"Barry N. Malzberg and Jack Dann - The Starry Night" - читать интересную книгу автора (Malzberg Barry N)

The Starry Night

by Barry N. Malzberg

and Jack Dann

Prophecy

Vincent knows now that there is no way out of this, that he will die in the asylum. He
will never wander the sweet Earth again; his plans, mocked, are in ruins. "There is no
hope, Theo," he says. "It is too late for me. It is too late for all of us." Theo looks at
him, stricken. Once they were joined, one person in two houses, but this is no longer
the case, not since the great burning.

"The stars will explode first," Vincent says.



┬╖┬╖┬╖┬╖┬╖


Outcome

On the great screen of the heavens are imprinted the empowering lineaments of the
stars, no longer compact but thin, extending streams of gas, arms of destruction
scattering, scuttling through the darkness. I am the bearer of light. Vincent gapes,
incapable now of transcription.



┬╖┬╖┬╖┬╖┬╖


In the Museum: Intent

Rachel is six. Well, almost six. She will be that in four days and five hours, Mommy
says. Rachel is proud. Here she is barely six, and she knows her letters, her
numbers, all of the colors. And she knows how to draw. She can draw like a real
artist. Daddy said that too, and Daddy knows all about art.
Now Rachel is in the Museum of Modern Art again, to which Mommy had promised
weeks ago to take her for her almost-birthday. She stands with her sketchpad and
pencil copying The Stars Nit. That is the name of the painting. The sign next to the
painting says soтАФeven though some of the letters are really smudged. It also says
that Vincent Van Gogh is the artist. Rachel knows nothing about Vincent Van Gogh
except that he is dead and that he was very unhappy. Daddy told her that. The stars
are exploding.

The stars in the painting are exploding! It is very important to Rachel to get this into
her picture. These are not simple stars; they are stars that are opening like seashells
in the blue sky over the town.