"Alexander Kazantsev. The Destruction of Faena (ГИБЕЛЬ ФАЭНЫ, англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

Chapter Two

THE GOLDEN APPLE


Mada's strongest sensation was one of light. It was falling in a
brilliant mosaic onto the ground through the leaves of the trees, whose
trunks resembled compactly grown roots. Above, they spread out like
transparent canopies filled with light. Each fruit up there was like a tiny
star.
A stream of foam, tumbling down from a stone ledge, was lit up by a
quivering rainbow. The smooth lake that fed the current lay tranquilly
there, crossed by a sparkling mother-of-pearl footpath.
Round the banks grew fantastic trees bearing golden apples. And the
water lured Mada from the depths with the same vivid fruits, very slightly
tinged with haze, that you could touch so easily by just reaching out your
hand.
She thought how ugly the two unwieldy, clumsy creatures seemed in such
a setting. They moved about on their hind legs, holding their bodies erect
but rolling from side to side at each step. Their sturdy bodies, with belts
high on the hips, were decorated with a spiral ornament Their upper and
lower extremities were covered with inflated bubbles and their heads were
enclosed in hard spheres with slits for the eyes.
Two enormous birds were swimming across the lake with proudly upcurved
necks; they turned their heads with their red beaks and made trustingly for
the shore.
Several light quadrupeds came out of the forest. They had the same
wondrous trees with root-branches growing on their heads, but without fruits
or foliage. The creatures began drinking the water.
A mighty beast with greenish, glittering eyes softly sprang onto the
bright patches in the shade of the canopied trees. His hide merged with the
bright mosaic. Lithe and powerful, he made his way soundlessly towards the
water, paying no attention to the horned denizens of the forest nor to the
strange newcomers.
"I'm not even frightened," said Mada through her helmet intercom.
"A virgin, unfrightened world," responded Ave.
"And there's so much light!"
"The experts on Faena thought it could kill."
"It can kill only darkness, ignorance and hatred. We have found a world
where evil and hatred do not and cannot exist."
Mada went up quite close to the watering place. A young reindeer looked
round curiously, leapt out of the water and dug its wet muzzle into Mada's
glove.
"Could you think of such a thing on Faena?" she cried.
"Alas, there's no room left for them there!"
"These are children of light. Open your visor and look. Don't be
afraid, the eye is a most self-accommodating organ. They won't believe our
stories on Faena."
"Millions of Faetians are waiting for them."