"Robert F. Young - Chicken Itza" - читать интересную книгу автора (Young Robert F)

 "You do? Then why haven't I been introduced to him? Take me to him at once!"
тАЬIтАЩdтАФIтАЩd rather not. Mr. Firby. I don't think you'll like him.тАЭ
"Nonsense! Of course IтАЩll like him. IтАЩve never wanted to meet anybody so much in all my life."
The mayor sighed. "All right. Mr. Firby. Since you insist."'
Dubchek gasped. тАЬBut Henry, you canтАЩtтАФтАЬ
"I have no alternative, Fyodor. Come, Mr.Firby. IтАЩll conduct you to his headquarters.

***

Reseated in the runabout and bound for the headquarters of the supervising engineer, Firhy voiced his
credo: тАЬIt may well be doubted," said he, "whether technological ingenuity can give birth to a dilemma
that technological ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve. I say this, Mayor, in face of the
glaring fact our cities back on Earth leave much to be desired. Their tube trains run late, their walkways
keep stalling, their visiphone service is a laugh, half the time they don't have electricity and their streets
have as many chuckholes as the Moon has craters. But I have always maintained that eventually our
technology will find a way to avert mechanical breakdown, and minimize deterioration, that a roseate day
will dawn when the petty vexations that plague us from morning till night will be no more. Apparently, that
day has already dawned for Siw City, Mayor, and I congratulate you. Maybe your supervising engineer
can perform a similar miracle for us. Who is he, by the way? I knew ISA left some good men up here,
but I had no idea any of them was that good.тАЭ
The mayor didn't answer and Firby didn't press the question. He'd find out for himself who the
supervising engineer was.
Presently, Albert brought the runabout to a halt in front of a one story cement block structure. A
purple and green blanket functioned as a front door and there were no windows. Firby frowned but said
nothing. The Mayor held the blanket aside and followed Firby. The interior consisted of a single barnlike
room. In the center of the floor stood a large block of discolored concrete. Flickering radiance came
from a source somewhere behind it but provided little in the way of actual illumination. Hanging from the
rafters were miscellaneous articles of various shapes and sizes, none of which Firby could positively
identify, but one of which he could have sworn was a bundle of chicken feathers.
It doesnтАЩt mean a thing, he told himself. I doesnтАЩt mean a thing. Aloud, he said, as calmly as he could,
тАЬWell, where is this supervising engineer of yours, Mayor?тАЭ
тАЬRight over here.тАЭ
Mayor Kobecker led the way around the discolored concrete block, and presently Kirby saw that
the room contained a second curiosityтАФa pedestal. Upon it, flanked by two lighted tapers, stood a small
doll. It had been carved out of mahoganylike wood, had agates for eyes, chicken down for hair; tiny
pebbles for teeth, and was clad in striped mechanic's coveralls. Protruding from the center of its small
forehead was the head of a nail.
тАЬThe coveralls were my idea," Mayor Kobecker said. "Rather appropriate, don't you think?"
тАЬA fetish!" Firby exploded, тАЬA god-damn fetish!"
тАЬHe doesnтАЩt ask for much in the way of sacrifices. A pullet or two now and then. Once in a while, a
goat. Sometimes a sheep. HeтАЩs really quite reasonable when you consider what the union scale is these
days . . . Well, what else could we do, Mr. Firby? Our buildings were falling apart and our runabouts
wouldn't run, our machines kept breaking down faster than we could fix them, our canned 3V programs
had defective sound tacks, most of the sets themselves wouldn't work. We couldnтАЩt ask the personnel of
the supply ships for helpтАФwe were forbidden even to talk to them while the trial period was in effect.
We had to turn to the Siw. And, as things turned out, it was the wisest move we could have made.
Civilized men have built things to fall to pieces for so long that theyтАЩve now forgotten how to build them
to stay together. The whole thing has gotten out of hand, as you know yourself. Ordinary measures of
coping with the problem just arenтАЩt effective anymore.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt believe it!тАЭ Kirby shouted. тАЬI donтАЩt believe it!тАЭ