"Arthur Tofte - The Day the Earth Stood Still" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tofte Arthur)

stories of invasions by aliens were recalled by people as they stared up at
the green circular ship slipping through the air overhead.
Then it happened....
Fifty hours after it had been first sighted entering the Earth's atmosphere as
a glowing fireball, the ship landed!
With the ease of a floater plane, it settled down slowly and yet firmly on an
open park near the heart of Washington, D.C.
And there it sat for a day and a night. Nothing happened to indicate there was
anybody in the craft. No openings could be found. Engineers sent to check
reported that it had a smooth, even surface not unlike the green patina on old
copper.
Cliff Sutherland, a free-lance photographer, was cold and hungry and tired.
Although it was still mid-September, the breeze as it came across the Tidal
Basin had a chill to it. What bothered him was that he had been sitting,
standing, or stomping around since a little after five the afternoon before.
That was when the alien ship had come to rest. It was now again late
afternoon. Nearly 24 hours he had stuck it out here, bored with the fact that
nothing was happening, and yet fearful that if he left, something important
would occur.
Sutherland was a tall, lanky man with nondescript blond hair. Somewhat
sharp-featured, with long nose and bold chin, he had often been told that he
looked the part of an aggressive, nosy news photographer.
He was amused to see General Sanders come with his staff, circle the silent
ship, and rap on it with his knuckles. Chief of the powerful Continental
Bureau of Investigation, Sanders was an old adversary of Cliff's. He
remembered several unpleasant run-ins he had had with the general. Cliff could
see that Sanders, as he finally drove off with his fellow officers, was
frustrated.
Sutherland had been one of the first on the scene. The early crowds had been
tremendous. Then, as the night wore on, as people grew bored and tired, they
left to go to their homes. By two in the morning, about all that had remained
were other newsmen like himself, a full company of soldiers with a half-dozen
half-track tanks, and a few hundred citizens watched over by several dozen
police. Morning, however, had brought a return of activity, and all through
the day Cliff had watched as officers from various government services, as
well as a handful of university scientists, made efforts to find out the
secret of the ship.
All Sutherland had eaten during the day were two hot dogs, and he was
famished. Just as he was considering leaving for a regular meal, everything
changed. The crowd, which had been getting increasingly noisy and restless,
suddenly stopped all motion. A feeling of dread and anticipation came over the
scene.
A panel in the ship was slowly opening!
Aiming his camera, Sutherland snapped a picture. He watched as a ramp slowly
slid out of the opening. He took another picture. For several minutes more
there was no further activity.
Then, slowly, with a stately tread, there appeared the most striking being
Cliff had ever seen. He was tall and very slender. He wore a tight-fitting
garment made of a shining silvery material. As he strode down the ramp, it
seemed to Cliff that goodness and good will emanated from him in a godlike