"Ian Watson - Cages" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watson Ian)

the stuff by Psalms of Madness.

WeтАЩre only interested in the original Quantum Entanglement band,
which consists of Daniel and Sean and AlanjuneтАФas those last two
members call themselves, as though they donтАЩt have separate identities.
Maybe an imped locks Alan and June together nowadaysтАФweтАЩll see.

Passing a fish and chip shop, funky jazz drifts out along with the
smells. A beautiful Chinese girl with long black hair is scooping chips out of
a fryer. Personally I would put the hair up in a net in those circumstances.
But oh, the hair partly hides her imped. A small red boxтАФlike a radioтАФis
bonded to the side of her head. And thatтАЩs the source of the jazz! Does that
box play all the time? How does she ever get to sleep? How isnтАЩt she half
insane? Yet she looks serene. Maybe she went deaf.

тАЬSally, cop a look,тАЭ says Svelte. IтАЩd told her to call me SallyтАФMiss
Adamson would sound absurd at a gig.

Generally one avoids gawping at abnormally impeded individuals,
since basically weтАЩre all in the same boat. However, the middle-aged
woman crossing the street toward us is something else. Living impeds are
rather rare, and that womanтАЩs right forearm is a tortoiseshell cat.

To be accurate, itтАЩs most of a cat. Fused to the elbow-stump of the
womanтАЩs right arm, the animal lacks hind legs. SheтАЩs cradling the moggy
against her chest, its front paws clinging to her shoulder, its tail flicking to
and fro.

тАЬImagine feeding it!тАЭ Tony is holding his boxed hand very steadyтАФI
think heтАЩs filming the woman. At home, does he have a private video library
of weird impeds? Heigh-ho, anything to keep sexual-ity alive and kicking.

Imagine that poor woman kneeling patiently by KittyтАЩs food bowl,
purring encouragingly. Imagine when the cat wants a crap.

тАЬWhat did she do to deserve that, eh?тАЭ says Tony. тАЬLove her pet
excessively?тАЭ

тАЬWhat did the cat do?тАЭ counters Svelte.

We hush as the woman passes by.

A lot of impeds seem arbitrary, while some do seem poignantly
appropriate. So thereтАЩs the тАЬsnap-shotтАЭ theory that the imped reflects what
a person was thinking about at the exact moment of caging. People thinking
banal thoughts received any old imped from stock; but obsessives tended
to be thinking about their obsessions.
 тАЬTheyтАЩre practical jokers,тАЭ says Tony. тАЬSome-where in Varroa land,
audiences are laughing their heads off and rolling in the aisles.тАЭ