"Arkady & Boris Strugatsky - Hard to be a god" - читать интересную книгу автора (Strugatski Arkady)

"Where to?" asked Pashka.
"Just follow your nose."
"Meaning what?" said Anton.
"Let's go into the forest!" said Pashka. "Toshka, do you
remember the
'Forgotten Road'?"
"Sure!"
"You know, Anetchka--" said Pashka.
"Don't you call me Anetchka," Anka cut in abruptly. She could
not stand
to be called by any other name than Anka.
Anton remembered very well that she did not like it, and said
quickly:
"Sure--the Forgotten Road. Nobody has driven over it for ages.
It isn't
even marked on the map, and where it leads to, nobody knows."
"Have you ever been there?"
"Yes. But we didn't explore it."
"A road coming from nowhere and leading nowhere," stated
Pashka, who
had regained his former self-assurance.
"That's fine!" said Anka. Here eyes narrowed to black slits.
"Let's go!
Will we get there by tonight?"
"What are you talking about? Well be there by noon."
They clambered up the steep slope. Once they had arrived at
the top,
Pashka tamed around. Down below was the blue lake with yellow
speckled sand
bars, and the boat on the sandy beach. Close to the shore, where
the water
was as smooth as oil, large concentric circles broke the surface--
that was
the pike, probably. And the boy felt, as always, that vague
joy he

file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/Deskto...is%20Strugatsky%20-%20Hard%20to%20be%20a%20god.htm (4 of 272)3/13/2004 12:16:37 AM
Arkadi and Boris Strugatski. Hard to be a god

experienced whenever he and Toshka stole away from the boarding-
school and a
whole day of freedom lay before them. A day filled with unexplored
places,
strawberries, sun-scorched deserted meadows, lizards, and ice
cold water
from unexpected springs amidst the rocks. And as always he felt
overcome by
a desire to shout out loud and jump up into the air. Anton,
laughing
happily, watched him, and Pashka saw the understanding in his