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

The man shook his head. "No," he said, gesturing toward his companion. "He is."

"And have you ever read about Micro, the smallest human in the world, the Nineteen-Inch Dynamo?"
Macro jerked a thumb toward the one on the left. "Him."

"This is a joke and you guys are here for the heating bill, right?" asked Mallory.

"I assure you this is no joke, Mr. Mallory," said Micro.

"We are in desperate need of your help," added Macro.

"I don't think I provide the kind of help you need," said Mallory.
"Only you can provide it!" said Micro desperately. "We have lost what makes us unique!"

"You've lost your grip on reality," observed Mallory. "That makes you pretty unique."

"We didn't come here to be insulted!" snapped Macro.

"Fine," said Mallory. "You pick up the tab, and I'll be happy to insult you down the street at the Emerald
Isle Pub."

"Why won't you listen to us?"

"Because you're the same size as me, give or take an inch here and a pound there, and even when I've
had a snootful I've never thought I was a ten-foot giant or a nineteen-inch midget."

"But that is precisely why we have sought you out!" insisted Macro. "Will you at least hear us out?"

"It's been a long, hard day," said Mallory.

"Would two thousand dollars suffice as a retainer?" asked Micro, pulling out the money and laying it on
the detective's desk.

"On the other hand, the night's a pup," said Mallory. Suddenly Felina hissed. "Or a kitten, anyway."

"It began about two weeks ago," said Macro. "At first I thought I was losing a little weight, because my
clothes were just a bit loose. I didn't mention it to anyone, because, to be honest, I could do with a little
less weight."

"And at the same time," chimed in Micro, "I noticed that my shoes were getting tight, and that my pants
seemed a little shorter."

"It took us almost a week to understand the full magnitude of what was happening," said Macro. "Some
fiend has been making me shrink down to normal size . . ."

". . . and me grow up to it," said Micro.

"You have to help us, Mallory!" Macro implored the detective. "All we've ever been is a giant and a
midget. We have no other skills. What do I know about tightrope walking or lion taming?"