"Фредерик Браун. Night of the Jabberwock (англ) " - читать интересную книгу автора

Фредерик Браун.

Night of the Jabberwock(енгл)


BANTAM BOOKS 990 Printing History: Dutton Edition Published December, 1950
1st Printing October, 1950 Unicorn Mystery Book Club Edition Published
February, 1951 Bantam Edition Published April, 1952 1st Printing March, 1952
Copyright, 1950, by Fredric Brown


ALL VERSES INTRODUCING
CHAPTERS ARE FROM THE WORKS
OF CHARLES LUTWIDGE DODGSON,
KNOWN IN WONDERLAND AS LEWIS
CARROLL.


CHAPTER ONE


'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

In my dream I was standing in the middle of Oak Street and it was dark
night. The street lights were off; only pale moonlight glinted on the huge
sword that I swung in circles about my head as the Jabberwock crept closer.
It bellied along the pavement, flexing its wings and tensing its muscles for
the final rush; its claws clicked against the stones like the clicking of
mats down the channels of a Linotype. Then, astonishingly, it spoke.
"Doc," it said. "Wake up, Doc."
A hand not the hand of a Jabberwock was shaking my shoulder.
And it was early dusk instead of black night and I was sitting in the
swivel chair at my battered desk, looking over my shoulder at Pete. Pete was
grinning at me.
"We're in, Doc," he said. "You'll have to cut two lines on this last
take and we're in. Early, for once."
He put a galley proof down in front of me, only one stick of type long.
I picked up a blue pencil and knocked off two lines and they happened to be
an even sentence, so Pete wouldn't have to reset anything.
He went over to the Linotype and shut it off and it was suddenly very
quiet in the place, so quiet that I could hear the drip of the faucet way in
the far corner.
I stood up and stretched, feeling good, although a little groggy from
having dozed off while Pete was setting that final take. For once, for one
Thursday, the Carmel City Clarion was ready for the press early. Of course,
there wasn't any real news in it, but then there never was.
And only half-past six and not yet dark outside. We were through hours