"Andre Norton - Jern Murdock 02 - Uncharted Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

in live pookhas were used for crushing theirfood--rich leaves. The head was
round with no visible ears, but between thepoints where ears might normally
be, from one side of that skull-ball to theother, there stood erect a broad
mane of whisker growth fanning out in finedisplay. The eyes were very large
and green, of a shade several tints darkerthan its fur. It was life-size and
very handsome--also very, very expensive.And how it had come here I did not
have the slightest idea. I would havemoved forward to examine it more
closely but a sharp crack of thought fromEet froze me where I stood. It was
not a concrete message but a warning notto interfere. Interfere in what? I
looked from the stuffed pookha to myroommate. Though I had been through
much with Eet and had thought I hadlearned not to be surprised at any
action of my alien companion, he nowsucceeded very well in startling me. He
was, as I had seen, hunched on thefloor just beyond the circle of intense
light cast by the lamp. And he wasstaring as intently at the toy as if he
had been watching the advance ofsome enemy. Only Eet was no longer entirely
Eet. His slim, almost reptilianbody was not only hunched into a contracted
position but actually appearedto have become plumper and shorter, aping
most grotesquely the outwardcontours of the pookha. In addition, his dark
fur had lightened, held agreenish sheen. Totally bewildered, yet
fascinated by what was occurringbefore my unbelieving eyes, I watched him
turn into a pookha, altering hislimbs, head shape, color, and all the rest.
Then he shuffled into the lightand squatted by the toy to face me. His thought
rang loudly in my head."Well?""You are that one." I pointed a finger, but I
could not be sure. To the lastraised whisker of crest, the last tuft of soft
greenish fur, Eet was twin tothe toy he had copied."Close your eyes!" His
order came so quickly I obeyed without question.A little irritated, I
immediately opened them again, to confront once moretwo pookhas. I guessed
his intent, that I should again choose between them.But to my closest survey
there was no difference between the toy and Eet,who had settled without any
visible signs of life into the same posture. Iput out my hand at last and
lifted the nearest, to discover I had the model.And I felt Eet's satisfaction
and amusement."Why?" I demanded."I am unique." Was there a trace of
complacency in that remark? "So I wouldbe recognized, remarked upon. It is
necessary that I assume another guise.""But how did you do this?"He sat back
on his haunches. I had gone down on my knees to see him thecloser, once
more setting the toy beside him and looking from one to theother for some
small difference, though I could see none."It is a matter of mind." He seemed
impatient. "How little you know. Yourspecies is shut into a shell of your own
contriving, and I see little signsof your struggling to break out of it." This
did not answer my question verywell. I still refused to accept the fact that
Eet, in spite of all he hadbeen able to do in the past, could think himself
into a pookha.He caught my train of thought easily enough. "Think
myself into ahallucination of a pookha," he corrected in that superior
manner I foundirking."Hallucination!" Now that I could believe. I had never
seen it done withsuch skill and exactitude, but there were aliens who dealt
in such illusionswith great effect and I had heard enough factual tales of
such to believethat it could be done, and that one receptive to such
influences andpatterns could be made to see as they willed. Was it because I
had so longcompanied Eet and at times been under his domination that I was
so deceivednow? Or would the illusion he had spun hold for others also?"For