"Mike Resnick - Tales Of The Galactic Midway - Alien-Tamer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

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Copyright ┬й1983 by Mike Resnick

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Thaddeus Flint stopped two of the alien crewmen as they hauled the rectangular slab
of granite down the cargo ship's gangplank.
тАЬWhat the hell isthat supposed to be?тАЭ he demanded.
тАЬCheck the manifest,тАЭ was the bored reply, filtered through a translating mechanism.
тАЬJust lay the damned thing down and let me take a look at it.тАЭ
They shrugged and did as he ordered, and he stood, hands on hips, cigarette dangling
from his lips, staring at it.
тАЬStrictly speaking,тАЭ commented Flint dryly, тАЬhe was a son of a bear.тАЭ
The two crewmen stared at him blankly.
тАЬDon't know what I'm talking about, do you?тАЭ he said.
тАЬNo, sir.тАЭ
He sighed. тАЬWell, why the hell should I expect a pink lizard with a goiter condition to
know what a bear is?тАЭ he muttered. He turned his eyes to the distant horizon, found a
moon that didn't belong there, looked up, and spotted six more of varying sizes and
colors.
тАЬWhat the hell kind of a world has seven moons out at noon?тАЭ he asked.
тАЬThis is Girodus II,тАЭ said one of the crewmen.
BRUNO Born 1973, Earth Died 1984, Pollux IV THE MEANEST, DUMBEST,
UGLIEST SON OF A BITCH EVER TO COME OUT OF THE KLONDIKE R.I.P.

Chapter 1
тАЬSpare me the details,тАЭ said Flint sardonically. He took a salt tablet to help him cope
with the heat and humidity, and an adrenaline capsule to ease the feeling of strain
caused by the planet's somewhat higher gravity. Now, he thought, if only I could take
a pill to get rid of idiot cargo hands, alien tank towns, brown grass and yellow water
and too goddamned many moons....
He turned back to the unloading area and looked around until he saw a tall,
cadaverous, hairless being with blue skin, orange eyes, and oddly jointed limbs.
тАЬMr. Ahasuerus!тАЭ he bellowed.
тАЬYes, Mr. Flint?тАЭ said the blue man, walking over.
тАЬWhat's the story on this thing?тАЭ asked Flint, gesturing toward the headstone.
тАЬAh! It arrived!тАЭ said Mr. Ahasuerus happily.
тАЬYes, it arrived,тАЭ repeated Flint. тАЬMy Ferris wheel didn't arrive. My replacement part
for the cotton candy machine didn't arrive. But someone, somewhere, has seen fit to
sendThe Ahasuerus and Flint Traveling Carnival and Sideshow a goddamned
tombstone for a dead animal. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?тАЭ
тАЬBruno was the last of the original animals from Earth,тАЭ replied the blue man. тАЬIt
seemed a fitting memorial.тАЭ
тАЬIt did, did it?тАЭ