"James Tiptree Jr. - Second Going" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tiptree James Jr)

SECOND GOING

By James Tiptree, Jr.

James Tiptree, Jr. is now known to be the penname of Alice Sheldon, a woman
of many talents who was connected with the CIA's photographic identification
section. She took her own life early in 1987, having pondered the tragedy of
her invalid husband. This story, dealing with the whole question of God and
the gods of antiquity, was one of her last. It was written surely during the
long period when she was contemplating her own deathand what came
aftersomething that is noticeable in other short stories of hers in that
time. In some ways there is a curiously light touch to her thoughts as shown
in this taleeven though it deals with a basic problem which has disturbed
people since earliest days of human existence.

I didn't mean to start like this, I wanted to make it a nice formal Appendix,
or Addendum, to the official Archives. The account of man's first contact with
aliens: what really happened.

But I can't find any bound copies of the White Book, not even in the
President's office. Except one somebody got mustard all over and another piece
the rats got at. What I suspect, what I think is, they never finished it. All
I can find is some empty coverboxes, so I'm going to put these discs in one
of those so people will know it's important.

After all, I am the official Archivist-I typed the promotion myself when
Hattie went. I'm Theodora Tanton, Chief NASA Archivist. And I'm seventysix
years old, as of this morning. So is everybody,

oldeverybody who can remember, that is. So who's going to hear it, anyway?
You with your six fingers or two heads or whatever?

You'll be around, though. They promised us that, that we wouldn't blow
ourselves up. They said they fixed it. And I believe them. Not because I
believe them exactly, but because I think they just might want to come back
someday and find more than ashes.

They didn't command us not to fire atomic weapons, by the way. I guess they
knew by that time that when a god commands Don't Eat Those Apples, or Don't
Open This Box-it's the first thing men'll do. (And manage to blame it on a
woman, too, if you'll notice. But I disgress.)

Nope, they just said, "We fixed that." Maybe the Russians have found out what
they did by this time. Or the Israelis. What's left of the Pentagon is too
scared to try. So, Hello, Posterity.

This is about what really happened, to add to the White Book, if you ever find
oneooops, that was a rat. I have a Coleman lantern, and a hockey stick for
the rats.