"Lazar Lagin. The Old Genie Hottabych (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

right away. What was it you said about the Earth's disc by the way? Don't
you know that the Earth is round?"
Did Volka Kostylkov, an active member of the Moscow Planetarium's
Astronomy Club, know that the Earth was round? Why, any first-grader knew
that. But Hottabych, standing behind the wall, burst out laughing, and no
matter how our poor boy tried to press his lips together, a haughty smirk
escaped him:
"I presume you are making fun of your most devoted pupil! If the Earth
were round, the water would run off it, and then everyone would die of
thirst and all the plants would dry up. The Earth, 0 most noble and honoured
of all teachers and pedagogues, has always had and does now have the shape
of a flat disc, surrounded on all sides by a mighty river named 'Ocean.' The
Earth rests on six elephants, and they, in turn, are standing on a
tremendous turtle. That is how the world is made, 0 teacher!"
The board of teachers gazed at Volka with rising surprise. He broke out
in a cold sweat from horror and the realization of his own complete
helplessness. The other children could not quite understand what had
happened to their friend, but some began to giggle. It was really funny to
hear about a country of bald people, about a country filled with feathers,
about gold-bearing ants as big as dogs and about the flat Earth resting on
six elephants and a turtle. As for Zhenya Bogorad, Volka's best friend and
one of the class pioneer leaders, he became really worried. He knew that
Volka, as chairman of the Astronomy Club, at least knew that the Earth was
round-if he knew nothing else. Could it be that he had suddenly decided upon
some mischief, and during an examination, of all times! Volka was probably
ill, but what ailed him? What kind of a strange, unusual disease did he
have? And then, it was very bad for their pioneer group. So far, they had
been first in all the exams, but now Volka's stupid answers would spoil
everything, though he was usually a disciplined pioneer! Goga Pilukin, a
most unpleasant boy at the next desk (nicknamed "Pill" by his classmates),
hastened to pour salt on Zhenya's fresh wounds.
"That takes care of your group, Zhenya dear," he whispered with a
malicious giggle. "You're sinking fast!" Zhenya shook his fist at Pill.
"Varvara Stepanovna!" Goga whined. "Bogorad just shook his fist at me."
"Sit still and don't tattle," Varvara Stepanovna said and turned back
to Volka, who stood before her more dead than alive. "Were you serious about
the elephants and the turtle?" "More serious than ever before, 0 most
respected of all teachers," Volka repeated after the old man and felt
himself burning up with shame.
"And haven't you anything else to add? Do you really think you were
answering the question?"
"No, I've nothing to add," Hottabych said behind the wall, shaking his
head.
And Volka, helpless to withstand the force that was pushing him towards
failure, also shook his head and said, "No, I've nothing to add. Perhaps,
however, the fact that in the wealthy land of India the horizons are framed
by gold and pearls."
"It's incredible!" his teacher exclaimed.
It was difficult to believe that Kostylkov, a usually disciplined boy,
had suddenly decided to play a silly joke on his teachers (and at such an