"Donald Westlake - SH3 - Heaven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Westlake Donald E)

A long, long time ago, it had been a church; but now it was a roofless pagan temple, dominated by the
tall, roughhewn wooden statue of a fat god figure with a blurred face. The altar was made of consumer
materials, rusted and ancient and broken: TV sets, washing machines, a truck tire. A religious ceremony
was under way, complete with nearly naked virgin ready for sacrifice, supine on the altar, resigned to her
fate. The worshipers below were dressed in animal skins or rough cloth. Beside the altar stood Achum,
the priest, holding a stone knife high, its point aimed at the virgin's breast. This particular virgin was
Achum's own youngest daughter, Malya, but he would not hesitate in his priestly duty. He intoned:

"O great Juju-Kuxtil. Oh, take, we beseech you, this sacrifice of our youngest, our purest, our finest
daughter. Find this sacrifice worthy of your mighty eyes and defend us from the yellow rain. If this
sacrifice be good in your eyes, give us a sign."

Achum bowed his head in unbroken silence. He prayed, "If she should be spared, who is my own
daughter Malya of only sixteen summers, O great Juju-Kuxtil, give us a sign."

The Hopeful's laundry fell on everybody.

Pandemonium. Achum and Malya and the congregation all struggled and fought their way out from under
the laundry. "Achum!" the worshipers cried. "Achum, what's happening?"

"A sign!" Achum shouted, spitting out socks. "A sign!"

A worshiper with a greasy work glove rakishly atilt across his forehead cried, "Achum! What does it
mean?"

"I'm not sure exactly what it means," Achum answered, looking around at this imitation of a rummage
sale, "but it sure is a sign."

A worshiper pointed upward. "Achum, look! From the sky! Something huge is coming!"



"As I understand it, Ensign Benson, these are a religious people."

Councilman Morton Luthguster, stout and pompous, representative of the Galactic Council on this
journey of discovery and reunion, sat in his stateroom in prelanding conference with Ensign Kybee
Benson, social engineer, the saturnine, impatient man whose job it was to study the lost colonies as they
were found and prepare reports on what they had become in the half millennium of their isolation.

"Well, Councilman," Ensign Benson said, "they were a religious people five hundred years ago. The
colony here was founded by the Sanctarians, a peaceful, pious community determined to get away from
the strife of the modern world. Well, I mean, what was then the modern world. They named their colony
Heaven."

"Charming name," Luthguster said, nodding slowly, creating and destroying any number of chins. "And,
from what you say, a simple, charming people. I look forward to their acquaintance."

"Landing procedure complete," said the loud-speaker system in Billy Shelby's animated voice.

"Ah, good," Luthguster said, heaving himself to his feet. "Come along, Ensign Benson. I wonder if I recall