"Barry N. Malzberg - Shiva" - читать интересную книгу автора (Malzberg Barry N)

bends, yanks Tom to his feet and lurches him past Anderson,
out the swinging doors. Anderson watches them carefully,
joins them then as they saddle up their horses, Tom clumsily
in an attitude of prayer. Charles unhitches.
тАЬThere will be another time, Anderson,тАЭ Tom says weakly.
тАЬThis isn't the way it ends.тАЭ
тАЬShut up,тАЭ Charles says, helping him mount with a push.
тАЬJust get those reins and let's get outta here.тАЭ
тАЬI had hoped for more from you than that,тАЭ Anderson says
carefully. тАЬMaybe a little more fight next time, eh?тАЭ
тАЬMaybe,тАЭ Tom says. тАЬNothing ever ends. It replicates. It
goes on and on.тАЭ
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 Shiva and Other Stories
by Barry N. Malzberg


тАЬFor Christ's sake shut up,тАЭ Charles says. тАЬLet's just get
the hell going.тАЭ
тАЬGot nowhere to go,тАЭ Tom says. He seems to be edging
into delirium. тАЬAnywhere we go, got to come back and face it.
Unless we die out of it, Charlie. I think maybe I'll do that.тАЭ
тАЬAin't so easy,тАЭ Charles says. He glares at Anderson. тАЬAin't
going to be so easy for you either; this is a tough country.тАЭ
Anderson stares back flatly, showing the outlaw his inner
strength and Charles Lump drops his eyes, coughs, shakes his
head, mounts his horse and taking the tether of the other,
moves slowly away. He does not look back.
Hands on hips, gun dangling from his index finger,
Anderson watches them all the way out of Tombstone. Their
figures and the horses diminish to small, concentrated blobs
of darkness that blend at last with the landscape to leave him
there eternally and as always, alone. Soon enough it will be
time to turn and face the silent crowd who have massed
behind him; he knows to pay them homage but for the
moment Anderson does not need them, needs none of this at
all, needs only the proud and terrible isolation which has been
imposed on him in the role which he so humbly but gracefully
has assumed:
The Avenger's front man.
****


Some years ago Anderson had begun to feel it all slip
away, not only his career which had been slowly drained from
him for many years but his very sense of self. All of his life,
through the great times and the years of sorrow, he had been
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 Shiva and Other Stories
by Barry N. Malzberg