Read Online The Way of Muri by Ilya Boyashov - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ilya Boyashov
Ads: Link
affection.
‘You shouldn’t fall for all that nonsense! Crafty little devil! I’d throw him back outside, if I were you. They’re so devious… All that stretching and purring, that’s just for show! They know exactly what they want. Kick him out right now, I tell you, or you’ll never get rid of him!’
‘He’s just a poor, defenceless animal!’ exclaimed the astronomer. ‘What have you got against him?’
‘They’ve got their own agenda, however much they fawn all over you,’ declared the technician. ‘They don’t care about anything else. They’re just out for what they can get.’ He grabbed Muri by the scruff of his neck and snarled at him, ‘What’s the big idea, eh? Have you come to steal the last of our food? Or are you just looking for a roof over your head until it warms up a bit?’
‘He’s here to stay,’ the astronomer answered cheerfully on the cat’s behalf. ‘I know what cats are like. They just need somewhere to call home.’
‘What exactly are you planning to feed it, eh?’ Mirko was really starting to lose his temper. ‘All we have left is about ten cans of stewed meat, some pasta and a few other scraps. We’re not going to have anything left to eat ourselves soon!’
‘Leave him alone,’ Patić said firmly.
‘You’re right about one thing!’ declared the technician. ‘Now he’s got his foot in the door, that cat’s not going anywhere. At least, not until the food runs out – then he’ll disappear like the wind. Little bastards… All they care about is themselves. They know exactly what they’re after!’
‘Good for them!’ exclaimed Petko Patić. ‘Anyway, I have to go now.’
‘The world’s gone mad! They’re all killing one another, and it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered up here by a gang of bandits, and then we’ll be killed too… And all you can think about is your stupid theory!’ The technician was seething with impotent rage. ‘But who cares? That stupid star of yours isn’t going to keep anyone warm at night. You don’t even realize how crazy you are!’
In despair he kicked out at the cat, who immediately sought refuge under the astronomer’s bed.
‘You’re actually insane,’ continued Mirko. ‘Do you understand that, or not? Lying on the freezing concrete, your eye glued to that lens night after night, scribbling away in your stupid notebooks…’
‘The state of the world is of no concern to me!’ answered Patić. ‘They can carry on blowing one another up, for all I care. The Council are a bunch of clueless idiots. They’ll be laughing on the other side of their faces soon enough, though, mark my words! But why am I bothering to explain myself to you? Who cares if Zagreb and Belgrade are reduced to ashes, along with the rest of Europe, for that matter – what difference will it make?’
Patić saw that the technician was rendered speechless by his outburst. ‘I don’t want to get into an argument with you about it,’ he added firmly. ‘You’re free to leave whenever you like, but I’m staying here! So what if the night freezes me to the floor and my arms turn numb? So what if we run out of bread? I’ll live on pine needles if I have to!’
‘And what are you going to have to show for it?’ the technician taunted him. ‘You can’t just pretend the Council doesn’t exist. What are you going to say to them if you screw it up again?’
Patić responded by triumphantly passing wind.
Once the astronomer had gone out into the freezing night air, to cling to his rope and haul himself up closer to the stars, Mirko turned his attention back to the cat. ‘You little bastard!’ he scowled. ‘If you think you’re going to stick around here, fillingyour belly at our expense, you’ve got another think coming. You might be able to dupe that old fool, but you’d better watch out for my broom.’
With these words of encouragement he reached under the bed to try and grab the cat, but Muri had wisely
‘You shouldn’t fall for all that nonsense! Crafty little devil! I’d throw him back outside, if I were you. They’re so devious… All that stretching and purring, that’s just for show! They know exactly what they want. Kick him out right now, I tell you, or you’ll never get rid of him!’
‘He’s just a poor, defenceless animal!’ exclaimed the astronomer. ‘What have you got against him?’
‘They’ve got their own agenda, however much they fawn all over you,’ declared the technician. ‘They don’t care about anything else. They’re just out for what they can get.’ He grabbed Muri by the scruff of his neck and snarled at him, ‘What’s the big idea, eh? Have you come to steal the last of our food? Or are you just looking for a roof over your head until it warms up a bit?’
‘He’s here to stay,’ the astronomer answered cheerfully on the cat’s behalf. ‘I know what cats are like. They just need somewhere to call home.’
‘What exactly are you planning to feed it, eh?’ Mirko was really starting to lose his temper. ‘All we have left is about ten cans of stewed meat, some pasta and a few other scraps. We’re not going to have anything left to eat ourselves soon!’
‘Leave him alone,’ Patić said firmly.
‘You’re right about one thing!’ declared the technician. ‘Now he’s got his foot in the door, that cat’s not going anywhere. At least, not until the food runs out – then he’ll disappear like the wind. Little bastards… All they care about is themselves. They know exactly what they’re after!’
‘Good for them!’ exclaimed Petko Patić. ‘Anyway, I have to go now.’
‘The world’s gone mad! They’re all killing one another, and it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered up here by a gang of bandits, and then we’ll be killed too… And all you can think about is your stupid theory!’ The technician was seething with impotent rage. ‘But who cares? That stupid star of yours isn’t going to keep anyone warm at night. You don’t even realize how crazy you are!’
In despair he kicked out at the cat, who immediately sought refuge under the astronomer’s bed.
‘You’re actually insane,’ continued Mirko. ‘Do you understand that, or not? Lying on the freezing concrete, your eye glued to that lens night after night, scribbling away in your stupid notebooks…’
‘The state of the world is of no concern to me!’ answered Patić. ‘They can carry on blowing one another up, for all I care. The Council are a bunch of clueless idiots. They’ll be laughing on the other side of their faces soon enough, though, mark my words! But why am I bothering to explain myself to you? Who cares if Zagreb and Belgrade are reduced to ashes, along with the rest of Europe, for that matter – what difference will it make?’
Patić saw that the technician was rendered speechless by his outburst. ‘I don’t want to get into an argument with you about it,’ he added firmly. ‘You’re free to leave whenever you like, but I’m staying here! So what if the night freezes me to the floor and my arms turn numb? So what if we run out of bread? I’ll live on pine needles if I have to!’
‘And what are you going to have to show for it?’ the technician taunted him. ‘You can’t just pretend the Council doesn’t exist. What are you going to say to them if you screw it up again?’
Patić responded by triumphantly passing wind.
Once the astronomer had gone out into the freezing night air, to cling to his rope and haul himself up closer to the stars, Mirko turned his attention back to the cat. ‘You little bastard!’ he scowled. ‘If you think you’re going to stick around here, fillingyour belly at our expense, you’ve got another think coming. You might be able to dupe that old fool, but you’d better watch out for my broom.’
With these words of encouragement he reached under the bed to try and grab the cat, but Muri had wisely
Similar Books
