"Nancy Kress - The Rules" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

тАЬOh, surely not,тАЭ Tartell said. тАЬAfter all, they donтАЩt suspect that it was I
who allegedly тАШdid it.тАЩ If that were so, theyтАЩd all be camped here on my
doorstep. Instead, thereтАЩs only you.тАЭ

тАЬI know you, Glenn. IтАЩve tracked you for forty years.тАЭ

тАЬYes, you have,тАЭ Tartell said mildly. тАЬMore coffee, Arthur?тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs the deserts, isnтАЩt it? And what next?тАЭ
 тАЬJuanita could bring some cake, if youтАЩd like.тАЭ

Moving very slowly, so as to alarm no security equipment, Carmody
drew a folder from his suit pocket.

****

The sixth night, Saturday, Ron and Brenda DiSarto invited some
friends over for the broadcast. It had become a game. тАЬBet you tonight the
feds shut down the Compassion Channel,тАЭ Ron said.

тАЬYouтАЩre on,тАЭ said Maddie Lomax. тАЬWhat odds you giving?тАЭ

Ted Smith said, тАЬIn Las Vegas itтАЩs three to one for shut-down.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩll give you two to one,тАЭ Maddie said. тАЬTen dollars.тАЭ

тАЬYou got it. Brenda, honey, weтАЩre ten dollars richer.тАЭ

The three couples circled the DiSartosтАЩ TV, shouting тАЬFour ... three ...
two ... one ... go!тАЭ

тАЬThis is NBC News live from New York with Tanya JonesтАФтАЭ Tanya
Jones, her expression somewhere between resigned and outraged,
vanished.

тАЬGive me my twenty!тАЭ Maddie crowed, as the screen filled with a
village of wood-and-mud huts in a bare, sere landscape. The voice-over
said, тАЬThis is Nakmu, in Kenya, this is Saya...

тАЬHey, itтАЩs a repeat,тАЭ Jim Lomax said.

тАЬNo, itтАЩs not,тАЭ Brenda said. тАЬListen!тАЭ

тАЬ...and this is the reason that, until recently, Saya was starving. This is
the New Kenyan Desert.тАЭ Shot of desolate blowing sand. тАЬBut twenty years
ago, the Great Kenyan Desert looked like this.тАЭ Grasslands, a town, a
shallow river, healthy children splashing and shouting.

Maddie said, тАЬOh, God, itтАЩs one of those boring global-warming
specials.тАЭ