"LOSTCITY" - читать интересную книгу автора (Howard Joseph)

He walked back and forth several yards along the endless black wall
in case he had entered, somehow, the wrong opening in his earlier retreat.
When he got back to Dierdra, the one hole the wall had had was gone.
He turned to Dierdra, who was staring at the vista that had awed him.
"There's no more hole in the wall."
"Doesn't surprise me," she almost whispered.
"Don't you find this place a little strange?"
"Most strange."
"And frightening?"
"I was dying and prepared to die. What can make me afraid?"
"Yeah, I suppose so. Let's get to the bottom of this." He walked down
the great boulevard, Dierdra in tow.
As the monoliths drew nearer, he seemed to grow smaller, to sink down
into the street between their ranks, though two miles had not yet brought
him even with the first. This was no slide show. This space was immense!
"Where are we?" he asked again.
"In the city," came the ubiquitous voice.
"Who are you?"
"The city."
"I'm starting to believe you. But you're no human city."
"You're beginning to understand. That is good. You have 22 hours, 56
minutes, 17 seconds left. Find the key, please."
"The key to what?"
"The key to the city, of course. I've lost my way; and you must help
me find it again. The key will show us the way."
"Why are you doing this? Why don't you let us go?" continued Mayer.
"I need the key. You must find it."
"But why threaten us? We'll help you; but 24 hours is not enough
time."
"You have less than that now."
"Why? Why!"
"Because your televised news programs say that the hero finds what he
needs within a time limit, if he faces death. That seems to work in your
culture."
"News shows? You mean adventure programs or detective shows. They
aren't real life; they're fantasies. They are understood not to be true."
"Not by me."
"I don't think you're thinking straight."
"I'm not. It's been a long time since I've dealt with people; but
since I don't know what is sensible and what is not, I must do what seems
best and learn from my mistakes. I'm self-healing, you know. I shall learn
from your deaths if you fail. Did I tell you how good it is to have
someone to talk to?"
"And what shall you learn?"
"That you are not hero and heroine, just supporting characters; and
that the hero will come by later and help me find my way."
"Ach, Dierdra, we're in a mess."
"I hope not," answered the city before the woman could reply. "I like
you two. I want you to live."
A quick and adaptable man, Mayer whispered to Dierdra; and the city