"The Walls Of The Universe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Melko Paul)

John looked at this other John, this John Subprime, and decided he would be the
one. He was clearly a Johnny Farmboy, not one of the Johnny Rebels, not one of
the Broken Johns, so he would be wide-eyed and gullible. He'd believe John's
story, and then John could get on with his life.
"Who ... who are you?" Johnny Farmboy asked. He was dressed in jeans and a
shirt, no coat.
John forced his most honest smile. "I'm you, John."
"What?"
Johnny Farmboy could be so dense.
"Who do I look like?"
"You look like..."
"I look just like you, John. Because I am you." Johnny Farmboy took a step back,
and John continued. "I know what you're thinking. Some trick. Someone is playing
a trick on the farmboy. No. Let's get past that. Next you're going to think that
you were twins and one of them was put up for adoption. Nope. It's much more
interesting than that."
Johnny Farmboy crossed his arms. "Explain it, then."
"Listen, I'm really hungry; I could use some food and a place to sit down. I saw
Dad go in the house. Maybe we can sit in the barn, and I can explain
everything."
John waited for the wheels to turn.
"I don't think so," Johnny Farmboy finally said.
"Fine. I'll turn around and walk away. Then you'll never get to hear the story."
John watched the emotions play across Farmboy's face. Typically skeptical, he
was debating how full of crap this wraith in the night was, while desperately
wanting to know the answer to the riddle. Farmboy loved puzzles.
Finally his face relaxed. "Let's go to the barn," he said.



The stranger walked at his side, and John eased away from him. As they walked
through the pumpkin patch, John noted that their strides matched. John pulled
open the back door of the barn, and the young man entered ahead of him, tapping
the light switch by the door.
"A little warmer," he said. He rubbed his hands together and turned to John.
The light hit his face squarely, and John was startled to see the uncanny match
between them. The sandy hair was styled differently and was longer. The clothes
were odd; John had never worn a coat like that. The young man was just a bit
thinner as well. He wore a blue backpack, so fully stuffed that the zipper
wouldn't close all the way. There was a cut above his eye. A bit of brown blood
was crusted over his left brow, clotted but recent.
He could have passed as John's twin.
"So, who are you?"
"What about a bite of something to eat?"
John went to the horse stall and pulled an apple from a bag. He tossed it to the
young man. He caught it and smiled at John.
"Tell the story, and I might get some dinner from the house."
"Did Dad teach you to be so mean to strangers? I bet if he found me in the