"Connie Willis - Daisy, in the Sun" - читать интересную книгу автора (Willis Connie)

outside, Daisy thought. He will know.
She sat down near him, on the end of the couch, her arms crossed in front of her. тАЬHas something
happened to the sun?тАЭ she asked him in a whisper.

He looked up. His face was as young as hers, tanned and smiling. Daisy felt, far down, a little quiver of
fear, a faint alien feeling like that which had signaled the coming of her first period. She stood up and
backed away from him, only a step, and nearly collided with one of the strangers.

тАЬWell, hello,тАЭ the boy said. тАЬIf it isnтАЩt little Daisy!тАЭ

Her hands knotted into fists. She did not see how she could not have recognized him beforeтАФthe easy
confidence, the casual smile. He would not help her. He knew, of course he knew, he had always known
everything, but he wouldnтАЩt tell her. He would laugh at her. She must not let him laugh at her.

тАЬHi, Ron,тАЭ she was going to say, but the last consonant drifted away into uncertainty. She had never been
sure what his name was.

He laughed. тАЬWhat makes you think somethingтАЩs happened to the sun, Daisy-Daisy?тАЭ He had his arm
over the back of the couch. тАЬSit down and tell me all about it.тАЭ If she sat down next to him he could
easily put his arm around her.

тАЬHas something happened to the sun?тАЭ she repeated more loudly from where she stood. тАЬIt never shines
anymore.тАЭ

тАЬAre you sure?тАЭ he said, and laughed again. He was looking at her breasts. She crossed her arms in front
of her.

тАЬHas it?тАЭ she said stubbornly, like a child.

тАЬWhat do you think?тАЭ

тАЬI think maybe everybody was wrong about the sun.тАЭ She stopped, surprised at what she had said, at
what she was remembering now. Then she went on, forgetting to keep her arms in front of her, listening
to what she said next. тАЬThey all thought it was going to blow up. They said it would swallow the whole
earth up. But maybe it didnтАЩt. Maybe if just burned out, like a match or something, and it doesnтАЩt shine
anymore and thatтАЩs why it snows all the time andтАФтАЭ

тАЬCold,тАЭ Ron said.

тАЬWhat?тАЭ

тАЬCold,тАЭ he said. тАЬWouldnтАЩt it be cold if that had happened?тАЭ

тАЬWhat?тАЭ she said stupidly.

тАЬDaisy,тАЭ he said, and smiled at her. She reeled a little. The tugging fear was further down and more
definite.

тАЬOh,тАЭ she said, and ran, veering around the others milling up and down, up and down, into her own
room. She slammed the door behind her and lay down on the bed, holding her stomach and