Марсианские хроники
October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic
Tokeepwarm,theycrouchedaroundtheblazeandlaughed,andTimothysawthelittlelettersleaplikefrightenedanimalswhentheflamestouchedandengulfedthem.Thepaperscrinkledlikeanoldman’sskin,andthecremationsurroundedinnumerablewords:
"GOVERNMENTBONDS;BusinessGraph,1999;ReligiousPrejudice:AnEssay;TheScienceofLogistics;ProblemsofthePan-AmericanUnity;StockReportforJuly3,1998;TheWarDigest…"
Dadhadinsistedonbringingthesepapersforthispurpose.Hesatthereandfedthemintothefire,onebyone,withsatisfaction,andtoldhischildrenwhatitallmeant.
"It’stimeItoldyouafewthings.Idon’tsupposeitwasfair,keepingsomuchfromyou.Idon’tknowifyou’llunderstand,butIhavetotalk,evenifonlypartofitgetsovertoyou."
Hedroppedaleafinthefire.
"I’mburningawayoflife,justlikethatwayoflifeisbeingburnedcleanofEarthrightnow.ForgivemeifItalklikeapolitician.Iam,afterall,aformerstategovernor,andIwashonestandtheyhatedmeforit.LifeonEarthneversettleddowntodoinganythingverygood.Sciencerantoofaraheadofustooquickly,andthepeoplegotlostinamechanicalwilderness,likechildrenmakingoverprettythings,gadgets,helicopters,rockets;emphasizingthewrongitems,emphasizingmachinesinsteadofhowtorunthemachines.WarsgotbiggerandbiggerandfinallykilledEarth.That’swhatthesilentradiomeans.That’swhatweranawayfrom."
"Wewerelucky.Therearen’tanymorerocketsleft.
