"Diana Wynne Jones - Castle In The Air (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jones Diana Wynne)

She had a shrewd and logical mind. Truly he had found a pearl among
women, Abdullah thought. "I am quite sure he said nothing," he said.

"Then," said Flower-in-the-Night, "the command word is onlyneeded to
start the carpet flying. After that I see two possibilities: first, that
the carpet will do as you say until it touches ground anywhere or,
second, that it will in fact obey your command until it is back at the
place where it first started-"

"That is easily proved," Abdullah said. He was dizzy with admiration for
her logic. "I think the first possibility is the correct one." He jumped
on the carpet and cried experimentally, "Up, and back to my booth!"

"No, no! Don't! Wait!" Flower-in-the-Night cried out at the same instant.

But it was too late. The carpet whipped up into the air and then away
sideways with such speed and suddenness that Abdullah was first thrown
over on his back, with all the breath knocked out of him, and then found
himself hanging half off over its frayed edge at what seemed a
terrifying height in the air. The wind of its movement took his breath
away as soon as he did manage to breathe. All he could do was to claw
frantically for a better grip on the fringe at one end. And before he
could work his way back on top of it, let alone speak, the carpet
plunged downward-leaving Abdullah's newly gained breath high in the air
above-barged its way through the curtains of the booth-half smothering
Abdullah in the process-and landed smoothly-and very finally-on the
floor inside.

Abdullah lay on his face, gasping, with dizzy memories of turrets
whirling past him against a starry sky. Everything had happened so
quickly that at first all he could think of was that the

27

distance between his booth and the night garden must be quite
surprisingly short. Then, as his breath did at last come back, he wanted
to kick himself. What a stupid thing to have done! He could at least
have waited until Flower-in-the-Night had had time to step on the
carpet, too. Now Flower-in-the-Night's own logic told him that there was
no way to get back to her but to fall asleep again and, once more, hope
he chanced to say the command word in his sleep. But as he had already
done it twice, he was fairly sure that he would. He was even more
certain that Flower-in-the-Night would work this out for herself and
wait in the garden for him. She was intelligence itself-a pearl among
women. She would expect him back in an hour or so.

After an hour of alternately blaming himself and praising
Flower-in-the-Night, Abdullah did manage to fall asleep. But alas, when
he woke he was still facedown on the carpet in the middle of his own