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

embarrassment at overstepping good manners. When she looked up again, she said,
тАЬIтАЩm sorry, Leo. I just get so mad sometimes. Mama JasonтАФтАЭ
This time I had to come to her rescue. тАЬMama Jason sets a bad example, Leo. I
come up here and rave about the rampant stupidity everywhere else. Susan, better to
educate people than insult them. If I say insulting things about them when IтАЩm in
family thatтАЩs one thing. But I would never say to somebody who was concerned
about his kids or his crops what you just said to Leo.
тАЬYeah. I know. IтАЩm sorry again.тАЭ
тАЬForgiven,тАЭ said Leo. тАЬBetter you make your mistakes on me and learn from them
than make тАЩem on somebody else who might wallop you and turn you stubborn.тАЭ
Susan brightened. тАЬOh, but I am stubborn, Leo! You always say so!тАЭ
тАЬStubborn, yes. Stupid stubbornтАФnot that IтАЩve seen.тАЭ
Again there was something other than embarrassment in her dropped eyes. I tried
to puzzle it out, but I was distracted by a noise in the distance.
It came from the direction of the lochтАФsomething faint and unfamiliar. I cocked
my head to listen harder and got an earful of sneezes instead.
тАЬS-sorry!тАЭ Susan gasped, through a second series of sneezes. тАЬP-pollen!тАЭ Then
she was off again, her face buried in a napkin.
Leo caught my eye. He thought the sneezing fit was as phony as I did.
тАЬWell,тАЭ I said, тАЬyou may be allergic to the pollenтАЭтАФshe wasnтАЩt, I knew very
wellтАФтАЬbut I came hoping IтАЩd timed it right to see Loch Moose smoke. And to get in
some contemplative fishingтАЭтАФ meaning I didnтАЩt intend to bait my hookтАФтАЬbefore it
gets too dark.тАЭ
Susan held up her hand, finished off one last sequence of sneezes, then said,
тАЬWhat about your nap?тАЭ
тАЬWhat do you think contemplative fishing is?тАЭ
тАЬOh. Right. Get Leo to take you, then. He knows all the best places.тАЭ
 тАЬIтАЩd be honored,тАЭ Leo said.
We left Susan scrubbing her face. Pausing only to pick up poles in the hallway,
we set off in silence along the footpath down to Loch Moose. When we got to the
first parting of the path, I broke the silence. тАЬWhich way to your favorite spot?тАЭ
He pointed to the right fork. IтАЩd figured as much. тАЬMineтАЩs to the left,тАЭ I said and
headed out that way. If Susan didnтАЩt want me in my usual haunts, I wanted to know
why. Leo followed without comment, so I knew he was thinking the same thing.
тАЬKeep your ears open. I heard something before Susan started her тАШsneezing fitтАЩ
to cover it.тАЭ
We came to another parting in the path. I angled right and again he followed.
Pretty soon we were skidding and picking our way down the incline that led to the
ottersтАЩ playground.
When we got to surer footing, Leo paused. тАЬAnnieтАФnow that IтАЩve got somebody
to ask: will you satisfy my curiosity?тАЭ
That peaked mine. тАЬAbout what?тАЭ
тАЬWas there such a thing as the Loch Ness monster? I always thought my mother
had made it up.тАЭ
I laughed. тАЬAnd I thought my granddaddy had, especially since he claimed that
people came to Loch Ness from all over the Earth hoping to catch a glimpse of the
monster! I looked it up once in shipsтАЩ records. There really was such a place and
people really did come from everywhere for a look!тАЭ
He was as taken aback as IтАЩd been, then he heard what I hadnтАЩt said. тАЬAnd the
monsterтАФwas it real? Did it look like any of the stories?тАЭ