"Mike Resnick - The Long and Short of It" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

She pointed to the three flyers and the catcher. "I never had that many to choose from before."

They walked out of the main area and into the broad corridor, some sixty feet wide, that circled it. The
corridor was lined with sideshow attractions and kiosks offering everything from beer to protection
against deadly spells. One man was selling nothing except umbrellas guaranteed to protect the buyer from
rains of toads.

"The all-seeing all-knowing Madame Nadine will guess your time of death for a dollar," offered a woman
in glowing robes as Mallory and Felina passed by.

"I'm still alive," said Mallory.

"I meant your first death," explained Madame Nadine, as if speaking to a child. "For another dollar, I'll
guess your height, weight, and political affiliation."

"What if you're wrong?"

"Then you'll feel smug and superior all day long."

"But I'll also feel two dollars poorer," said Mallory.

"What do you want for two dollars, Mac?" she said irritably. "For twenty bucks I'll do an Irish jig and
sing 'The Ring Dang Doo,' if that's more to your taste."

Mallory pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and held it up.

"For that," said Madame Nadine, "you get three sexual perversions and a player to be named later."

"Not interested," said Mallory.

"That's odd," she said. "You don't look like some kind of sicko."

"This is my cat," said Mallory, indicating Felina.

"You want a threesome, it'll be a hundred and fifty."

"Why don't you just listen to me?" said Mallory in annoyed tones.

"It's two hundred for listening to you talk dirty," she said.

"Do you want to earn this money, or do you want to tell me all the things you won't do for it?"

"You talk, I'll listen," said Madame Nadine.

"Like I said, this is my cat," said Mallory. "I'm moving to a smaller place. I want to find someone who can
shrink her down to two or three feet in height. Let me know who can do it and the hundred is yours."
"Just for that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just for that."