"Robert F. Young - Structural Defect" - читать интересную книгу автора (Young Robert F)

STRUCTURAL DEFECT
by Robert F. Young

Looking for a bluebird in that perfectly laid-out utopian suburb was not always quite as easy
as the blueprints had providedтАФin fact it was rather the reverse!


SPARROWS had moved into the bluebird house again, and this time Melray really was annoyed.
Everything else in the bright little garden managed to perform its intended function efficiently enough: the
fountain twinkled with just the right iridescence in the summer morning sunlight, the petunias grew neatly
along the precise pebbled paths, the rose vines made pleasant arabesques on their pink trellises....
The only recalcitrant was the bluebird house. It simply re-fused to attract bluebirds.
Melray looked over the white plastic fence into Mr. Grover's garden. It was a fac-simile of his own,
of course (Standard Suburban, Fountain Included), as were all the oth-ers in the block. His eyes sought
the slender white pole with the little rustic house on top, and concentrated on the tiny orifice of the door
in search of a wisp of blue. As he watched, an arrogant sparrow came out and perched on the diminutive
front porch though it owned the world. After surveying its domain for a moment, it made brief flight to
Mr. GroverтАЩs catalpa tree where it disappeared among the ovate leaves and the crooked branches.
Melray concluded then that all the bluebird houses in the block had sparrows living in them. Perhaps
even in the whole city. It was a perfectly logical conclusion in view of the fact that the houses were
mass-produced: if a structural defect appeared in one or two it would inevitably be repeat-ed in all the
others. Mass production did have some disad-vantages. But of course when you considered all of its
advant-ages, the disadvantages were rather inconsequential.
Sparrows, for instance, weren't much of a hardship. They were a dirty gray to be sure, instead of a
bright blue; but outside of that there was very little difference between them and the house's intended
occupants.
Just the same, though, it could be nice to have a blue-bird in the garden for a change. He wondered if
you could buy domestic ones....


тАЬDID YOU have a nice walk in the Garden, dear?" Barbara asked.
"Fine," Melray said, sitting down at the breakfast shelf. тАЬExcept for one thing. There'sтАФ"
"The poached eggs are done!" the stove said.
"Time to butter the toast!" announced the toaster.
"Yes, dear?"
тАЬI was going to say," Melray said, "that there's another family ofтАФ"
"Turn me on! Turn me on!" cried the Reassurer. "You don't want to miss the Happy Philosopher do
you?"
Barbara pressed the little blue button and sat down. "A family of what, dear?"
"A family ofтАФ"
"Good morning!" the Hap-py Philosopher said. "And what a fine bright (0831) summer morning it is!
Flowers bloom-ing and birds singing. Happy people sitting down everywhere to delicious poached eggs
on toast and exquisite Barkam's coffee!
"The daily prognosis? You lucky people, you! The prog-nosis for today is perfect! (0832). The
Office of Statis-tical Extrapolation anticipates a minimum of accidents, no deathsтАФ"
"Don't people ever die any more?" Melray asked loudly.
"Darling, don't say such things!"
"тАФspeaking of the low death rate, did you know that the Longevity Level has risen to 104.6? That's
right! Isn't that simply wonderful, folks?
 "Well, folks, just one more day and another glorious week-end will be on hand. Don't for-get, all you