"Mary Rosenblum - Breeze from the Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rosenblum Mary)

ghostly shimmer through his flesh, as if a breeze passed through his cells,
unhampered.
тАЬWhat are you?тАЭ he whispered. тАЬWhat am I?тАЭ
Felt that breeze, but no answer.
He did the shift and it was a long one. He passworded out to pee, to drink
some juice, to eat something. But always, even when he was out, the images hung
just inside his consciousness, a ghostly overlay on the walls of reality that he
skimmed with the part of his mind that wasnтАЩt busy eating, or peeing, or drinking
juice.
And he wondered how long Delfinio had lived like this.
An eternity later, Delfinio reappeared, his eyes gleaming, chuckling to himself
as he selected a huge meal from the kitchen wall. тАЬYouтАЩll have to learn to stop
listening now,тАЭ he told Jeri as he sucked at a pint of guava juice. тАЬWhen you need to
sleep. It will take you some time, but there are two of us now. We will take turns.тАЭ
тАЬI hope I can do it.тАЭ Jeri drifted, his head full of the ghostly presence of the
Near Earth universe. тАЬDelfinio ... what is it? What am I feeling?тАЭ
тАЬThe voice of the universe?тАЭ Delfinio rotated slowly in place. тАЬIтАЩm not
laughing at you. I donтАЩt know either.тАЭ He sucked the last drops of guava from the
bag, sailed it into the recycle slot. тАЬYou will feel it most strongly when the EarthтАЩs
magnetic field funnels the helium wind down through the gravity well. So perhaps it
is helium atoms speaking?тАЭ He took a big bite from a curried tofu slab without losing
a crumb. тАЬBut it has changed you, that wind or voice. Forever.тАЭ Upside down to
JeriтАЩs orientation he wagged a finger at him. тАЬYou will always see. You will always
know. You have heard that whisper of the universe since your cells began to divide,
but you did not know how to listen or to see. Now, you know.тАЭ
Jeri closed his eyes, trying to banish the ghostly glimmer of Near Earth.
тАЬThereтАЩs a bunch of junk ... nearly inside the...тАЭ
тАЬI got it,тАЭ Delfinio said with his mouth full. Lost tawny crumbs of curried tofu,
made a face. тАЬIтАЩll send Dragon HomeтАЩs crew out in a moment. ItтАЩs not really going
to be a threat for another seventeen minutes. IтАЩm on shift now. Tell yourself that.
Really know it and let go.тАЭ Deftly, he snatched crumb after tiny, drifting crumb from
the air, sucking them from his fingertips. тАЬYou are very tired. I have exhausted you
for four weeks now.тАЭ
Had it been that long? Blearily, Jeri tried to count days, but they blurred into a
haze of sleeping and trying to sort through images. тАЬItтАЩs going to be like this
forever?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ Delfinio tossed the empty tofu wrapper into recycle, did one of his
impossible rotations until he faced Jeri on the same orientation. He put his hands on
JeriтАЩs shoulders, gently, ignoring JeriтАЩs flinch. тАЬIt is not always a burden. Look,тАЭ he
said softly. тАЬNot for the junk. Look ... outward.тАЭ
тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ Jeri blinked at him, wanting to push away from those
long fingers on his shoulders. тАЬWe donтАЩt have sensors out beyond Near Earth.тАЭ
тАЬYou donтАЩt understand yet.тАЭ Delfinio smiled at him gently, softly, lovingly.
тАЬJust ... look. Look for Saturn. Look past Saturn. YouтАЩre not looking for junk. Just
look.тАЭ
Jeri looked. It was like breathing now ... look.
тАЬNo.тАЭ Delfinio sounded exasperated. тАЬStop looking at and just look.тАЭ
Which made no sense. But Delfinio had said Saturn and he knew where it was.
So he looked, remembered how it was when Delfinio first passworded him in to
dissolve, didnтАЩt try to see, just looked out and waited to see what happened.