"Richard A." - читать интересную книгу автора (Lupoff Richard A)

pale, pink-pulsating gray rocks of Thog.
The blackness enveloped first Khons, then sped across the face of Thog,
swept over the three explorers, blotting out the pulsing ruddiness of
Yuggoth and plunging them into utter blackness.
Gomati's fascination was broken by the purring synthetic voice of
Shoten
Binayakya. "An interesting occultation," Shoten said, "but come, we
have
our mission to perform. Khons is taking automatic measurements and
telemetering information back to Neptune. And here," the silvery eyes
seemed to flicker in distant starlight as a cybernetic extensor
adjusted
devices on the mechanical carapace, "my own recording and telemetering
devices will send data back to the ship."

MARCH 15, 1937 -- A SNAPSHOT
Dr. Dustin stood by the bed. The patient was semi-conscious. His lips
moved but no one could hear what he said. Two old women sat by the bed.
One was his Aunt Annie. The other was Annie's dear friend Edna, present
as
much to comfort the grieving aunt as her dying nephew.
Dr. Dustin leaned over the bed. He checked the patient's condition. He
stood for a while trying to understand the patient's words but he could
not. From time to time the patient moved his hand feebly. It looked as
if
he was trying to slap something.
The old woman named Annie had tears on her face. She reached into a
worn
black purse for her handkerchief and wiped the tears away as best she
 could. She grasped Dr. Dustin's hand and held it between her own. She
asked him, "Is there any hope? Any?"
The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Gamwell." And to the other
woman, "Miss Lewis."
"I'm sorry," the doctor said again.
The old woman named Annie released the doctor's hand. The other old
woman,
Edna, reached toward Annie. They sat facing each other. They embraced
clumsily, as people must when sitting face to face. Each old woman
tried
to comfort the other.
The doctor sighed and walked to the window. He looked outside. It was
early morning. The sun had risen but it was visible only as a pale,
watery
glow in the east. The sky was gray with clouds. The ground was covered
with patches of snow, ice, slush. More snow was falling.
The doctor wondered why it seemed that he lost patients only in winter,
or
during rain storms, or at night. Never on a bright spring or summer
day.
He knew that that was not really true. Patients died when they died.