JК
The Doomsday Conspiracy :: Sheldon Sidney
Страница: 31 из 213”
Robert felt a growing sense of excitement. “Right. Let’s have a look.”
A truck was speeding by. When it had passed, Robert and Hans Beckerman crossed the road. Robert followed the bus driver up a small incline, into the stand of trees.
The highway was completely hidden from sight. As they stepped into a clearing, Beckerman announced, “It is right there.”
Lying on the ground in front of them were the torn remains of a weather balloon.
I’m getting too old for this, Robert thought, wearily. I was really beginning to fall for his flying saucer fairy tale.
Hans Beckerman was staring at the metallic object on the ground, a confused expression on his face. “Verfalschen! That is not it.”
Robert sighed. “No, it isn’t, is it?”
Beckerman shook his head. “It was here yesterday.”
“Your little green men probably flew it away.”
Beckerman was stubborn. “No, no. They were both tot – dead.”
Tot – dead. That sums up my mission pretty well. My only lead is a crazy old man who sees spaceships.
Robert walked over to the balloon to examine it more closely. It was a large aluminium envelope, fourteen feet in diameter, with serrated edges where it had ripped open when it crashed to earth. All the instruments had been removed, just as General Milliard had told him. I can’t stress enough the importance of what was in that balloon.
Robert circled the deflated balloon, his shoes squishing in the wet grass, looking for anything that might give him the slightest clue. Nothing. It was identical to a dozen other weather balloons he had seen over the years.
The old man still would not give up, filled with Germanic stubbornness. “Those alien things … They made it look like this. They can do anything, you know.”
There’s nothing more to be done here, Robert decided. His socks had got wet walking through the tall grass. He started to turn away, then hesitated, struck by a thought. He walked back to the balloon. “Lift up a corner of this, will you?”
Beckerman looked at him a moment, surprised. “You wish me to raise it up?”
“Bitte.”
Beckerman shrugged. He picked up a corner of the lightweight material and lifted it, while Robert raised another corner. Robert held the piece of aluminium over his head while he walked underneath the balloon toward the centre. His feet sank into the grass. “It’s wet under here,” Robert called out.
“Of course.” The Dummkopf was left unsaid. “It rained all yesterday.
Robert felt a growing sense of excitement. “Right. Let’s have a look.”
A truck was speeding by. When it had passed, Robert and Hans Beckerman crossed the road. Robert followed the bus driver up a small incline, into the stand of trees.
The highway was completely hidden from sight. As they stepped into a clearing, Beckerman announced, “It is right there.”
Lying on the ground in front of them were the torn remains of a weather balloon.
I’m getting too old for this, Robert thought, wearily. I was really beginning to fall for his flying saucer fairy tale.
Hans Beckerman was staring at the metallic object on the ground, a confused expression on his face. “Verfalschen! That is not it.”
Robert sighed. “No, it isn’t, is it?”
Beckerman shook his head. “It was here yesterday.”
“Your little green men probably flew it away.”
Beckerman was stubborn. “No, no. They were both tot – dead.”
Tot – dead. That sums up my mission pretty well. My only lead is a crazy old man who sees spaceships.
Robert walked over to the balloon to examine it more closely. It was a large aluminium envelope, fourteen feet in diameter, with serrated edges where it had ripped open when it crashed to earth. All the instruments had been removed, just as General Milliard had told him. I can’t stress enough the importance of what was in that balloon.
Robert circled the deflated balloon, his shoes squishing in the wet grass, looking for anything that might give him the slightest clue. Nothing. It was identical to a dozen other weather balloons he had seen over the years.
The old man still would not give up, filled with Germanic stubbornness. “Those alien things … They made it look like this. They can do anything, you know.”
There’s nothing more to be done here, Robert decided. His socks had got wet walking through the tall grass. He started to turn away, then hesitated, struck by a thought. He walked back to the balloon. “Lift up a corner of this, will you?”
Beckerman looked at him a moment, surprised. “You wish me to raise it up?”
“Bitte.”
Beckerman shrugged. He picked up a corner of the lightweight material and lifted it, while Robert raised another corner. Robert held the piece of aluminium over his head while he walked underneath the balloon toward the centre. His feet sank into the grass. “It’s wet under here,” Robert called out.
“Of course.” The Dummkopf was left unsaid. “It rained all yesterday.