День триффидов
The Coming of the Triffids
I’dfeelalotnearergivingyouarealanswerifIcouldgetalineonwhatitmeanswhentheypatter.SomehowIdon’tcareforthat.Theretheysit,witheveryonethinkingnomoreofthemthantheymightofaprettyoddlotorcabbages,yethalfthedinethey’repatteringandclatteringawayatoneanother,Why?Whatisittheypatterabout?That’swhatIwanttoknow."
IthinkWalterrarelygaveahintofhisideastoanyoneelse,andIkeptthemconfidential,partlybecauseIknewnoonewhowouldn’tbemoreskepticalthanIwasmyselfandpartlybecauseitwouldn’tdoeitherofusanygoodtogetareputationinthefirmascrackpots.
Forayearorsomorewewereworkingfairlyclosetogether.Butwiththeopeningofnewnurseriesandtheneedforstudyingmethodsabroad,Ibegantotravelalot.Hegaveupthefieldworkandwentintotheresearchdepartment.Itsuitedhimthere,doinghisownsearchingaswellasthecompany’sIusedtodropintoseehimfromtimetotime.Hewasforevermakingexperimentswithhistriffids,buttheresultsweren’tclearinghisgeneralideasasmuchashehadhoped.Hehadprovedtohisownsatisfactionatleast,theexistenceofawell-developedintelligenceandevenIhadtoadmitthathisresultsseemedtoshowsomethingmorethaninstinct.Hewasstillconvincedthatthepatteringofthestickswasaformorcommunication.Forpublicconsumptionhehadshownthatthesticksweresomethingmore,andthatatriffiddeprivedofthemgraduallydeteriorated.
