A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 3

Wagner safely walked on «lake», I is absolutely timid – behind it. In the middle of «carpet» the area several honeycombs of square meters I saw a small cross as it seemed to me. When we approached it closer, it turned out that one «crosspiece» represented a crack in a carpet, and another – the bolt turned across a crack sitting on a core. From this central cross the brackets resembling door handles dispersed extensively.

Wagner turned a bolt so that it became against an opening. At the same moment I felt that we rise, as on the flying carpet.

– Hold brackets! – Wagner shouted to me. I grasped the handle, and in time as strongly rocked our «plane». Fortunately, wind gusts did not repeat any more, and we so smoothly rose that I could not get off impression as if not we go up, and the earth, the field, a birchwood, Wagner’s dacha slowly fall.

– Our flying carpet would rise quicker if not the resistance of air – Wagner told. He sat against me, holding the bracket similar to the door handle. We were divided by a crack through which when the flying carpet was on the earth, the bolt holding the plane from rise as an anchor was passed.

– Yes, our aircraft of not too streamline shape; at least, when flying down – I responded, hardly forcing itself to speak: to such an extent this extraordinary adventure stunned me.

– Now you will not tell that over us a magnet which attracts us? – Wagner asked, having cunning blinked blue eyes.

– Alas, it is higher than my understanding – I answered. Wagner loudly laughed loudly.

– A difficult task – at last he told. – You can imagine that I invented some kevorit-screen protecting bodies from terrestrial inclination. But kevorit – the most blank and impracticable imagination. You could imagine that I loaded our flying carpet with electricity, of the same name with a terrestrial charge, and the flying carpet jumped aside from the earth as a buzinny ball…

– I imagine nothing – I objected. – Now interests me as highly we will rise. We are dressed as in summer, and we have no oxygen devices.

– You can be absolutely quiet – Wagner answered. – Carrying power of our flying carpet is very small. Its ceiling has only two-three hundred meters. You see, our rise is already slowed down. And when there will come evening, temperature will go down, humidity of air will increase, and our flying carpet will begin to descend. My calculation is absolutely exact. Punktum. Not without reason I verified your weight. There now. For now… we have a lot more time, and I can explain you a secret of our flying carpet… You watch how many boys ran together to look at us. And from where only they undertake?. Shout, wave caps…

Slowly carried us for a grove. The river and crowd of children passed out of sight ashore soon.

– And so – Wagner continued – all these miracles were born from scientific works on physics of thin films, little-known to general public. I advise you to get acquainted with this subject. In sum, our flying carpet is made of a so-called firm chain. This body consisting of a set of cells bubbles. Alloy of magnesium and beryllium. The size of cells is less than one millimeter, and thickness of walls – one ten-thousand millimeter. Emptiness of cells are filled with hydrogen. At a thickness of walls – thin films – in one thousand millimeter weightless material already turns out, and at a thickness of one ten-thousand as at us, metal becomes flying. At the known size of the flying carpet from such metal it, as you can see, can lift not only itself (himself), but also additional freight. Forgive, but I will take off boots – got used to go at the dacha barefoot – he interrupted the explanations, took off boots and put near himself. – So – he told…

But at this moment it is unknown from where flew a wind gust, rocked our flying carpet, boots departed on the earth, the facilitated plane rushed up. Wagner screamed, and this shout resembled groan more. I understood: alas, now we will not be helped by neither night dampness, nor fall of temperature. We could not produce gas to decrease as aeronauts. Gas of our flying carpet was deeply hided in artificial «foamy» structure. We could not operate the movement of the plane neither down, nor across. We were helpless. We had no radio station. We had no stocks of food and water. This Wagner is a quite good inventor, but very impractical person. I was angry on it especially as to me thirst already having felt hungry and tormented.

– Whether our situation reminds you an old story of the person who took in head to jump in a flea way? – Wagner angrily breathed heavily, but kept silent. – There is nothing to tell, we got into pretty situation – I continued to saw it. – There can come the storm at night, our flying carpet will turn, and we will break. Or we will eat each other for hunger as castaway. Or we will die from thirst, and our bodies will be rasklevana birds…

Wagner loudly burst out laughing.

– I did not know that you such cheerful person also are able to joke in the most difficult circumstances! – sincerely he told, and it became a shame to me. – But our situation not so tragic as it seems to you. Fortunately, my flying carpet is welded from solid foam which is pretty fragile. We can break off pieces from our carpet, it will decrease in sizes and will fall as the raft under excessive weight falls. It is rather for work!

Wagner began to break off pieces of porous foam, since edges of a crack in the center of a carpet. I followed its example. We threw the broken-off pieces aside and down, but they steadily emerged upward and vanished somewhere in blue of the sky.

– Alloy expensive, is a pity to lose these pieces, but my familiar pilots will catch them in network. All these pieces will fly at one height, it is not higher than ten kilometers. You see, we already decrease. Some more pieces… Wait to throw, under us, apparently, the lake. Indeed. It is necessary to drop the ballast. Take off boots!

We safely landed in thickets of a hazel grove and bound braces and belts the spoiled flying carpet that it did not depart. Came back home barefoot, hungry and excited…

Devil’s mill

– Directly from the station it is passed through all settlement the big street – Soviet. On it you also go. Dachas will terminate, the field road will begin, go on it by the sports ground down, to the small river. The small river will also have a village of Stryabtsy. Go down the street on the left all the way villages. The second house at the left – pay attention to huge oak gate – it is and there will be my giving. The hostess, Anna Tarasovna Tulikova, lives on a mill in the summer. And to a mill no distance. Just in case you descend to the hostess on bow – she is a woman strict. Tell that you came to visit me, you will spend the night and that I will arrive later.

With such parting words Ivan Stepanovich Wagner supplied me, inviting to himself to the dacha situated near Moscow. This year professor Wagner lived in Moscow as the trust of exact mechanics by its order finished a construction of some difficult device and Wagner’s presence it was necessary. Wagner spent nearly all free time in trust workshops, seldom coming out to the dacha. But this day – Saturday – works in workshops terminated early, and Wagner promised me to arrive and spend with me Sunday.

I without effort found Wagner’s dacha and went to get acquainted with Tarasovna. Despite evening, was very hot. The summer and fall that year were exclusively hot. The small rivulet Ilevka on which there was Tarasovna’s mill absolutely dried up. Without reaching a mill yet, I heard a female voice of force and height extraordinary. The voice is this, belonging to the widow Tulikova, it was remembered to me well – it directly contused eardrums. Besides Tarasovna had ability to issue so many words in a minute that even the awarded stenographer would not be able to write down and half. This time Tarasovna brought down all the machine-gun eloquence on the head of the peasant who brought rye for a grinding. The peasant scratched a shaggy beard, and Tarasovna, упершись fists in wide hips, shouted:

– You do not see, perhaps? Chicken fords the small river, and it – to grind! Here frogs took rest from the land, and you – to grind! A samovar to put waters you will not gather, and it – to grind! Yesterday the Bug drank up the last water, and you – to grind!.

«And it – to grind», «and you – to grind» – sounded as a refrain. The peasant listened long and attentively, then grunted and began to gather in a way back.

Tarasovna paid attention to me. Having learned that I am a guest of her summer resident, she lowered a voice on several tones why its shrillness did not decrease, and with forced affability invited me «to be as at home».

– Really really will not even be enough for a samovar? – I asked, cautiously glancing at the small river and feeling what in a throat at me dried up.

– Will be enough, will be enough, do not worry. We have a well. Vaska! Deliver a samovar to the guest.

I turned back and saw the guy of years of eighteen lying on a grass; it was Tarasovna’s son and her assistant – adding on a mill. Vaska it is lazy rose, stegnut a rod a grass and started wandering to the house, and Tarasovna tormented to me ears with a shrill voice for a long time, complaining of a drought, of the dried-up Ilevka, of god, of the whole world. Its mill stood, and the mill feeds it with children, feeds all year.

– And that for the people irresponsible! See: to a mosquito to get drunk will not be enough, and they – to grind. As though I refuse bread!.

– The samovar began to boil! – Vasily from the yard shouted.

– Welcome.

I did not manage to drink tea in a garden among mean apple-trees yet as I heard a familiar voice of Wagner:

The village where Evgeny missed,

There was a charming corner…

– You miss? – Wagner took seat for a little table near me. He told me that he becomes in the city, I to it – about the impressions.

– Yes, Tarasovna should help. Go after tea to it to a mill – professor offered.

And we went. Wagner was in the most cheerful mood.

– It is possible to look at the device of your mill? – he asked.

Tarasovna graciously resolved, and we with professor entered the twilight of a mill. Wagner examined its simple mechanics.

– For one and a half thousand years mills were under construction B.C., it is not enough what differing from this – Wagner told. – How many it at you in day of a namalyval?

– How many will bring, it is so much and namalyvat – Tarasovna answered. – Fifty centners, and even it is more when there is a lot of water.

– So, so. – Wagner thoughtfully nodded. – I do not promise fifty centners, but ten can be ground. For a start. And then we will look.

– Hundred! If at least hundred! – Tarasovna sighed. Wagner stood some more minutes over millstones, tried a shaft, thought and told:

– Here that, Anna Tarasovna. I will deliver you the small engine. It will only be necessary to rearrange millstones – these will be great for my engine. I will fit your old, it will be possible to make small of them. Vasily will help me. But only a promise is a promise. My engine will be in a box. Do not open this box and you do not watch what is in it, otherwise you will damage the engine, and then I will help nothing to you. Goes?

– Really! Yes of course! Yes unless I?. Be mercy!

Wagner turned to work. Vasily and I helped him.

I decided that, most likely, Wagner wants to put the small kerosene or oil engine. But why such mystery?

We worked almost till midnight. When we with Vasily fell down for fatigue and strong fell asleep, Wagner continued to work: it did not need rest.