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

flinging her long arms above her head in an impatient, almost violent gesture.
Then she saw Ted, and her manner suddenly became demure. "Ted? You must be
Ted. Thank you so much for waiting for us," she said, taking his hand. "The
voyage took much longer than we thought it would." She was a little shorter
than Ted, with a thick mane of black hair. She wore a halter top and denim
cutoffs, an outfit that showed her spectacular figure to great advantage. Ted,
who had been so talkative a moment before, now seemed tongue-tied as he stared
at her.

"Cars were expiring all around us," the woman went on. "If that had happened
to ours, I think I might have just left it there and hitchhiked." She smiled
sweetly up at Ted.

"You probably wouldn't have had much trouble getting a ride," Ted said.

"Nice domain you got here, Ted," said the man with the brown mustache. "A
prime piece of domain, no doubt about it. Prime."

"Well, we do try to take good care of it," Ted said, sounding pleased with
himself.

"Our little logement does seem to have a better view, just like you told us,"
said the other man, who had a blond beard. "Even though it's not quite as
picturesque as the captain's house."

"The captain? How'd you know the story about the captain?" Ted demanded, as
though the house's history were his own personal property. "I didn't say
anything about it over the phone."

"Oh, no one told us any kind of story about it," the woman quickly explained,
with a glance at the

INTERSTELLAR PIG 9

blond man, who pressed his lips together. "We don't know any story. That's
just what the agent called itтАФthe captain's house, whatever that means." She
turned toward our house, and I squeezed back behind the pillar. "But it did
make us a trifle curious. And you seem like such an accommodating person,
Ted." She smiled at him _again, and her voice took on a husky, cajoling
quality. "And I was just wondering ... if those people didn't arrive yet, do
you think you could guide us around inside? We'd be so engrossed. I'm sure
you've taken wonderful care of it."

"They've been here for a week," Ted said. "Much as I'd enjoy showing it, I
don't think they want company now. But there are some things I should tell you
about your place. . . ." His voice faded as he moved with them toward the
front door of their house. I went quietly back inside.

The two windows in our dark, pine-paneled dining room faced directly toward
the cement patio in front of the cinder-block cottage. Mom and Dad sat at the