Джордж Мартин – Starport (страница 15)

VERY NICE.

WHERE YOU FOLKS

FROM?

I...IOWA.

WE’RE ON

VACATION...

AND HOW

CLOSE DID YOU

GET WHILE TAKING

PICTURES OF

THEM?

I...THEY’RE

SO TALL AND

COLORFUL! AND

WE’VE NEVER

SEEN...

ALIENS

BEFORE.

NO.

AH.

THERE

IT IS.

LOOKS LIKE YOU FOLKS

DIDN’T GET THROUGH YOUR

NEW-SPECIES-INTERACTION

PAMPHLET AT THE AIRPORT, HUH?

MISSED THE BIT ABOUT HOW

SERIOUSLY THESE GUYS

TAKE THEIR PERSONAL

SPACE?

DO YOU

MIND IF I ERASE

YOUR PHOTOS AND

TURN OFF YOUR

PHONE, SIR?

YES! YES, OF COURSE! WHATEVER YOU NEED, OFFICER.

THERE, I’VE

ERASED ALL

THE IMAGES. THEY

ARE TOTALLY

IRRETRIEVABLE.

IS HONOR

SATISFIED?

NO. THE

THEFT IS UNDONE,

YET THE INSULT

STILL STANDS.

TELL THE

NICE LADY

YOU’RE SORRY.

I DIDN’T...

THESE ARE

NHAR, SIR. ANGELS.

IF YOU HAD READ

YOUR PAMPHLET,

YOU’D KNOW THAT BY

STEPPING INTO HER

PATH AND TAKING THAT

UNFLATTERING PHOTO,

YOU’VE INADVERTENTLY

STOLEN HER SPACE

AND “BESMIRCHED”

HER IMAGE.

I DIDN’T

KNOW! I DIDN’T