"Lewis Padgett - When the Bough Breaks 1.0" - читать интересную книгу автора (Padgett Lewis)

Dobish came over, clambered up, and pried Alexander out of his mother's grip. Horror moved in her eyes.
"We won't hurt him," Dobish said. "We just want to give him his first lesson. Have you got the basics, Finn?"
"In the bag." Finn extracted a foot-long bag from his garments. Things came out of that bag. They came out incredibly. Soon the carpet was littered with stuff-problematical in design, nature, and use. Calderon recognized a tesseract.
The fourth dwarf, whose name, it turned out, was Quat, smiled consolingly at the distressed parents. "You watch. You can't learn; you've not got the potential. You're homo saps. But Alexander, now-"
Alexander was in one of his moods. He was diabolically gay. With the devil-possession of all babies, he refused to collaborate. He crept rapidly backwards. He burst into loud, squalling sobs. He regarded his feet with amazed joy.
He stuffed his fist into his mouth and cried bitterly at the result. He talked about invisible things in a soft, cryptic monotone. He punched Dobish in the eye.
The little men had inexhaustible patience. Two hours later they were through. Calderon couldn't see that Alexander had learned much.
Bordent twirled the object again. He nodded affably, and led the retreat. The four little men went out of the apartment, and a moment later Calderon and Myra could move.
She jumped up, staggering on numbed legs, seized Alexander, and collapsed on the couch. Calderon rushed to the door and flung it open. The hall was empty.
"Joe-" Myra said, her voice small and afraid. Calderon came back and smoothed her hair. He looked down at the bright fuzzy head of Alexander.
"Joe. We've got to do-do something."
"I don't know," he said. "If it happened-"
"It happened. They took those things with them. Alexander. Oh!"
"They didn't try to hurt him," Calderon said hesitatingly.
"Our baby! He's no superchild."
"Well," Calderon said, "I'll get out my revolver. What else can I do?"
"I'll do something," Myra promised. "Nasty little goblins! I'll do something, just wait."
And yet there wasn't a great deal they could do.


Tacitly they ignored the subject the next day. But at 4 P.M., the same time as the original visitation, they were with Alexander in a theater, watching the latest Technicolor film. The four little men could scarcely find them here-
Calderon felt Myra stiffen, and even as he turned, he suspected the worst. Myra sprang up, her breath catching. Her fingers tightened on his arm.
"He's gone!"
"G-gone?"
"He just vanished. I was holding him... let's get out of here."
"Maybe you dropped him," Calderon said inanely, and lit a match. There were cries from behind. Myra was already pushing her way toward the aisle. There were no babies under the seat, and Calderon caught up with his wife in the lobby.
"He disappeared," Myra was babbling. "Like that. Maybe he's in the future. Joe, what'll we do?"
Calderon, through some miracle, got a taxi. "We'll go home. That's the most likely place. I hope."
"Yes. Of course it is. Give me a cigarette."
"He'll be in the apartment-"
He was, squatting on his haunches, taking a decided interest in the gadget Quat was demonstrating. The gadget was a gayly-colored egg beater with four-dimensional attachments, and it talked in a thin, high voice. Not in English.
Bordent flipped out the stiller and began to twirl it as the couple came in. Calderon got hold of Myra's arms and held her back, "Hold on," he said urgently. "That isn't necessary. We won't try anything."
"Joe!" Myra tried to wriggle free. "Are you going to let them-"
"Quiet!" he said. "Bordent, put that thing down. We want to talk to you."
"Well-if you promise not to interrupt-"
"We promise." Calderon forcibly led Myra to the couch and held her there. "Look, darling. Alexander's all right. They're not hurting him."
"Hurt him, indeed!" Finn said. "He'd skin us alive in the future if we hurt him in the past."
"Be quiet," Bordent commanded. He seemed to be the leader of the four. "I'm glad you're co-operating, Joseph Calderon. It goes against my grain to use force on a demigod. After all, you're Alexander's father."
Alexander put out a fat paw and tried to touch the whirling rainbow egg beater. He seemed to be fascinated. Quat said, "The kivelish is sparking. Shall I vastinate?"
"Not too fast," Bordent said. "He'll be rational in a week, and then we can speed up the process. Now, Calderon, please relax. Anything you want?"
"A drink."
"They mean alcohol," Finn said. "The Rubaiyat mentions it, remember?"
"Rubaiyat?"
"The singing red gem in Twelve Library."
"Oh, yes," Bordent said. "That one. I was thinking of the Yahveh slab, the one with the thunder effects. Do you want to make some alcohol, Finn?"
Calderon swallowed. "Don't bother. I have some in that sideboard. May I-"
"You're not prisoners." Bordent's voice was shocked. "It's just that we've got to make you listen to a few explanations, and after that-well, it'll be different."
Myra shook her head when Calderon handed her a drink, but he scowled at her meaningly. "You won't feel it. Go ahead."
She hadn't once taken her gaze from Alexander. The baby was imitating the thin noise of the egg beater now. It was subtly unpleasant.
"The ray is working," Quat said. "The viewer shows some slight cortical resistance, though."