"Gene Wolfe - The island of Dr. Death" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wolfe Gene)

we get back. Don't you wake her up." Jason's voice says
he will be angry if you do.
"Okay."
"Don't come in her room."
"Okay."
The Jaguar says 'Hutntntaca . . ." down the road, and
you can see the whitecaps in the moonlight now, and the
driftwood pushed just off the asphalt.
"You got a nice, soft mommy, you know that? When I
climb on her it's just like being on a big pillow."
You nod, remembering the times when, lonely and
frightened by dreams, you have crawled into her bed and
snuggled against her soft warmthbut at the same time
angry, knowing Jason is somehow deriding you both.
Home is silent and dark, and you leave Jason as soon
as you can, bounding off down the hall and up the stairs
ahead of him, up a second, narrow, twisted flight to your
own room in the turret.
I had this story from a man who was breaking his
word in telling it. How much it has suffered in his
hands1 should say in his mouth, rather1 cannot
say. In essentials it is true, and I give it to you as it
was given to me. This is the story he told.
Captain Phillip Ransom had been adrift, alone, for
nine days when he saw the island. It was already late
evening when it appeared like a thin line of purple on
ithe borizon, but Ransom did not sleep that nil?ht
TheiB was no feeble questionmg m 'his wakeful mind
oonoerning the reality of what he had seen; 'he bad


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been given that one glimpse 'and he taiew. Instead
his brain teemed with facts and speculations. He
knew he must be somewhere near New Guinea, and
he reviewed mentally what be knew of the currents
in thiese waters and what he had learned in the past
nine days of the behavior of his raft. The island
when he reached ithe did not 'allow himself to
ifwould in all probability be solid jungle a few
feet back from the water's edgp. There might or
might not be natives, but he brought to mind all he
could of the Bazaar Malay and Tagalog he had
acquired in his years as a pilot, plantation manager,
white hunter, 'and professional fighting man in the
Pacific.
In the morning he saw that purple shadow oo the
horizon again, a little nearer .this time and almost pre-