Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Poor cruel folk -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright by Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky Copyright 199 by !yodor "ondrasho#, english translation $%&'(% )*(% *+&, ---------------------------------------------------------------------------ranslated by !yodor "ondrasho# .fedya/si0ons-rock.edu1 -he "ing sat naked. 2ike a foolish pauper on the street, he sat leaning against a cold 3all, dra3ing in his blue, goose-bu0ped legs. 4e shi#ered, 3ith his eyes closed, he listened, but e#erything 3as 5uiet. 4e a3oke at 0idnight fro0 a night0are and i00ediatelly understood that he 3as finished. So0e one 3ee6ed and 3rithed by the door of the bedroo0 suite, he heard footsteps, 0etalic 7ingling and drunken 0u00bling of 4is 4ighness, 8ncle Buht9 :2et 0e through... 2et 0e.. Break it do3n, hell 3ith it...: ;et 3ith icy s3eat, he slintly rolled off his bed, ducked into a secter closet, and loosing hi0self he ran do3n the underground passage. So0ething s5elched under his bare feet, the startled rats dashed a3ay, but he did not notice anything, 7ust no3, sitting ne<t to a 3all he re0e0bered e#erything= the darkness, the slippery 3alls, and the pain fro0 a blo3 on the head against the shakled door to the te0ple, and his o3n unberable high yelp. -hey shall not enter here, he thought. >o one shall enter here. ?nly if the "ing order@s so. But the "ing shall not order... 4e snickered hysterically. ?h no, the "ing 3ill not orderA 4e carefully un scre3ed up his eyes and sa3 his blue, hairless legs 3ith scraped knees. Still ali#e, he thought. B 3ill li#e, because they shall not enter here. C#erything in the te0ple 3as blueish fro0 the cold light of the lanterns -- long glo3ing tubes that 3ere stretched under the ceiling. Bn the center, Dod stood on an e0inence, big, hea#y, 3ith sparkling dead eyes. -he "ing continuously and stupidly stared, until Dod 3as suddenly screened by a shabby lay brother, still a greenhorn. Scraching, 3ith an open 0outh he ga6ed at the naked "ing. -he "ing s5uinted once again. Scu0, he thought, a lousy #er0ine, catch the 0ongrel and to the dogs, for the0 to ra#age... 4e reasoned that he did not re0e0ber the lout 3ell, but he 3as long gone. So scra3ny, snotty... -hat@s all right, 3e@ll re0e0ber. ;e@ll re0eber e#erything, Eour 4ighness, 8ncle Buht. Furing the father@s reighn, B dare say you sat 5uietly, drank a bit and kept silent, 3ere afraid to be noticed, you kne3 that "ing Prostyaga did not forget you ignoble treachery... Dreat 3as the father, the "ing thought 3ith an accusto0ed en#y. Eou@d be great, if your ad#isors are Dod@s angels in flesh. All kno3, all ha#e seen the09 their faces fearful, 3hite, like 0ilk, and their gar0ent 3ere such that one could not understand if they 3ere naked or not. And their arro3s 3ere fiery, like lightning, they dro#e off the no0ads 3ith the arro3s, and although they casted the0 o#erhead, half the horde cripled fro0 fear. 4is 4ighness, 8ncle Buht, 3ispered once upon a ti0e, drunk and burping, that those arro3s can be cast by anyone, that special slings are needed that the angels ha#e and that 3ould be nice to take fro0 the0. And he said then -- he 3as drunk then, -- that if it is nice to ha#e, 3hy not ha#e it, 3hy not... Soon after that table talk one angel fell off the 3all into the 0oat, probably slipped. >e<t to hi0 they found one of uncle@s body guards 3ith a 7a#elin bet3een his shoulder blades. Bt 3as a dark, dark deed... Bt good that the people did not care about the angels, they 3ere

scary to look at, but it is not clear 3hy is it scary -- angels 3ere happy, cordial people. ?nly their eyes 3ere scary. S0all, shiny, and they keep racing around... non hu0anoid eyes, not peaceful. So the people hushed do3n, although father, "ing Prostyaga ga#e the0 such freedo0 that it is sha0eful to re0e0ber... although, before the Coup, father, they say 3as a saddle 0aker. !or saying so, 3ith 0y o3n hands B had torn eyes out, and se3en ears shut. But B re0e0ber, he used to sit in the e#enings by the Crystal -o3er, and he 3ould cut out leather -- beautiful 3ork. And B 3ould perch 0yself at his side, it@s 3ar0 and co0fy... -he angels 3ere singing fro0 the roo0s, so 5uietly, and in har0ony, and father 3ould start to acco0pany -- he kne3 their language -- it used to be spacious, nobody around... not like no3, guards are stuck at e#ery corner, but there is no sense in it... -he "ing la0ented. Ees, he 3as a good father, 7ust that he did not die for a long ti0e. Eou can@t do that 3hile your son is still ali#e... -he son is also the "ing, the son also 3ant@s to... But Prostyaga did not age, B@0 o#er fifty, and he still looks younger than 0e... Bt looks like the angels had asked Dod for his health... -hey asked for his health, but they forgot about 0e. -hey say that the second one they 0anaged to pin do3n in the father@s roo0, he had a sling in each hand, but he did not fight. Before death, they say, he thre3 both of the0 out the 3indo3, they burst into a blue fla0e, there 3as no dust left... -oo bad about the slings... And Prostyaga, they say, cried and got drunk then, 3ithin an inch of his life -the first ti0e since his reign -- looked for 0e, they said, lo#ed 0e, belie#ed... -he "ing dre3 his knees to his chin, and hugged his leggs. So 3hat if he belie#edG ?ne should kno3 one@s li0it, abdicate, like it is done else3here... and B do not kno3 anything, and do not 3ant to. -here 3as only a con#ersation 3ith 0y uncle, 4is 4ighnesss. :Prostyaga, -- he said, -- doesn@t age:. -- :Ees, -- B tell hi0, -- but 3hat can 3e do, the angels pleaded for his health.: 8ncle then sneered, scu0, and 3ispered9 :Angels, -- he said, -- no longer sing their songs here:. And B blurted out9 :Bt is true, but no3 there is a 3ay to deal 3ith the0, not 7ust 3ith hu0ans:. 8ncle looked at 0e soberly, and i00ediatelly left... And B didn@t really say anything... C0pty 3ords, 3ithout 0eaning... And in a 3eek Prostyaga died fro0 a heart attack. So 3hatG Bt 3as his ti0e. 4e looked young, but in reality he 3as o#er one hundred. ;e@ll all die... -he "ing 3as startled, and co#ering hi0self, a3k3ardly sat up. Bnto the te0ple ca0e the 4igh Priest Agar. 2ay brothers 3ere leading hi0 by the hands. 4e didn@t look at the "ing, ca0e up to Dod and kneeled in front of the e0inence, tall, hunch-backed, 3ith 3aist length dirty-3hite hair. -he "ing gloated :Bt@s the end of you, Eour 4ighness, you did 0anage, B@0 not like Prostyaga, you@ll ra#age your oun intestines, drunken s3ine...: Agar spoke in a rich #oice9 - DodA -he "ing 3ishes to speak to youA !orgi#e hi0 and listenA -he roo0 fell silent, no-one dared to breathe. -he "ing conte0plated9 3hen the great flood happened, and the earth burst, Prostyaga asked Dod to help, and Dod ca0e do3n fro0 the sky as a ball of fla0e on the sa0e day, and that night the earth closed up, and the flood disappeared. Bt 0eans that this is ho3 it 3ill happen today. Eou 3ere late uncle, Eour 4ighness, you didn@t 0anage. >o one can help you no3... Agar straighned up. -he lay brothers that supported hi0, 7u0ped a3ay, turned 3ith their backs to Dod, and co#ered their heads 3ith their ar0s. -he "ind sa3, ho3 Agar stretced his clasped hands and put the0 on Dods chest. Dod@s eyes lit up. -he "ing snapped his 7a3 fro0 fear9 the eyes 3ere big and different -- one 3as snakish-green, the other 3hite, as bright as light. ?ne could hear ho3 Dod started to breathe, hea#ily, 3ith crackling, like consu0ption. Agar backed a3ay.

- Speak, - he 3hispered. Bt looked like he 3as unsettled as 3ell. -he "ing lo3ered to all fours, and started to cra3l to the e0inence. 4e did not kno3 3hat to do or ho3. And he did not kno3 ho3 he should start and 3hether he should tell the co0plete truth. Dod breathed hea#ily, 3ee6ing, suddenly he started to 3hi0per, 5uietly and thinly - scary. - B@0 the son of Prostyaga -- said the "ing in despair, s0othering his face against the cold stone. -- Prostyaga died. B ask protection fro0 the conspirators. Prostyaga 0ade 0istakes. 4e did not kno3 3hat he 3as doing. B ha#e fi<ed e#erything9 cal0ed the people, beca0e great and unatainable, like you, B gathered an ar0y... And the treacherous Buht is disrupting 0y plans to con5uer the 3orld... 4e 3ants to kill 0eA 4elp 0eA 4e raised his head. Dod, 3ithout blinking, 3as looking in his face 3ith green and 3hite. Dod 3as silent. - 4elp 0e... - repeated the "ing. -- 4elpA 4elpA - 4e suddenly thought, that he is doing so0ething 3rong, and that Dod is indifferent to3ards hi0, and inopportunely re0e0bered9 they said, his father, Prostyaga, did not die fro0 a heart attack, but 3as killed here, in the te0ple 3hen the killers ca0e in, 3ith out asking per0ission. -- 4elpA.-- he scree0ed desperatelly. -- B@0 afraid to die todayA 4elpA 4elpA 4e hunched up on the stone tiles, biting his hands fro0 an unbarable terror. Fifferently-eyed Dod hoarsly breathed abo#e his head. - ?ld #er0ine, - said -olya. Crnst 3as 5uiet. ?n the screen, through the sparks of static an ugly black shape of a hu0an lay splattered on the floor. -- ;hen B think, -olya spoke again, -- that if not for hi0, Alan and Ferek 3ould be ali#e, B 3ant to do so0ething, that you ne#er 3anted to do. Crnst shrugged his shoulders and 0o#ed to the table. - And B al3ays think, - -olya continued, - 3hy didn@t Ferek shootG 4e could ha#e killed all... - 4e couldn@t , - said Crnst. - ;hy couldn@t heG - 4a#e you e#er tried shooting at a hu0an beingG -olya 0ade a 3ry face, but didn@t say anything. - ;ell that@s 3hat it 3as, - said Crnst. -- -ry to i0agine it. Bt is al0ost as disgusting. A soro3ful ho3l 3as heard fro0 the loudspeaker. :4C2P 4C2P B AH A!IABF 4C2P..,: the auto-translater 3as 3riting. - Poor cruel folk... - said -olya.