"Rajnar Vajra - Passing the Arboli Test" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vajra Rajnar)

I was even more impressed when the self-propelled dry-cleaner handed
over my shirt -- spotless and mended. Tina and I dressed in silence.
"At this now," our host informed us, "you two must grow in divergent
directions. Dr. Carter will come with me, and Tina Prince will remain here
until Aquarius takes you to your next test."
"It's your show," my ex-partner admitted. "Hope to see you soon, Paul."
"Same here. Good luck." I followed the alien back down the hallway
wondering if I really wanted Tina to have good luck. After all, weren't we
competing? Who was I kidding? Odds were that we'd both wind up in otherworldly
comas, maybe sharing the same hospital room, unaware of each other or anything
else.
My host didn't lead me all the back to the dining room. Instead, it
opened a door that led to a large kitchen -- another place clearly maintained
for humans rather than Tree-people. The sun was up and the room was glowing
with enough light to make my eyes water.




Page 8
 The Arboli stopped. "Before commencement of next test, you should be
offered refreshment. Courtesy and respect demand no less."
"Thanks. I guess I could use a little snack."
The alien grabbed a large yellow-glazed bowl off a high shelf and held
it out before me. "Consume as much as you desire," it offered.
I looked in the bowl. Dozens of gumballs in dozens of bright colors.
And I could have as many as I wished! Where were the fancy utensils now? How
was I supposed to consume my gumballs with properly elegant dining etiquette?
"I've reconsidered," I said with a straight face. "I'm not as hungry as
I thought."
"Very well. We will use one of these foods for your test. Observe!"
Water-Holder carried a gumball over to a small kitchen table. It's
branches reached high to pluck three small cups from the top of a wall-mounted
cabinet. The cups were thin, brown, and seemingly identical. Perhaps they were
made of wood or heavy paper.
"This self places the food sphere under one of these three potting
cups." From the corner of my eye I noticed some branches placing the Nikon on
a shelf, pointed straight at me. The lens-cap was open and I wondered if the
camera was set to periodically take pictures. "This self places the remaining
cups on the table. Attend the cup with the sphere underneath."
Water-Holder began moving the cups around, first slowly then with
ferocious speed. Of course, I quickly lost track of where the gumball was
supposed to be, but I heard it clattering against the side of its cup.
"Ah! The old shell game," I said. "Where did you pick up this little
trick?"
"San Francisco." The cups had stopped, lined up in a straight row. "Do
you know where the sphere is, Dr. Carter?"
"Hardly. Probably under none of the cups if you play by the usual
rules. So have I failed the test?"
"No. You were intended to be uprooted, to not know which cup contains