"Barry Longyear - Circusworld 2 - Elephant song" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

Beat it boy, you bother me.

Now, folks, slither right up...

TWO

Waco Whacko, the snake charmer, turned away from Bull-hook Willy's body as Mange Ranger, the
show's vet, ran up and began pushing his way through to the fallen bullhand. Waco headed back to
the shuttle and climbed one of the ladders to one of the open emergency ports. The other bullhands
were urging, coaxing, and cursing their pachyderms out of the main hatch. As he entered the port
and headed for his quarters, he could feel the rumble of the main carrousel turning, bringing
another tube of bulls in line with the hatch.

Entering his quarters, he sat upon a locker, the smoke still heavy in the air. He picked up a gray
cardboard box and placed it upon his lap. He opened the box and looked at the five fist-sized blue
eggs within it. A spot of moisture appeared upon one of the eggs, and Waco wiped the shell of the
egg dry with a fingertip. Another droplet appeared and Waco lifted his hand and touched his cheek.
Tears. The sickness. Again the sickness.

A voice came from the compartment door. "Everybody out!"

Waco's head turned and he saw Fireball Hanah Sanagi's face looking through the hatch.

"Waco, you have to get out. The only way we can control the fire is to smother it. We're sealing
up the shuttle."

Waco nodded and Fireball's face disappeared. The snake charmer closed the box,, but remained
sitting upon the locker.

The sickness. God, the sickness.

Fifteen years before, Buns Bunyoro had brought it on. And now, Bullhook Willy. Waco remembered the
Arcadia wintering grounds in a distant place called Florida. In another time, an-тАв other place,
another dimension.

Waco had been reading when someone knocked upon the door to his van. Waco opened the door to see
the boss animal man, Pony Red Miira, standing on the lot.

"Waco, you know we went to pick up those two new bulls this morning. It was a mess. The freighter
crew exed one bull and cut up the other one."

The snake charmer stared at the boss animal man, his face and heart frozen. ;

Pony Red looked down. "Buns got "it. I'll be by later to gather up his things." The big man thrust
his hands into his trouser pockets, turned, and walked toward the elephant barn.

"Sorry."

Waco closed the van's door and returned to his reading.