"Robert Weinberg - Logical Magician 01 - A Logical Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weinberg Robert)

back."
Simon chuckled. "Life was hectic but entertaining. You envisioned me and my kind
as good-natured pranksters. And, so that's how we acted. Though there were a few of us
not so pleasant. The dark side of the dream if you catch my meaning."
"Pickman's Model ," said Jack, without thinking. "In the story, the narrator
described a group of paintings dealing with the offspring of ghouls replacing normal
children in a Puritan family. They all sounded pretty ghastly."
Simon cleared his throat. "Lovecraft got it right. I'm not sure what Merlin told you,
but we supernaturals are true reflections of the dual nature of humanity. Among us can be
found both good and evil entities. And all possible shades between the two."
He smiled. "Most faeries fall into that middle ground. We're neutral unless forced
to take sides. Usually, when provoked we stand with humanity. Though most people find
that hard to believe. They confuse mischief with deviltry.
 "Even changelings have their purposes. If I drove my foster-parents to drink, it was
for a purpose." He laughed. "An obscure purpose at times, I will admit. But for their own
good, nonetheless. You have the word of Simon Goodfellow on that."
"Goodfellow?" said Jack. "The name rings..."
"Robin," replied Simon. "My cousin of sorts. He's the famous one. Nicknamed
Puck by Willy Shakespeare."
"Willy?" asked Jack, but Simon was continuing with his story.
"Times changed and so did we. Like all supernatural beings, we evolved with the
changes in civilization. It's our nature to adapt. Take the King and Queen of Faeries, for
example. A few years back, they moved to Las Vegas and opened up one of those quickie
honeymoon chapel and hotel combos. I got a Christmas card from them last winter.
"From what I hear from my cousins, the Queen is still quite a looker. Now, though,
she blends right in with the local scenery. Half the tourists in town think she's a retired
hooker or porn queen. Word is that she and Oberon plan to write a sex manual. Probably
title it A Thousand Years of Pleasure . Boy, that would be a book hot enough to scorch
your fingers."
"Exchange students," said Jack.
"Oh, sure. There's not much room for changelings in the modern world. We're
impostors by definition. More than that, our basic nature dictates that we have to be
disruptive and annoying as well. Which makes us less than welcome wherever we go.
"For a time, I played the role of the long-lost relative. That was fun, though
repetitive. After a while, it was like living in one of those 1940's screwball comedies.
Maybe you've seen a few? They're the ones where the husband everyone thought dead
turns up the day of his wife's remarriage?"
Simon rolled his eyes. "Fortunately, we supernaturals are hard to kill. Otherwise,
the two of us wouldn't be talking tonight. I've been shot, stabbed, and electrocuted more
times than I like to remember. It was a lot worse, a lot worse, when I assumed the role of
the long-lost heir who turns up the morning the will is scheduled to be read. Wow! Talk
about imaginative ways to eliminate people."
"Then posing as an exchange student...?" began Jack.
"...is just another variation on the theme," said Simon, completing the thought.
"Among us faeries, it's called the 'know-it-all gambit.'
"Each year, I transfer to another university. Using a magical interface, it's easy to
fool the school computers into accepting my phony credentials. Ditto for issuing me
thousands of dollars in credit for room, board and tuition. Fortunately, nobody in the
admissions office ever bothers doing background checks on foreign exchange students."
"This 'know-it-all' role also explains your smug, superior attitude, I take it?" asked