"Jody Lynn Nye - The Grand Tour" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nye Jody Lynn)

others? This is my vision quest. YouтАЩre my personal guide!тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm their personal guide, too,тАЭ Keir said. He gave Chuck a little smile.
тАЬThatтАЩs not fair!тАЭ Chuck protested, feeling cheated. тАЬIтАЩm supposed to have a mystical experience,
and youтАЩre the one whoтАЩs guiding me through it. Alone.тАЭ
Keir raised a wiry gray eyebrow. тАЬAnd who is your mystical experience supposed to put you in
touch with? Rocks?тАЭ
Chuck was defensive. тАЬMaybe.тАЭ
He didnтАЩt want to be with other people yet. If he got too close to others he felt vulnerable. They
might try to change him, maybe against his will. He wanted some time alone, to explore the inner
workings of his soul, to get to know the innermost layers of his personality and fix what was wrong.
Had he gone to all this effort only to be part of a crowd? Why would he come all this way for group
therapy?
тАЬDonтАЩt be so precious about your psyche, son,тАЭ Keir said, with a lift of his bushy eyebrows. Chuck
was disconcerted. Keir seemed to be able to read ChuckтАЩs mind. тАЬYou canтАЩt knock the rough corners
off yourself without rubbing up against others. To evolve to a higher self, you have to change.тАЭ
How could he do that and still remain himself? Chuck wondered, feeling as though he was
swimming in waters too deep for him. He wanted to become more himself, not less. But Keir left that
question unanswered.
Chapter 2

Beyond the grand archway was another airline gate like the one he had come through. He knew that
he was seeing what Keir had seen while he was arriving. This airport was not like any he had ever
flown to. It was almost claustrophobic, with its low, dark gray, oval corridor, slatted walls and
melamine desks, and rows of bright green upholstered seats. The small, cramped jetway door opened
to allow the passage of a tall, slim, pale-faced man with dark hair. His clothes were of a classic cut, of
materials that spoke unmistakeably of quality. His slate-blue jacket was tweed, flecked with
unexpected spots of bright colors that gave depth to the dark color overall. There were big suede
patches on the elbows, but they were purely decorative. His shirt and tie could have been silk, and
maybe so were his dark blue trousers. His feet were shod in immaculately polished black leather half-
boots. His eyes, as slate blue as his coat, flicked expressionlessly from right to left, taking in his
surroundings. Their gaze lit briefly on Chuck and Keir, then slid off, darting to the next thing. What he
thought of them Chuck couldnтАЩt tell. The manтАЩs emotions didnтАЩt show on his face.
тАЬThank you for joining us on this Astral Flight,тАЭ said a pert-nosed woman in a cloud-gray uniform,
waving good-bye from the narrow desk next to the door. The man ignored her. Just as they had when
Chuck arrived, the white-suited workmen moved in and began to disassemble the gate. If the
newcomer was disconcerted, he never showed it. Keir bustled over to him. As Keir got closer to the
stranger, he began to change. Chuck blinked, unable to believe his eyes. In the space of a few steps
Keir went from being a thin bantam of a man with white hair and a beard, to a plump, motherly
woman, her dark hair going white at the temples. Impossible!
Chuck was still dazed when Keir came back with the stranger in tow.
тАЬHow?тАЭ he sputtered. тАЬWhy?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm the shape they need to see,тАЭ Keir-the-woman said. тАЬYou want a wise old man. Most of my
clients respond better to other faces of wisdom. This is for him.тАЭ
тАЬOh,тАЭ Chuck said. He tried not to stare, but the transformation was so complete! She was a nice--
looking woman, really, warm and kind-looking, who must have been a real knockout when she was
young. Chuck shot a glance at the tall man. The close resemblance suggested that Keir was meant to
represent his mother. The man walked along in a kind of daze. Chuck understood how he felt; the
stranger must have absorbed all the weirdness he could for the moment. He had only one suitcase with
him, an old-fashioned carpet bag like those ChuckтАЩs grandparents had kept in their front closet, but
from the sag of the cloth and the whiteness of the manтАЩs knuckles on the handle, it must have been as