"Ian Watson - The People on the Precipice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watson Ian)

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The People on the Precipice
by Ian Watson
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Copyright (c)1985 Ian Watson
First published in Interzone Autumn 1985

Fictionwise Contemporary
Science Fiction
Year's Best SF Pick; Interzone Reader's Poll Winner

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One evening Smear climbed down to our ledge and told us a story about
people who lived in a two-dimensional world.
He had made the story up, of course. To amuse and enlighten. (This
could have been Smear's motto.)
"Just suppose," he said, as the daylight dimmed, "that a whole world is
as flat as a leaf! And suppose that creatures live within that leaf, who
themselves are perfectly flat. Imagine that this narrow ledge here simply
carries on" -- he chopped his hand out into empty space -- "in that direction
forever! Imagine that it is a simple, infinite surface with nothing above it
and nothing below it. And with no precipice to jut out from."
Bounce giggled at this idea so much that she almost fell out of her
bower of vine-rope.
Tumbler, our chief -- who had no sense of humour -- said,
"Preposterous! What would hold your ledge up? How would we ever get over the
lip, to harvest sweet fungi below?"
"I'm asking you to imagine a different kind of world. A plane -- with
no 'below' or 'above'. With no 'up' or 'down'. The inhabitants are flat, too."
"But how can they grip anything? They'll all slide away, and slide
forever."
"No they won't. You see, they don't live _upon_ the flat surface.
They're _part_ of the surface."
"You'll do me an injury!" squealed Bounce.
"So how do they make love?" enquired Fallen. "How can they squeeze on
to one another?"
"Aha," and Smear winked at her, "now you're asking."
"Tell us!" cried Bounce.
But Tumbler interrupted. "I hear that young Clingfast from three ledges
down fell off yesterday. That was his mother's fault for giving him such an