"James Patrick Kelly - Bernardo's House" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kelly James Patrick)

тАЬBernardo?тАЭ She called, тАЬBernardo, show your ass."

тАЬHe left.тАЭ The house sighed. тАЬTwo ... no, three years ago."

тАЬSpang if that true.тАЭ She sidled into the room and brushed a finger against the dark cosmic dust filaments
that laced the center of the Swan Nebula on the wallscape. тАЬWhat smell buzzy good?"
тАЬI told you.тАЭ The house reset the breaker but her Aritomo stayed dark. тАЬBreakfast."

тАЬBernardo's breakfast?"

тАЬYours."

тАЬMy?тАЭ The girl filled the room with her twitchy energy.

тАЬYou're the only one here."

тАЬWhy you dressed like cheap meat?"

The house felt a stab of doubt. Cheap? She was wearing black lace, from the de Chaumont collection!
She rested a hand at her d├йcolletage. тАЬThis is the way Bernardo wants me."

тАЬYou a fool.тАЭ The girl picked up the 18th century Zuni water jar from the Nottingham highboy, shook it
and then sniffed the lip. тАЬShow me that breakfast."

Six cranberry muffins.

A quarter kilo of bacon.

Three cups of scrambled ovos.

The girl washed it all down with a tall glass of gel Ojay and a pot of coffee. She seemed to relax as she
ate, although she kept the pulse gun on the table next to her and she didn't say a word to the house. The
house felt as if the girl was judging her. She was confused and a little frightened to see herself through the
girl's eyes. Could pleasing Bernardo really be foolish? Finally she asked if she might be excused. The girl
grunted and waved her off.

The house rushed to the bedroom, wriggled out of the corset and crammed it into the recycling slot of the
clothes processor. She scanned all eight hundred pages of the wardrobe menu before fabricating a
stretch navy-blue jumpsuit. It was cut to the waist in the back and was held together by a web of
spaghetti straps but she covered up with a periwinkle jacquard kimono with the collar flipped. She turned
around and around in front of the mirror, so amazed that she could barely find herself. She looked like a
nun. The only skin showing was on her face and hands. Let the girl stare now!

The girl had pushed back from the table but had not yet gotten up. She had a thoughtful but pleased look,
as if taking an inventory of everything she had eaten.

тАЬCan I bring you anything else?тАЭ said the house.

The girl glanced up at her and frowned. тАЬWhy you change clothes? Cause of me?"