Various - Omni: The Complete Fiction / Разные авторы - Полная коллекция художественных произведений из журнала "Omni" [2019, EPUB, ENG]

Once More, Legato

Ray Bradbury

Fentriss sat up in his chair in the garden in the middle of a fine autumn and listened. The drink in his hand remained unsipped, his friend Black unspoken to, the fine house unnoticed, the very weather itself neglected, for there was a veritable fountain of sound in the air above them. “My God,” he mid. “Do you hear?” “What, the birds?” asked his friend Black, doing just the opposite, sipping his drink, noticing the weather, admiring the rich house, and neglecting the birds entirely until this moment. “Great God in heaven, listen to them!” cried Fentriss. Black listened. “Rather nice.” “clean out your ears!” Black made a halfhearted gesture, symbolizing the cleaning out of ears. “Well?” “Damn it, don’t be funny. I mean really listen! They’re singing a tune!” “Birds usually do.” “No, they don’t; birds paste together bits and pieces maybe, five or six notes, eight at the most. Mockingbirds have repertoires that change, but not entire melodies. These birds are different. Now shut up and give over!” Both men sat, enchanted. Black’s expression melted. “I’ll be damned,” he said at last. “They do go on.” He leaned forward and listened intently. “Yes . . .” murmured Fentriss, eyes shut, nodding to the rhythms that sprang like fresh rain from the tree just above their heads. “. . . ohmigod . . . indeed.” Black rose as if to move under the tree and peer up. Fentriss protested with a fierce whisper: “Don’t spoil it. Sit. Be very still. Where’s my pencil? Ah . . .” ...