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

lucky people with red carsтАФthis is Red Car Sun-day coming up. It's going to be your turn to use the
highways! It's been an astonishingly short week, hasn't it! And filled with happiness and con-tentment and
well-being; bounteous (0833) leisure and fine, oh superbly fine, anamorphic entertainment. How do you
like the new family hour? The Smiths. Really nice people to welcome into your living rooms, aren't they?
You bet they are!"
"The trouble is." Melray said, "they come in whether they're welcome or not."
"Don't talk that way!" Barbara said. "If people hear you they'll think you're un-happy."
"Maybe I am." He reached up and turned off the Reassur-er. "We've got sparrows in our bluebird
house again!"
"Not again!"
"Yes, again. Grover's got them in his, too. Must have been a bad batch of houses."
"Why that's a shame!" Bar-bara said, "We paid perfectly good credits for that house. It could at least
attract one blue-bird."
"I've been thinking." Mel-ray said. "Maybe we could buy one, a tame one of course. One that
wouldn't fly away. It would brighten up the garden a lot."
"Why don't you try, dear?"
"There's a bird store near the factory. IтАЩll stop off on my way to work and see what they've got." He
stood up."Time for the bus, Babs. Got to go."
She came round the shelf and kissed him. "Why don't you drop over to Birth Administra-tion during
your lunch hour," she said shyly to his lapel. "Maybe they didn't get our ap-plication at all. Or maybe they
lost it. We should have heard by now."
He smiled softly into her chestnut hair. "All right, Bobs, I'll check on it. But I think they got it all right.
The wait-ing period might be longer than we figured.... See you, Baby."
" 'Bye, Darling."


MELRAY had never seen so many birds. There were red ones and yellow ones and green ones
and multicolored ones; big ones and little ones, quiet ones and noisy ones; caged ones, chained ones,
some perched on little trapezes, some fluttering about the shop.
The little gray-haired pro-prietor aporoached him. "Can I help you, sir?"
"I'm looking for a blue-bird." TvIelray said.
The man gave him an odd stare. "You know, it's the strangest thing, sir," he said. "You're the fifth
person to come in here this morning look-ing for a bluebird. Why, you're at least the hundredth one this
week!тАЭ
"Do you have them in stock?"
"I have cockatoos and parakeets and lories and lovebirds тАФpractically every kind of do-mestic bird
in existence. I have a splendid pair of Martian palavavavas if you're interest-ed in extraterrestrialтАФ"
"But bluebirds. Do you have bluebirds?"
"You see, sir, bluebirds aren't a domestic species. Even if I wanted to carry them I wouldn't be able
to get them. Now I have a singularly fine pair of Venusian arisesтАФ"
"Then you don't have blue-birds at all?" Melray tried to conceal his disappointment.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid not. But you might try The Bird House on Center Boule-vard. They might
carry them. But I doubt it very much."
"Thanks," Melray said. ."Maybe I'll stop there on my way home...."

YOUR APPLICATION is on file, sir," the thin faced girl behind the window said. "You'll just have
to wait till it comes up for approval."
"But can't you give me some idea how long it will take?" Melray asked.
"Issuance of Maternity Li-censes is contingent upon the death rate. Surely you're aware of that, sir.
Surely you attend Citizen Class regularly!"