"Stanislaw Lem - Return from the Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lem Stanislaw)

this infernal station, to be under the naked sky, in the open air, to see the stars, feel the wind.
I was attracted to an avenue of elongated lights. On the transparent stone of the ceilings,
something was being written -- letters -- by a sharp flame encased in alabaster: TELETRANS
TELEPORT TELETHON. Through a steeply arched doorway (but it was an impossible arch, pried
out of its foundation, like the negative image of a rocket prow), I reached a hall upholstered in
frozen gold fire. In recesses along the walls were hundreds of booths; people ran into these, burst
out again in haste; they threw torn ribbons on the floor, not telegraph tapes, something else, with
punched-out projections; others walked over these shreds. I wanted to leave; by mistake I went
into a dark room; before I had time to step back something buzzed, a flash like that of a flashbulb,
and from a metal-framed slot, as from a mailbox, slipped a piece of shiny paper folded in two. I
took it and opened it, a face emerged, the mouth open, the lips slightly twisted, thin; it regarded
me through half-closed eyes: myself! I folded the paper in two and the plastic specter vanished. I
slowly parted the edges: nothing. Wider: it appeared again, popping out of nowhere, a head
severed from the rest of the body, hanging above the paper card with a none-too-intelligent
expression. For a moment I contemplated my own face -- what was this, three-dimensional
photography? I put the paper into my pocket and left. A golden hell seemed to descend on the
crowd, a ceiling made of fiery magma, unreal but belching real flames, and no one paid attention;
those with business ran from one booth to another; farther back, green letters jumped, columns of
numerals flowed down narrow screens; other booths had shutters instead of doors, which lifted
rapidly at anyone's approach; at last I found an exit.
A curved corridor with an inclined floor, as sometimes in the theater; from its walls,
stylized conches were shooting forth, while above them raced the words INFOR INFOR INFOR
without end.
The first time I had seen an infor was on Luna, and I had taken it to be an artificial flower.
I put my face close to the aquamarine cup, which immediately, before I could open my
mouth, froze in readiness.
"How do I get out of here?" I asked, none too brightly.
"Where are you going?" a warm alto answered immediately.
"To the city."
"Which district?"
 "It doesn't matter."
"Which level?"
"It doesn't matter; I just want to get out of the station!"
"Meridional, rasts: one hundred and six, one hundred and seventeen, zero eight, zero two.
Triduct, level AF, AG, AC, circuit M levels twelve, sixteen, the nadir level leads to every
direction south. Central level -- gleeders, red local, white express, A, B, and V. Ulder level,
direct, all escals from the third up. . ." a singsong female voice recited.
I had the urge to tear from the wall the microphone that was inclined with such solicitude
to my face. I walked away. Idiot! Idiot! droned in me at every step. EX EX EX EX -- repeated a
sign that was rising, bordered by a lemon haze. Exit? A way out?
The huge sign said EXOTAL. A sudden rush of warm air made the legs of my trousers flap.
I found myself beneath the open sky. But the blackness of the night was kept at a great distance,
pushed back by the multitude of lights. An immense restaurant. Tables whose tops blazed with
different colors; above them, faces, illuminated from below, therefore somewhat eerie, full of
deep shadows. Low armchairs, a black liquid with green foam in glasses, lanterns that spilled tiny
sparks, no, fireflies, swarms of burning moths. The chaos of lights extinguished the stars. When I
lifted my head I saw only a black void. Yet, strangely enough, at that moment its blind presence
gave me courage. I stood and looked. Someone brushed by me; I caught the fragrance of
perfume, sharp yet at the same time mild; a young couple passed; the girl turned to the man; her
arms and breasts were submerged in a fluffy cloud; she entered his embrace; they danced. They