"William Sleator - Interstellar Pig" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sleator William)

1

I

m telling you, there's more history to this house than any other place on
Indian Neck, and that's the truth," Ted Martin said, and took a long swallow
of beer. He had just finished installing an outside shower, and his forehead
was streaked with grime.

"How fascinating," Mom said politely. She was rinsing glasses at the sink. I
knew she wasn't very interested in Ted, who had no social importance.

"What kind of history?" asked my father. Ted was the caretaker of the beach
house we were renting for two weeks in July. We had been there for one week
already, and had heard nothing unusual about the house.

"This was a Captain Latham's house. I heard there was even an article written
about the tragedy here." Ted chuckled. "They even used to say it was haunted."

"Haunted?" I asked him. "What do you mean?" I had been hovering in the doorway
in my usual indecisive way, but now I took a couple of eager steps into the
kitchen. I had not been enjoying this vacation on the beach. The house was far
from the

2 INTERSTELLAR PIG

village. There didn't seem to be any other kids my ageтАФwhich was sixteenтАФin
the area. We were surrounded by nature reserves, and I wasn't big on nature. I
wouldn't even be able to go home with a tan, since I can't lie in the sun for
fifteen minutes without burning miserably. A supposedly haunted house might be
a welcome diversion from the science fiction books I had been reading.

"What do you mean, haunted?" I asked Ted again. "What kind of tragedy?"

"Captain Latham had a trading ship in the last century, out of the harbor
here. Dunstable was almost as important a port as Boston, in the early days,
you know. Used to sail from here to China and places." Ted paused to make sure
this important piece of special information would be fully appreciated. "He
had a younger brother, this Captain Latham. He was a sailor on Captain
Latham's ship. Never was too bright. And after what happened, his mind went
completely. Off the deep end, you know. The captain kept him locked in the
front bedroom here for twenty years."

This was getting really interestingтАФI slept in the front bedroom.

"After what happened?" I said.

led took another long, slow swallow, then studied the label on the beer bottle
approvingly. "Good stuff," he said. "Where'd you pick it up?"