"Ardath Mayhar - The Little Finger on the Left Hand" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mayhar Ardath)

Lola had early morning class, before her shift at the lab. There was no hope of
seeing her before noon, and she hadnтАЩt a phone. I kept on sweating.

At ten oтАЩclock, I was surprised when the door opened to let her into my
room. She should have been at work. Then I saw a flash of white and stared at her
left hand. At the bandage wrapped neatly around it.

In her right hand, she carried a small jar, which she set on the table with a
thump. I could see something bobbing around in the liquid it contained. I cut my
gaze around and stared. It had been a finger. That was clear, if you used imagination.
All the flesh was gone, and the bone was scored with long marks.

I couldnтАЩt even raise my eyebrows when I looked up at her.

тАЬHave you felt that finger this morn-ing?тАЭ she asked.

I thought hard. I had been so worried that I hadnтАЩt even remembered the
fin-ger. Now I felt for it, but there was no twinge. Not even the faintest tickle.

тАЬNo.тАЭ I sounded puzzled, even to me.

тАЬSomething had it, back in that half-wrecked room. Something furry and
bright-eyed and mean. I beat it off with my purse and got your fingerbone away from
it. But it. . . got even.тАЭ She held out her hand. тАЬIt took mine, in exchange.тАЭ

тАЬLo!тАЭ I felt my heart thud soggily. тАЬI told you not to go in there . . . you might
have been killed! The thing might even be rabid.тАЭ

She looked down at me, and I saw deep into her eyes. There was a pain there
that I recognized. Oh, did I re-cognize it!

тАЬYou now? ItтАЩs got yours in place of mine?тАЭ

She nodded. тАЬIt leaped, when I took the bone away from it, and just snapped
off my little finger like a bread stick. But IтАЩm in better shape to cope with it than you
are. I can move around, stay busy. IтАЩm not trapped in that cast, wrapped up in
ninety yards of gauze. ItтАЩs . . . itтАЩs not such a bad swap, really.тАЭ She smiled.

I could see the little lines at the cor-ners of her mouth. I knew exactly what she
felt. What a girl!

She couldnтАЩt stay long, for she was due at the lab. SheтАЩd swapped out with
another girl so she could come in and relieve my mind.

Once she was gone, I was alone again, thinking about whatever it was living in
that abandoned brownstone. Think-ing about what Lola was enduring.

It isnтАЩt the pain, you see. ThatтАЩs bear-able. ItтАЩs wondering precisely whatтАЩs
causing it.