"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. The Final Circle of Paradise (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

He extracted a flat case from an inside pocket. Like a
cartridge clip it was stacked with a row of ampoules filled
with colored liquids. Ahmad ran his index finger over them,
smelled the omelette, hesitated, and finally selected one with
a green fluid, broke it carefully, and dripped a few drops on
the tomatoes. An aroma pervaded the room. The smell was not
unpleasant, but, to my taste, bore no particular relation to
the food.
"Right now," continued Ahmad, "they are still asleep." His
gaze turned abstracted. "They sleep and see dreams."
I looked at my watch.
"Well, well!"
Ahmad was enjoying his food.
"Ten-thirty!" I said.
Ahmad was enjoying his food. His cap was pushed back on
his head, and the green visor stuck up vertically like the
crest of an aroused mimicrodon. His eyes were half-closed. I
regarded him with interest.
Having swallowed the last bit of tomato, he broke off a
piece of the crust of white bread and carefully wiped the pan
with it. His gaze cleared.
"What were you saying?" he asked. "Ten-thirty? Tomorrow
you too will get up at ten-thirty or maybe even at twelve. I,
for one, will get up at twelve."
He got up and stretched luxuriously, cracking his joints.
"Well," he said, "it's time to go home, finally. Here's my
card, Ivan. Put it in your desk, and don't throw it out until
your very last day here." He went over to the flat box and
inserted another card into its slot. There was a loud click.
"Now this one," he said, examining the card against the
light. "Please pass on to the widow with my very best
compliments."
"And then what will happen?" said I.
"Money will happen. I trust you are not a devotee of
haggling, Ivan? The widow will name a figure, Ivan, and you
shouldn't haggle over it. It's not done."
"I will try not to haggle," I said, "although it would be
amusing to try it."
Ahmad raised his eyebrows.
"Well, if you really want to so much, then why not try it?
Always do what you want to do. Then you will have excellent
digestion. I will get your suitcase now."
"I need prospects," I said. "I need guidebooks. I am a
writer, Ahmad. I will require brochures on the economic
situation of the masses, statistical references. Where can I
get all that? And when?"
"I will give you a guidebook," said Ahmad. "It has
statistics, addresses, telephone numbers, and so on. As far as
the masses are concerned, I don't think we publish any such
nonsense. Of course, you can send an inquiry to UNESCO, but