"Ursula K. LeGuin - The Lathe of Heaven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Le Guin Ursula K)

School or the Area Clinic for examination, and you'll be referred to an M. D. or a
shrink for VTTтАФVoluntary Therapeutic Treatment. I filled out the form on you
already, used your ID; all I need to know is how long you been using these drugs
in more than your personal allotment?"
"Couple months."
The medic scribbled on a paper on his knee. "And who'd you borrow Pharm Cards
from?"
"Friends."
"Got to have the names."
After a while the medic said, "One name, anyhow. Just a formality. It won't get
'em in trouble. See, they'll just get a reprimand from the police, and HEW Control
will keep a check on their Pharm Cards for a year. Just a formality. One name."
"I can't. They were trying to help me."
"Look, if you won't give the names, you're resisting, and you'll either go to jail or
get stuck into Obligatory Therapy, in an institution. Anyway they can trace the
cards through the autodrug records if they want to, this just saves 'em time. Come
on, just give me one of the names."
He covered his face with his arms to keep out the unendurable light and said, "I
can't. I can't do it. I need help. "
"He borrowed my card," the elevator guard said.
"Yeah. Mannie Ahrens, 247-602-6023." The medic's pen went scribble scribble.
"I never used your card."
"So confuse 'em a little. They won't check. People use people's Pharm Cards all
the time, they can't check. I loan mine, use another cat's, all the time. Got a whole
collection of those reprimand things. They don't know. I taken things HEW never
even heard of. You ain't been on the hook before. Take it easy, George. "
"I can't," he said, meaning that he could not let Mannie lie for him, could not stop
him from lying for him, could not take it easy, could not go on.

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 THE LATHE OF HEAVEN


"You'll feel better in two, three hours," the medic said. "But stay in today.
Anyhow downtown's all tied up, the GPRT drivers are trying another strike and
the National Guard's trying to run the subway trains and the news says it's one hell
of a mess. Stay put. I got to go, I walk to work, damn it, ten minutes from here,
that State Housing Complex down on Macadam." The bed jounced as he stood up.
"You know there's two hundred sixty kids in that one complex suffering from
kwashiorkor? All low-income or Basic Support families, and they aren't getting
protein. And what the hell am I supposed to do about it? I've put in five different
reqs for Minimal Protein Ration for those kids and they don't come, it's all red tape
and excuses. People on Basic Support can afford to buy sufficient food, they keep
telling me. Sure, but what if the food isn't there to buy? Ah, the hell with it. I go
give 'em Vitamin C shots and try to pretend that starvation is just scurvy.... "
The door shut. The bed jounced when Mannie sat down on it where the medic had
been sitting. There was a faint smell, sweetish, like newly cut grass. Out of the
darkness of closed eyes, the mist rising all round, Mannie's voice said remotely,