"Andre Norton - Long Night of Waiting" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

back at Christmas time, Alex, when Peter came with Aunt Fran and Uncle Porter? He came for a visit.
Matt came with Lizzy for a visitтАФnow he's gone back homeтАФjust like Peter did."

"But Matt saidтАФhe said this was his home!" countered Alex. "He didn't live in Cleveland like Peter."
"It was his home once," Rick continued still in that grown-up way. "Just like Jimmy Rice used to live
down the street in the red house. When Jimmy's Dad got moved by his company, Jimmy went clear out
to St. Louis to live."

"But Matt was sure! He said this was his home!" Alex frowned. "He said it over and over, that he had
come home again."

"At first he did," Rick agreed. "But later, you know that Matt was not so sure, was he now? You think
about that, shrimp."

Alex was still frowning. At least he was not screaming as Lesley feared he would be. Rick, she was
suddenly very proud and a little in awe of Rick. How had he known how to keep Alex from going into
one of his tantrums?

"MattтАФhe did say funny things. An' he was afraid of cars. Why was he afraid of cars, Rick?"

"Because where he lives they don't have cars."

Alex's surprise was open. "Then how do they go to the store? An' to Sunday School, an' school, an'
every place?"

"They have other ways, Alex. Yes, Matt was afraid of a lot of things, he knew that this was not his home,
that he had to go back."

"ButтАФI want himтАФheтАФ" Alex began to cry, not with the loud screaming Lesley had feared, but in a way
now which made her hurt a little inside as she watched him butt his head against Rick's shoulder, making
no effort to smear away the tears as they wet his dirty cheeks.

"Sure you want him," Rick answered. "But MattтАФ he was afraid, he was not very happy here, now was
he, shrimp?"

"With me, he was. We had a lot of fun, we did!"

"But Matt wouldn't go in the house, remember? Remember what happened when the lights went on?"

"Matt ran an' hid. An' Lizzy, she kept telling him an' telling him they had to go back. Maybe if Lizzy hadn't
all the time told him thatтАФ"

Lesley thought about Lizzy. Matt was littleтАФhe was not more than Alex's ageтАФnot really, in spite of
what the stone said. But Lizzy had been older and quicker to understand. It had been Lizzy who had
asked most of the questions and then been sick (truly sick to her stomach) when Lesley and Rick
answered them. Lizzy had been sure of what had happened thenтАФjust like she was sure about the
otherтАФthat the stone must never be moved, nor that place covered over to trap anybody else. So that
nobody would fall throughтАФ

Fall through into what? Lesley tried to remember all the bits and pieces Lizzy and Matt had told about