"The Robot Brains." - читать интересную книгу автора (Bounds Sidney J.)

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A neon sing was flashing:

FAIR FAIR FAIR

There was a lot of noise and movement. The crowds moved between tents and swings; coloured lights blinked on and off, sounds of music mixed with the shrieks of girls

On a wooden platform before a large tent a tall man spoke into a microphone:

"Come, ladies and gentlemen, for the greatest show of all! Burkholder is my name and I personally guarantee that you've never seen or heard anything like this before. Come and see the Brains! They'll answer any question you give them, any question on any subject! I am so sure of it that I offer five pounds to anyone who beats them. Come, ladies and gentlemen. The price is one shilling. One shilling to learn the mysteries of the universe!"

Burkholder took out of his pocket a five-pound note and showed it to everybody.

"Here it is, ladies and gentlemen! Five pounds to the man who asks a question which the Brains cannot answer. Pay your shillings and take your seats."

More and more people entered the tent. Inside there was a raised platform now curtained off. When all the benches were occupied, Burkholder entered the tent and went up to the platform.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I hope you have prepared your questions. Ask anything you like. Now I give you… the Brains!"

The curtain went up, and the people saw three men who were sitting on the stage.

The Brains looked very much alike. Each was a dwarf, dressed in a suit of grey colour. What attracted everybody's attention at once was their heads. They were very big, quite out of proportion to their little bodies.

The Brains looked down at the people, without smiling.

Burkholder said: "Ask your questions, please. You have only half an hour"

There was a pause. A lady at the back of the tent whispered to her neighbour: "I don't like the look of them at all!"

Indeed, there was something evil in the Brains; it seemed they were devoid of all humanity.

At last a schoolboy asked:

"Is space really empty?"

"No," answered the Brain in the centre. "The space is only relatively empty. There is a lot of dust and gas between the stars. Also many types of radiation."

After that more questions were asked:

"Is a sea-horse a fish?"

"What is the capital of Pakistan?"

"Who wrote 'The Count of Monte Cristo'?"

"Are there such things as ghosts?"

The Brains answered the questions in turn. The half-hour passed quickly, and the curtain fell.