"Janet Kagan - Mirabile" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kagan Janet)

тАЬI never found out.тАЭ
тАЬPre-photograph?тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ I said, тАЬthat was the odd thing about it. There were some fuzzy
photosтАФold flat ones, from a period when everybody had photographic
equipmentтАФthat might have been photos of anything. The story was that Nessie was
very shy and the loch was too full of peat to get sonograms. Lots of excuses, no
results.тАЭ
тАЬSmoking too much weed, eh?тАЭ
тАЬLot of that going around,тАЭ I said. тАЬBut no, I suspect Nessie was exactly what
granddaddy used her forтАФa story. WhatтАЩs always fascinated me is that people went
to look!тАЭ
Quite unexpectedly, Leo chuckled. тАЬYou underestimate the average curiosity. I
donтАЩt think you appreciate how many people stayed glued to their TVs while you
folks rounded up those kangaroo rexes. A little thrill is high entertainment.тАЭ
тАЬThe hell it is,тАЭ I said indignantly. тАЬI oughta know: I do it for a living. They didnтАЩt
get their boots chewed off by the damn things.тАЭ
 тАЬExactly my point,тАЭ said Leo. тАЬScary but safe. EllyтАЩs kids would be the first to
tell you what a good combination that is. They watch their kangaroo rex tape about
twice a week, and cheer for you every time.тАЭ
Some things I was better off not knowing, I thought. I sighed. Turning away from
Leo, I got the full view of Loch Moose and its surroundings, which drew a second
sighтАФthis time pure content.
The secret of its appeal was that despite the vast sparkle of sunlight that glittered
off it, Loch Moose always felt hidden awayтАФa place you and you alone were aware
of.
It took me a while to remember that Leo was beside me. No, I take that back. I
was aware that he was there all along, but he was as content as I to simply drink it all
in without a word.
SometimeтАФwhen we were both done admiring the sceneтАФwe headed for the
boats, by some sort of mutual agreement. I was liking Leo more and more. For
another thing, the whistling of the otters made him smile.
The slope down to the boats was dotted with violets. Most of them were that
almost fiery shade of blue that practically defines the species, but once in a while
they came out white just for the surprise of it. Some were more surprising than white,
though. Almost hidden in the deep shade was a small isolated patch of scarlet.
For the life of me, I couldnтАЩt remember seeing any material on scarlet violets. I
stooped for a closer look. Damned odd texture to the petals, too, like velvet.
тАЬPretty, arenтАЩt they?тАЭ Leo said. тАЬStop by my place while youтАЩre here, and IтАЩll
show you half an acre of them.тАЭ
I stood up to look him in the eye. тАЬPopped up all at once? First time, this year?тАЭ
тАЬNo. IтАЩve been putting them in when I found them for, oh, three years now.тАЭ
тАЬOh, Leo. Half of Mirabile thinks everythingтАЩs going to sprout fangs and bite
them and the other half doesnтАЩt even take elementary precautions. Never ever
transplant something red unless somebodyтАЩs done a workup on it first!тАЭ
He looked startled. тАЬAre they dangerous?тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt you start!тАЭ Dammit, IтАЩd done itтАФjumped on him with both feet. тАЬSorry.
IтАЩm still fuming over those red daffodils, I guess.тАЭ
тАЬAnnie, IтАЩm too damned old to worry about everything that flowers red. I took
them for what my grandmother called тАШpansies.тАЩ Much to her disappointment, she
never could get any started on Mirabile. Maybe they arenтАЩt, but thatтАЩs how I think of