the Dark Light Years by Brian W. Aldiss Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brian W. Aldiss
to distract me from my duty to the bar-tender? Well, I suppose we can slip down to the new ETA enclosure, if you must. Your specimens should be installed by now, and the spaceport officials out of the way.”
Ainson turned to his wife, laying a hand on her arm.
"You come along too, Enid; the excitement up here isn't good for you.”
"Nonsense, my dear, I'm enjoying myself." She removed her arm from his grasp.
"Well really, you might show a little interest in the creatures we have brought back.”
"I've no doubt I shall hear about them for weeks!" She looked at the canyons of his face and said, in the same humorously resigned tone, "Very well, I'll come along if you can't bear to have me out of your sight. But you'll have to go and get my wrap, because it is too cool to go outside without it.”
Not making a graceful thing of it, Ainson left them. Pasztor cocked an eyebrow at Enid, and secured them a drink apiece.
"I don't know really whether I ought to have another, Mihaly. Wouldn't it be terrible if I got tipsy!”
"People do, you know. Look at Mrs. Friar over there. Now I've got you alone, Enid, instead of flirting with you as I have a mind to do, I have to ask you about your son, Aylmer. What is he doing now?
Where is he?”
He detected her brief flush. She looked away from him as she spoke.
"Don't please, don't spoil the evening, Mihaly. It's so nice to have Bruce back. I know you think he's a terrible old monster, but he isn't really, not underneath.”
"How is Aylmer?”
"He's in London. Apart from that, I don't know.”
"You are too harsh with him.”
"Please, Mihaly!”
"Bruce is too harsh with him. You know I say that as an old friend, as well as Aylmer's godfather.”
"He did something disgraceful, and his father turned "him out of the house. They have never got on well together, as you know, and although I am terribly sorry about the boy, it is much more peaceful without having both of them to cope with." She looked up at him to add. "And don't go thinking I always take the line of least resistance, because I don't. For years I had a real battle with them.”
"I never saw a face look less embattled. What did Aylmer do to bring this terrible edict down upon his head?”
"You must ask Bruce, if you're so keen to know.”
"There was a girl involved?”
"Yes. it was over a girl. And here comes Bruce.”
When the Master Explorer had settled the wrap about his wife's shoulders, Mihaly led them out of the hall by a side door. They walked along a carpeted corridor, down-stairs, and out into the dusk. The zoo lay quiet, though one or two London starlings moved belatedly to bed among the trees, and from its heated pool a Rungsted's sauropod raised its neck to gaze in a dun wonder at their passage. Turning before they reached the Methane Mammal House, Pasztor led his companions to a new block constructed in the modern manner of sanded reinforced plastic blocks and strawed concrete with lead verticals. As they entered by a side door, lights came on.
Reinforced curving glass separated them from the two ETA's. The creatures turned about as the lights came on, to watch the humans. Ainson made a half-hearted gesture of recognition towards them; it produced no perceptible reaction.
"At least they have spacious accommodation," he said. "Does the public have to throng here all day, pressing its beastly noses to the glass?”
" The public will only be admitted to this block between 2.30 and 4 in the afternoon," Pasztor said, "In the mornings, experts will be here studying our visitors.”
The visitors had an ample double cage, the two parts separated by a low door. At the back of one room was a wide low bed padded with a plastic foam. Troughs filled with food and water lined one of the other walls. The ETA's stood in the centre of the floor; they had already amassed a fair amount of dirt about them.
Three lizard-like animals scuttled across the floor and flung themselves on to the massive bodies of the ETA's,
Ainson turned to his wife, laying a hand on her arm.
"You come along too, Enid; the excitement up here isn't good for you.”
"Nonsense, my dear, I'm enjoying myself." She removed her arm from his grasp.
"Well really, you might show a little interest in the creatures we have brought back.”
"I've no doubt I shall hear about them for weeks!" She looked at the canyons of his face and said, in the same humorously resigned tone, "Very well, I'll come along if you can't bear to have me out of your sight. But you'll have to go and get my wrap, because it is too cool to go outside without it.”
Not making a graceful thing of it, Ainson left them. Pasztor cocked an eyebrow at Enid, and secured them a drink apiece.
"I don't know really whether I ought to have another, Mihaly. Wouldn't it be terrible if I got tipsy!”
"People do, you know. Look at Mrs. Friar over there. Now I've got you alone, Enid, instead of flirting with you as I have a mind to do, I have to ask you about your son, Aylmer. What is he doing now?
Where is he?”
He detected her brief flush. She looked away from him as she spoke.
"Don't please, don't spoil the evening, Mihaly. It's so nice to have Bruce back. I know you think he's a terrible old monster, but he isn't really, not underneath.”
"How is Aylmer?”
"He's in London. Apart from that, I don't know.”
"You are too harsh with him.”
"Please, Mihaly!”
"Bruce is too harsh with him. You know I say that as an old friend, as well as Aylmer's godfather.”
"He did something disgraceful, and his father turned "him out of the house. They have never got on well together, as you know, and although I am terribly sorry about the boy, it is much more peaceful without having both of them to cope with." She looked up at him to add. "And don't go thinking I always take the line of least resistance, because I don't. For years I had a real battle with them.”
"I never saw a face look less embattled. What did Aylmer do to bring this terrible edict down upon his head?”
"You must ask Bruce, if you're so keen to know.”
"There was a girl involved?”
"Yes. it was over a girl. And here comes Bruce.”
When the Master Explorer had settled the wrap about his wife's shoulders, Mihaly led them out of the hall by a side door. They walked along a carpeted corridor, down-stairs, and out into the dusk. The zoo lay quiet, though one or two London starlings moved belatedly to bed among the trees, and from its heated pool a Rungsted's sauropod raised its neck to gaze in a dun wonder at their passage. Turning before they reached the Methane Mammal House, Pasztor led his companions to a new block constructed in the modern manner of sanded reinforced plastic blocks and strawed concrete with lead verticals. As they entered by a side door, lights came on.
Reinforced curving glass separated them from the two ETA's. The creatures turned about as the lights came on, to watch the humans. Ainson made a half-hearted gesture of recognition towards them; it produced no perceptible reaction.
"At least they have spacious accommodation," he said. "Does the public have to throng here all day, pressing its beastly noses to the glass?”
" The public will only be admitted to this block between 2.30 and 4 in the afternoon," Pasztor said, "In the mornings, experts will be here studying our visitors.”
The visitors had an ample double cage, the two parts separated by a low door. At the back of one room was a wide low bed padded with a plastic foam. Troughs filled with food and water lined one of the other walls. The ETA's stood in the centre of the floor; they had already amassed a fair amount of dirt about them.
Three lizard-like animals scuttled across the floor and flung themselves on to the massive bodies of the ETA's,
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