"Robert Rankin - The Witches Of Chiswick" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rankin Robert)

as he could manage, but it didnтАЩt help.
 It was no fun being different.
But different Will was, in more ways than one.
тАЬIтАЩm sorry, Dad,тАЭ said Will. тАЬIтАЩm sorry, Mum, too.тАЭ
The coffee was cooling on WillтАЩs dad. WillтАЩs mum mopped at his
waistcoast with a proprietary-brand dishcloth. тАЬItтАЩs all right,тАЭ she said,
without conviction. тАЬIt doesnтАЩt matter, Will. You are what you is, as Frank
Zappa once said, and so long as youтАЩre happy, weтАЩre happy for you.тАЭ
тАЬI am happy, Mum. I love you and Dad and I love my job too.тАЭ
тАЬTell me about this job of yours.тАЭ WillтАЩs dad shooed away his wifeтАЩs
fussing fingers. тАЬIs it at IKEA? Does it involve any two-by-one?тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ said Will, тАЬIt isnтАЩt and it doesnтАЩt. Have you ever heard of the Tate
Gallery?тАЭ
тАЬIs that a trick question?тАЭ WillтАЩs mum lowered her prodigious bulk once
more onto her modified lounger and returned to her consumption of fried
eggettes. There were still eight left on her plate and she meant to finish
them before she began on her baconettes. тАЬI mean, will there be a forfeit if
we get it wrong? Like there is at the supermarket?тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs not a trick question, Mum. The Tate Gallery is an ancient building in
London Central. It houses paintings from the past. You remember art,
surely?тАЭ
WillтАЩs mum made a face of considerable perplexity. тАЬWas he a presenter
on daytime TV?тАЭ
тАЬOf course your mother remembers art,тАЭ said WillтАЩs dad, resuming the
demolition of his sausage mountain. тАЬItтАЩs when pictures were produced by
hand, using coloured pigments applied with a bundle of animal hair secured
at the end of a stick.тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs no need to be obscene,тАЭ said WillтАЩs mum. тАЬHonestly, putting
ungodly ideas like that into the boyтАЩs head.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs true,тАЭ said Will. тАЬThe bundles of animal hair were called brushes.тАЭ
тАЬThe boy is a regular hysteric,тАЭ said WillтАЩs mum.
тАЬHistorian,тАЭ said WillтАЩs dad. тАЬAnd you have actually seen these pictures,
Will?тАЭ
тАЬNot up close.тАЭ Will, sipped at his coffee, which came as it came, but
which was not altogether to his liking. тАЬThey are housed in the vaults deep
beneath the original gallery. They are far too precious and fragile to be put
on display any more. They are presently being re-photographed, so that
accurate reproductions can be made and displayed in the gallery. YouтАЩll be
able to see the official reopening of the Tate on the home screen soon. And
all the reproductions of the paintings too.тАЭ
тАЬWhy?тАЭ asked WillтАЩs mum. тАЬWhat are these paintings for? What do they
do?тАЭ
тАЬThey donтАЩt do anything. They are art. They are beautiful works of
human achievement. You simply look at them and appreciate them for what
they are.тАЭ
WillтАЩs mum spooned in further eggettes. тАЬDo they sing?тАЭ she asked.
тАЬNo. They donтАЩt even move about.тАЭ
WillтАЩs mum shrugged her ample shoulders. тАЬWell, if youтАЩre happy and
employed, I suppose thatтАЩs all that matters.тАЭ
тАЬI am happy,тАЭ said Will. тАЬThereтАЩs something about the past that has