"Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

moment the third oneтАЩs name, and he knew it didnтАЩt matter. They were each and every one Celia. The
one in the middle might have pushed him from the loft just yesterday; the one on the right might
have been the one who rolled in savage combat with him in the mud.
Once, three years ago, he had had a fantasy in which Celia-3 had come to him shyly and asked
that he take her. In the fantasy he had taken her; and in his dreams for weeks to come, he had
taken her, over and over and over again. And he had awakened weeping for his own Celia. Unable to
endure it any longer, he had sought out C-3 and asked her haltingly if she would come to his room
with him, and she had drawn back quickly, involuntarily, with fear written too clearly on her
smooth face for her to pretend it was not there.
тАЬDavid, forgive me. I was startled . . .тАЭ
They were promiscuous, indeed it was practically required of them to be free in their
loving. No one could anticipate how many of them eventually would be fertile, what the percentage
of boys to girls would be. Walt was able to test the males, but since the tests for female
fertility required rabbits which they did not have, he said the best test for fertility was
pregnancy. The children lived together, and promiscuity was the norm. But only with one another.
They all shunned the elders. David had felt his eyes burning as the girl spoke, still moving away
from him.
He had turned and left abruptly and had not spoken to her again in the intervening years.
Sometimes he thought he saw her watching him warily, and each time he glared at her and hurried
away.
C-l had been like his own child. He had watched her develop, watched her learn to walk,
talk, feed herself. His child, his and CeliaтАЩs. C-2 had been much the same. A twin, somewhat
smaller, identical nevertheless. But C-3 had been different. No, he corrected: his perceptions of
her had been different. When he looked at her he saw Celia, and he ached.



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He had grown chilled on the ridge, and he realized that the sun had set long ago and the
lanterns had been lighted below. The scene looked pretty, like a sentimental card titled тАЬRural
Life.тАЭ The large farmhouse with glowing windows, the blackness of the barn; closer, the hospital
and staff building with the cheerful yellow lights in the windows. Stiffly he descended into the
valley again. He had missed dinner, but he was not hungry.
тАЬDavid!тАЭ One of the youngest boys, a Five, called to him. David didnтАЩt know whom he had been
cloned from. There were people he hadnтАЩt known when they were that young. He stopped and the boy
ran to him, then past him, calling as he went, тАЬDr. Walt wants you.тАЭ
Walt was in his room at the hospital. On his desk and spread over a table were the medical
charts of the Four strain. тАЬIтАЩve finished,тАЭ Walt said. тАЬYouтАЩll have to double-check, of course.тАЭ
David scanned the final lines quickly, H-4 and D-4. тАЬHave you told the two boys yet?тАЭ
тАЬI told them all. They understand.тАЭ Walt rubbed his eyes. тАЬThey have no secrets from each
other,тАЭ he said. тАЬThey understand about the girlsтАЩ ovulation periods, about the necessity of
keeping records. If any of those girls can conceive, theyтАЩll do it.тАЭ His voice was almost bitter
when he looked up at David. тАЬTheyтАЩre taking it over completely from now on.тАЭ
тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ
тАЬW-one made a copy of my records for his files. HeтАЩll follow it through.тАЭ
David nodded. The elders were being excluded again. The time was coming when the elders
wouldnтАЩt be needed for anythingтАФextra mouths to feed, nothing else. He sat down and for a long
time he and Walt sat in companionable silence.