Pokrewne

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Dragon 1 DragonSpell Paul, Donita K
Dr Who [Lethbridge Stewart] Andy Frankham Allen (v5.0) (epu
Content Selected Essays on Tech Cory Doctorow
Amazing Doctor Darwin Charles Sheffield
Brian Moore The Doctor's Wife (epub)
Bite My Cookies [Who Needs Chri Joyee Flynn
Doctor MC Three More Wishes Be Kind To Y
Doctor Rat William Kotzwinkle
Confidence pour confidence Paul Constant
Doctor No Ian Fleming

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.He did not know it.She asked him if he knew of Shess Island.He did not.He took a thin tube from out of his tunic and asked her to show him.She did not understand so he demonstrated by pressing one end of the tube against one of the folded sheets of paper that had been placed on the table.She exclaimed in recognition – it was a kind of stylus, but with its own ink supply.She was not skilled at drawing but she made a brave attempt at portraying the islands of the Southern Archipelago, with parts of the Western Archipelago thrown in for good measure.But he still did not know what she was talking about.Reluctantly she dropped the subject.When she had first seen him she had hoped against hope that he was one of her countrymen.His small stature, his short hair, his sense of loneliness, of having been to immensely distant places.But then he had turned to face her and she had seen his eyes.The food arrived, a thick disc of bread topped with cheese and unidentified vegetables and pieces of fish.She watched her benefactor handle the unfamiliar cutlery and attempted to emulate him, not entirely successfully.The food was.edible; not unpleasant exactly but she was unaccustomed to the smells and flavours and not sure she would be able to keep it down.She did like the sparkling mineral water, though; she had never tasted anything like it before.When the meal was over there was an interchange of paper and metal discs – evidently the local currency.Simon was apparently content to pay for her food, and Troy Game wondered if anything was expected of her in return.She risked another look into his mind.Most of what she read there was very confusing indeed, yet she was left with the distinct impression that her company was payment enough.Afterwards he asked her if there was anything else she wanted.She told him she needed to find the sea.The statement seemed to puzzle him and for one terrifying moment she thought he was going to tell her that he did not understand, that there was no sea, or that there was no way of getting to it from this place.What he actually said was, ‘I’ve got a car.I’ll drive you there.’Later, as he drove his battered Metro along the road to the Witterings, Simon found himself glancing uncertainly at his passenger.Who was she, really, and where did she come from? And what was his own role where she was concerned?Troy Game was foreign.That much was obvious, but worth stating because, by doing so, he made a point of avoiding the use of that other word: alien.He would not use that word in connection with her.She was different and whatever his faults, Simon was not one to fear or reject the different without due cause.She sat somewhat rigidly in the passenger seat watching the evening landscape with evident apprehension, even though Simon was a careful driver and, was not going particularly fast.It was as if she had never been in a car before.He had had to belt her in; she had not known where to put her arms or how to engage the clasp.Of course it occurred to him that the whole thing was a windup, something cooked up by his work colleagues.They knew about his penchant for science fiction, even if they did not understand it.They thought he believed in flying-saucers, alien abductions, Elvis living on the moon and so on, however many times he told them he did not.Science fiction was not about believing; it was about suspending disbelief, considering credible alternatives, and looking back at the real world with fresh eyes and a degree of objectivity.It was a means of enriching reality, not a replacement for it.They knew he was waiting for the new James Warren book, and they could probably have guessed that he’d look in the bookshop window on his way home.So they could have primed a young woman – a would-be actress from the local art college, maybe – to accost him, trick him into believing she was from outer space and see how far she could go with the charade.It was not beyond the bounds of possibility.She’d cut her hair very short, but maybe that was how she normally wore it.She had no ear lobes, which was unusual, but that in itself would be added reason for casting her for this role.Her eyes, though.he supposed she could have used belladonna to get that effect, but would anyone really go to those lengths just for practical joke? Would a young woman spend an entire evening with a man she’d never met, who had not had a girlfriend for longer than he cared to think about, who might (for all she knew) react very badly when he discovered the deception, who was, right now, driving her several miles out of town?He glanced in the rear-view mirror.Nobody was following along the country road.She had not specified a destination, and there was more than one beach he could have chosen.Given these factors, it seemed increasingly likely that Troy Game was pretty much what she claimed to be.But what was that? When it came down to it, she hadn’t exactly claimed anything specific.She certainly hadn’t claimed to be from another world.She behaved as if the idea hadn’t even crossed her mind, as if – and this was the frightening bit – as if everything would suddenly fall into place for her if the idea did cross her mind.If it was all an act she was damned convincing.If it was not an act.He swallowed.This was not a book he could close whenever he felt like it.Then again, perhaps that was just what he needed.Whatever the explanation for her sudden appearance and interest in him – and he hoped he would get an explanation – Troy Game was pleasant enough company, and attractive in her own way.She was – for the time being at least – depending on him.Once she had done whatever it was she needed to do at the Witterings she would no doubt need somewhere to stay.She could stay in his spare room if that was what she preferred, at least to begin with.After that.Well, they would take it from there [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]