"Scott Nicholson - Must See to Appreciate" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nicholson Scott)

тАЬWhat was that?тАЭ David asked.

тАЬNothing,тАЭ Reynolds said. тАЬNothing but a bunch of nothing.тАЭ
 David thundered down the steps, splashed the light around in the
corners of the room. тАЬI know I saw it.тАЭ

Reynolds adjusted the necktie that seemed to be choking him.
тАЬListen, David my man, youтАЩve seen all there is to see.тАЭ

тАЬExcept the breather.тАЭ

тАЬThe breather?тАЭ Reynolds shrugged innocently. The last three
prospective buyers had said nothing, only shivered and hurried up the
stairs. None of them had returned ReynoldsтАЩ follow-up phone calls. But
David seemed to be immune to the skin-crawling sensation caused by the
basementтАЩs tangible tenant.

тАЬI know thereтАЩs a breather here,тАЭ David said, sounding like all the other
pompous out-of-staters who thought money gave them the right to bully
around mountain people.

тАЬNo breathers,тАЭ Reynolds said. тАЬBreathers donтАЩt exist.тАЭ

тАЬMost of the summer houses in the Appalachian Mountains are
supposed to be empty. IтАЩll be damned if IтАЩm going to own a house that has
a restless spirit banging around. WhereтАЩs the peace in that?тАЭ

The woman stepped into the flashlightтАЩs beam. Reynolds stumbled
backward, bumping into the bottom step and nearly losing his balance.

тАЬI see you,тАЭ she said, reaching out her hand as if to touch an
expensive fabric. тАЬI knew this place was haunted.тАЭ

David splashed his beam of light on the breather. Her satisfied grin
absorbed the light, sucked it into the netherwhere of her chest. The dim
basement grew even darker, became the pit of a hell so bleak that even fire
could not draw air. The only luminescence came from the strange glowing
eyes of the human, floating like the lost moons of insane planets.

Reynolds fell to his knees, his only comfort the hard, cold concrete.
He hated this next part. The only thing worse than losing a sale was
watching a fellow ghost have his very foundations rocked. The prospects
either went insane or found a religion that worked, but either way Reynolds
remained stuck with this damned piece of overpriced unreal estate.

The woman flipped on the overhead lights and punched at her cellular
phone, her breath as sharp as a winter wind in her excitement. тАЬMeryl?тАЭ she
said into the phone. тАЬYou know that house I just bought? ItтАЩs haunted! Oh,
this is just so terribly delightful.тАЭ