"Nancy Kress - The Sleepless - Sleeping Dogs" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

"And they won't ever sleep? Ever?"
"No more than Leisha Camden, Jennifer Sharifi, or Tony Indivino."
He's named three of the most famous Sleepless people in the world, two rich girls and a loudmouth man. Th
reporters follow them around, bothering them. They're all just a few years older than Donna, but they seem much olde
that. The women are both beautiful and super-rich. The man, Tony Indivino, calls himself an activist, spouting
"discrimination borne of jealousy and fear" and the "self-assisted evolution of the human race." He's pretty obnoxiou
maybe he's right. I don't know. I never thought much about sleeplessness before, not until Daddy got this business idea
going to make all the difference to us.
I say to the Arrowgene scientist, "The bitch you implanted the embryos into isn't a purebred. Are the embryos?"
"No."
"Why not? Purebred puppies sell for more money."
"Easier to trace. Your father requested as much anonymity as possible." He scowls. He doesn't like being questione
"If animals that don't sleep are going to make such good profits, how come everybody doesn't try to raise and m
them?"
He probably wouldn't answer me at allтАФI'm just another stupid hick to himтАФexcept that just then Donna comes a
from the back of the truck, leading the bitch on one of our old leashes. The scientist perks up. Donna looks like M
looked, only maybe even prettier. I remember every line of Mama's face. Of course I do; it wasn't that long since she
Precious isn't even two. Donna shakes all that red hair, smiles, and walks up to us. The toxic midget scientist gets
sparkly.
"No, young lady, it's true that sleepless animals have not proved a market boon. Why should they? Why would you
a cow or chicken that doesn't sleep, and just eats more from an increased metabolism without a correspondingly s
increase in meat or milk? Of course, a few researchers went ahead anyway, intrigued to see if the complete eliminat
sleep-inducing neurotransmitters had the same side effects in other vertebrates as in humans, which is to sayтАФ"
He goes on, talking directly to Donna, who's beaming at him like he's the most fascinating man in the world. She d
understand a word. Daddy's not listening, either, rocking back on his heels like he always does when he's pleased ab
new business, sure this one'll make us rich. He's already planned his slogan, underground of course since this is all illega
the FDA approves: BENSON'S GENEMOD GUARD DOGS. THEY NEVER SLEEP, SO YOU CAN. In the
Precious is still wailing, and in their pens the two dogs left over from the previous, legal business (BENSON'S GENE
LAPDOGS. CUTER THAN HELL) are barking their heads off. They smell the new bitch.
I go in to Precious. Our house is falling apart: paint peeling, floorboards saggy, water stains from the leaky roof D
never gets around to fixing. But at least it's warm inside. Y-energy cones are much cheaper than food. Precious stands
her crib, screaming, but the minute she sees me she stops and smiles, even though I know she's hungry. She's as sun
Daddy and Donna, and as pretty. I'm the only plain one. I scoop Precious up in my arms and hug her tight, and she sq
and hugs me back. I sniff that baby smell at the back of her neck, and I wonder what's left to eat that I can fix for her.
has to be something that Daddy didn't give to the dogs because he felt sorry for them, genemod bluish big-eyed collie
nobody in their right mind would want in the same room with them. They don't even look like real dogs.
I find some rice in the back of a cupboard, and heat it with a sliced dried apple. While I feed Precious, I watc
Stanley Express truck drive away and disappear into the mountains.

Donna names the bitch Leisha, after the rich Sleepless woman with the bright gold hair and green eyes. This mak
sense, but we all follow along and call the dog Leisha. She whelps in my bed in the middle of the night. I wake up Dadd
Donna. Daddy moves Leisha to the kitchen. Donna brings her own blankets to put under the panting dog, who has a
time delivering.
"Here comes the second one . . . finally . . . look, there's the head . . . another male!"
Daddy puffs as hard as Leisha. He's as happy as I've ever seen him. It looks like I'm the only one who thinks
Mama, dying right while she was doing this same thing. Two more pups emerge, and they're both males, too. At lea
Arrowgene scientist hasn't lied so far. All the pups are big, maybe part Doberman or even Great Dane. It's hard to t
young.
One more pup squeezes out, and then the afterbirth. Leisha's almost too tired to eat it. Two pups are brown and
two are black, and one is a sort of gray color like spoiled yogurt. Their eyes are all closed.