Марсианские хроники
April 2000: The Third Expedition
"Howelsecanyouexplainthesehouses,theirondeer,thepianos,themusic?"Hinkstontookthecaptain’selbowpersuasivelyandlookedintothecaptain’sface."Saythattherewerepeopleintheyear1905whohatedwarandgottogetherwithsomescientistsinsecretandbuiltarocketandcameoutheretoMars—"
"No,no,Hinkston."
"Whynot?Theworldwasadifferentworldin1905;theycouldhavekeptitasecretmuchmoreeasily."
"Butacomplexthinglikearocket,no,youcouldn’tkeepitsecret."
"Andtheycameupheretolive,andnaturallythehousestheybuiltweresimilartoEarthhousesbecausetheybroughttheculturewiththem."
"Andthey’velivedherealltheseyears?"saidthecaptain.
"Inpeaceandquiet,yes.Maybetheymadeafewtrips,enoughtobringenoughpeoplehereforonesmalltown,andthenstoppedforfearofbeingdiscovered.That’swhythistownseemssoold-fashioned.Idon’tseeathing,myself,olderthantheyear1927,doyou?Ormaybe,sir,rockettravelisolderthanwethink.PerhapsitstartedinsomepartoftheworldcenturiesagoandwaskeptsecretbythesmallnumberofmenwhocametoMarswithonlyoccasionalvisitstoEarthoverthecenturies."
"Youmakeitsoundalmostreasonable."
"Ithastobe.We’vetheproofherebeforeus;allwehavetodoisfindsomepeopleandverifyit."
Theirbootsweredeadenedofallsoundinthethickgreengrass.Itsmelledfromafreshmowing.Inspiteofhimself,CaptainJohnBlackfeltagreatpeacecomeoverhim.
