"Laura Resnick - A Fleeting Wisp of Glory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Laura)

bounces a little and claps her hands. She's still pretty young.
"Which story?" he asks slyly, stroking his beard and looking all
innocent.
"Tell us about Camelot," she insists.
"You want to hear about Camelot?"
"Sure," I say. "We've only heard the story a hundred times."
"Stop it, Bobby," Jackie hisses. She looks at him again and smiles, her
teeth small and pretty straight. "Please tell us, Jonah."
But Jonah is looking at me, his eyes hooded and strange. "Do you think
you've heard the story too often, Bobby?"
"Well..." Now I'm embarrassed. He's just a lonely old man, and my mom
will be mad if she hears I've been mean to him.
"Do you think you've heard it so often that you know every word?" Jonah
continues.
"Yes." I roll my eyes at Jackie. I don't know why she wants to keep
climbing up to this smelly old cave every few days to hear the same old story
again and again. Trying to be nice, I say, "But you know a lot of good
stories, Jonah. Maybe you could tell a different one tonight."
"Do you think you could tell the story of Camelot as well as I can?"
Jonah asks. "Without getting anything wrong?"
"I don't know." Who cares? "I guess so."
He smiles and looks excited. "Then tell it."
"Aw, come on, Jonah." He's punishing me for what I said before, I'm
sure of it. "I don't want to. You tell it. Go on. I didn't mean what -- "
"No," he says firmly. "I want to hear _you_ tell the story tonight. I




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want to see if you can."
"Go on, Bobby," Jackie says. "You're so smart, _you_ tell the story
tonight."
I wish I'd let her come alone tonight. She _deserves_ to get carried
off by Marauders. Her cheeks are dimpled as she scoots away and sits near
Jonah. They watch me in smirking silence, waiting for me to begin the tale. I
_hate_ this. It's hard to talk in front of a lot of people, and the two of
them suddenly look like the whole clan. I clear my throat. I open my mouth,
but my tongue is too dry to talk. I feel silly as I swallow and start over,
wishing Jackie would look away for a minute. "Once upon a time, this land
here, and all the land as far as the eye can see, east, west, north, and
south, was part of a great kingdom." I stop, already stuck, not sure what
comes next.
"That was before the Armageddon," Jonah says to help.
"That was before the Armageddon, before the air burned our lungs, the
waters burned our flesh, and the earth opened up to swallow our dead."
"Tell about the food," Jackie prompts. This is her favorite part.
"There was food for everyone in those days, and no one in this kingdom
ever went hungry. There were juicy red meats, flaky, white fish, and
sweet-tasting birds that were basted in butter and wine and... and..."