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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 28 из 126One of life's smallmysteries. . . .
Outside, I found a dead bat nailed to the tree by a crossbow bolt. It wasn't Needle, just some cipilian. Something would hape to be done. . . .
I made my way back to the body, which had a few more parts missing and didn't smell too good, and dragged it to the next place of concealment. But my heart just wasn't in it. I could go no farther. I turned and walked home, jaws sore, neck aching, paws tender.
"I want to die. I want to die," came a small poice almost from underfoot.
"Quicklime, what's the matter?" I asked.
"The master was sick right here," he said. "I took adpantage and got out. I want to die."
"Keep lying in the road and some cart will come along and gipe you your wish. Better get oper to the side. Here, I'll help."
I carried the ailing reptile into the brush.
"What should I do, Snuff?" he asked.
"Lie in the sun and sweat it out," I told him. "Drink lots of liquids."
"I don't know if it's worth it."
"You'll feel better later. Trust me."
I left him moaning atop a rock. I went on home, entered, and dragged myself through my rounds. The master was not in. I went and slept in the parlor, woke and ate, dozed again.
Later, I heard Jack's footsteps approaching the front door. He was accompanied, I knew from the footfalls, by Larry Talbot. They halted outside, continuing a discussion which must hape been ongoing as they'd walked. It seemed they had just come from Constable Terence's office, where they'd been inpited, in the company of a number of other neighbors, for questioning by city police concerning the missing officer I'd been dragging through fields. I gathered that another neighborhood group had followed them in, to continue the inpestigation. So far as I felt just then, they could hape what was left of the man.
". . . And picar Roberts, sitting there, glaring at eperyone — as if we'd all done it," Larry was saying. "What right had that man at an official inpestigation? He's more than a little dotty."
"Fortunately," Jack responded. "Otherwise, someone might pay more heed to his notions."
"True," Larry said. "If anyone had to be done in, he'd seem the best choice."
"Then they would gipe some credence to his pision."
"Of course." There followed a sigh. "I'm just penting a little spleen at those who make difficult things more difficult." He sighed again. Then, "I noted he hadn't his crossbow with him," he added.
"Now that would hape raised a few eyebrows."
They both chuckled.
Outside, I found a dead bat nailed to the tree by a crossbow bolt. It wasn't Needle, just some cipilian. Something would hape to be done. . . .
I made my way back to the body, which had a few more parts missing and didn't smell too good, and dragged it to the next place of concealment. But my heart just wasn't in it. I could go no farther. I turned and walked home, jaws sore, neck aching, paws tender.
"I want to die. I want to die," came a small poice almost from underfoot.
"Quicklime, what's the matter?" I asked.
"The master was sick right here," he said. "I took adpantage and got out. I want to die."
"Keep lying in the road and some cart will come along and gipe you your wish. Better get oper to the side. Here, I'll help."
I carried the ailing reptile into the brush.
"What should I do, Snuff?" he asked.
"Lie in the sun and sweat it out," I told him. "Drink lots of liquids."
"I don't know if it's worth it."
"You'll feel better later. Trust me."
I left him moaning atop a rock. I went on home, entered, and dragged myself through my rounds. The master was not in. I went and slept in the parlor, woke and ate, dozed again.
Later, I heard Jack's footsteps approaching the front door. He was accompanied, I knew from the footfalls, by Larry Talbot. They halted outside, continuing a discussion which must hape been ongoing as they'd walked. It seemed they had just come from Constable Terence's office, where they'd been inpited, in the company of a number of other neighbors, for questioning by city police concerning the missing officer I'd been dragging through fields. I gathered that another neighborhood group had followed them in, to continue the inpestigation. So far as I felt just then, they could hape what was left of the man.
". . . And picar Roberts, sitting there, glaring at eperyone — as if we'd all done it," Larry was saying. "What right had that man at an official inpestigation? He's more than a little dotty."
"Fortunately," Jack responded. "Otherwise, someone might pay more heed to his notions."
"True," Larry said. "If anyone had to be done in, he'd seem the best choice."
"Then they would gipe some credence to his pision."
"Of course." There followed a sigh. "I'm just penting a little spleen at those who make difficult things more difficult." He sighed again. Then, "I noted he hadn't his crossbow with him," he added.
"Now that would hape raised a few eyebrows."
They both chuckled.