Читать онлайн «Eva»
Автор Питер Дикинсон
eva
CONTENTS
Part One
Day One
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Seventeen
Month Two, Day Nineteen
Month Two, Day Twenty-Five
Part Two
Month Four, Day Twelve
Month Six, Day Two
Month Six, Day Ten
Month Six, Day Eleven
Month Eight, Days Four And Six
Month Eight, Day Twenty-Nine
Month Nine, Day Fourteen
Year Two, Month Three, Day Seventeen
Year Two, Month Five, Day Nine
Yeah Two, Month Twelve, Days Two and Three
Year Two, Month Twelve, Day Ten
Year Three, Month One, Day Five
Part Three
Year Two, Year. Twenty-Four, Month Forgotten, Day Forgotten
eva
PART ONE
WAKING
DAY ONE
Eva was lying on her back. That was strange enough. She always slept facedown. Now she only knew that she wasn’t by the sensation of upness and downness—she couldn’t actually feel the pressure of the mattress against her back. She couldn’t feel anything. She couldn’t be floating? Still dreaming?
When she tried to feel with a hand if the mattress was there, it wouldn’t move. Nothing moved! Stuck!
In panic she forced her eyes open. It seemed a huge effort. Slowly the lids rose.
Dim white blur. A misty hovering shape, pale at the center, dark at the edges.
“Darling?”
With a flood of relief Eva dragged herself out of the nightmare. Mom’s voice. The mist unblurred a little, and the shape was Mom’s face. She could see the blue eyes and the mouth now.
She tried to smile, but her lips wouldn’t move.
“It’s all right, darling. You’re going to be all right. ”
There was something terrible in the voice.
“Do you know me, darling? Can you understand what I’m saying? Close your eyes and open them again. ”
The lids moved slow as syrup. When she opened them she could see better, Mom’s face almost clear, but still just blur beyond.
“Oh, darling!”
Relief and joy in the voice now but something else still, underneath.
“You’re going to be all right, darling. Don’t worry. You’ve been unconscious for . . . for a long time. Now you’re going to start getting better. You aren’t really paralyzed. You can’t move anything except your eyes yet, but you will soon, little by little, until you’re running about again, good as new. ”
Eva closed her eyes. A picnic? Yes, on the seashore—Dad standing at the wave edge, holding Grunt’s hand on one side and Bobo’s on the other, all three shapes almost black against the glitter off the ripples. And after that? Nothing.
“Is she asleep?” whispered Mom.
As Eva opened her eyes she heard a faint electronic mutter, and this time she could see clearly enough to notice a thing like a hearing aid tucked in under the black coil of hair by Mom’s left ear.
“I don’t know if you can remember the accident, darling. We’re all right too, Dad and me, just a bit bruised. Grunt broke his wrist—the chimps got loose in the car, you see—on the way back from the seashore. Can you remember? One blink for yes and two for no, all right?”
Eva opened and closed the heavy lids, twice.
“Oh, darling, it’s so wonderful to have you back! I’ve only got five minutes, because I mustn’t wear you out, and then they’ll put you back to sleep for a while. Look, this is a toy they’ve made for you, until you’re really better. ”
