"Ian R. Macleod - Snodgrass" - читать интересную книгу автора (Macleod Ian R)

Snodgrass - a novelette by Ian R MacLeod

back, and the night's left everything in the same mess outside. Bin sacks
by the kitchen door that Cal never gets around to taking out front. The
garden jungleland gone brown with autumn. Houses this way and that,
terraces queuing for something that'll never happen.

It's early. Daren't look at the clock. The stair carpet works greasegrit
between me toes. Downstairs in the freezing kitchen, pull the cupboard
where the handle's dropped off.

"Hey, Mother Hubbard," I shout up the stairs to Cal. "Why no fucking
cornflakes?"

The lav flushes. Cal lumbers down in a grey nightie. "What's all this about
cornflakes? Since when do you have breakfast, John?"

"Since John got a job."

"You? A job?"

"I wouldn't piss yer around about this, Cal."

"You owe me four weeks rent," she says. "Plus I don't know how much for
bog roll and soap. Then there's the TV licence."

"Don't tell me yer buy a TV licence."

"I don't, but I'm the householder. It's me who'd get sent to gaol."

"Every Wednesday, I'll visit yer," I say, rummaging in the bread bin.

"What's this job anyway?"

"I told yer on Saturday when you and Kevin came back from the chinese.
Must have been too pissed to notice." I hold up a stiff green slice of
Mighty White. "Think this is edible?"

"Eat it and find out. And stop calling Steve Kevin. He's upstairs asleep
right at this moment."

"Well there's a surprise. Rip Van and his tiny Winkle."



file:///G|/rah/Ian%20R.%20Macleod%20-%20Snodgrass.htm (2 of 30) [2/17/2004 10:32:55 AM]
Snodgrass - a novelette by Ian R MacLeod

"I wish you wouldn't say things like that. You know what Steve's like if
you give him an excuse."