАЭ said Edmund.
Matt swallowed.тАФThis is so strange.тАФ
тАФYes.тАФ
Slowly he pulled his hand away from the wall. His skin faded to tan again. He held his hand out to
Matt. She stared at it without touching it.
тАЬWhat do you want?тАЭ he asked her. тАЬWhat do you need?тАЭ
тАЬMe? I donтАЩt need anything,тАЭ she said.
тАЬIтАЩm here for you.тАЭ
тАЬWhat?тАЭ
He dropped his hand to his thigh. тАЬI follow as the spirit leads me,тАЭ he said, тАЬIt led me to you. Let me
know when you figure out what you want.тАЭ
тАЬI take care of myself,тАЭ she said.
тАЬYes,тАЭ he said.
тАЬI donтАЩt need anything else.тАЭ
тАЬAll right.тАЭ
тАЬWhat do you want?тАЭ she asked him again.
 He smiled wide. тАЬNothing,тАЭ he said again. тАЬGuess that makes us a match.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt turn into a brick,тАЭ said Matt, unnerved. She hadnтАЩt realized until this moment how much she