"STAR ZOO"
Igor Belogrud
Alexander Klimov
You will, of course, be surprised and
most likely I won’t believe it
rite. I myself wouldn't really-
then he believed the man,
who told me such a story
riya. Moreover, even I
not an interplanar explorer
tchik, but a simple laboratory assistant.
I work at a zoo
caretaker of the department
crayfish But the zoo is not
simple yet stellar.
This is a huge space
station hanging in the empty
those somewhere in the middle are
next sector of the galaxy
tics and similar from a distance
on the layout of the crystalline
what bars? These are hundreds of ki-
metal meters
corridors, small electric
cars that replace
service personnel
own legs, artificial
natural gravity, enclosure
fish, cages, feeders and...
thousands of different
creatures brought by auto-
matic scouts with
new planets. Among them
some are pretty cute
animals, for example, mine
cuttlefish, but who cares
depending on your luck.
Actually, I'm a caretaker
got in by mistake. I just-
just finished la-courses
borant-chemists and just
was waiting for a flight to Promax,
while away the time at the buffet
cmonopta, when between the tables
a fat race made his way through
a tattered man and exhausted
but yelled: “Laboratory assistant Iva-
new! Urgently follow
me. The spaceship is sending-
in five minutes!"
I immediately followed
fat man and only through
a quarter of an hour I discovered
that I’m flying to the starry
onapky. This is an incident
revealed to me that laboratory assistants
The Ivanovs meet several times
only more often than I expected
gal.
Coming back because of me
going out on the track, naturally
Surely they didn’t. Raster-
Mr. HR Manager
sighed heavily, but already
a minute later he persuaded me
accept the karak department
tit. I agreed. Stars-
new zoo - it sounded
so romantic...
But the romance ended in
the first working day.
True, I was lucky:
Katits, as they were called
easily, but scientifically -
animals with difficult to pronounce
by the same name, distinguished
became peaceful and settled down
persistent good nature. Their
brought from the planet Brombus,
atmosphere and gravity
they are no different
from earthly ones. Guys to me
were very jealous: many
of which accounted for a day-
sit in the bathroom all day
pokamepax or swim in
ammonia pools together
with the gluttonous Gildinskys
mi seals.
But also with my wards
there was never a dull moment.
They constantly demanded
food and not at all caring
tried to maintain
league of cleanliness and order.
Moreover, they loved
sing. I plugged my ears with cotton,
but cuttlefish are right away
noticed and, lest
spoil me with pleasure,
immediately started screaming
with doubleenergy.
My responsibilities outside
differed in simplicity
labor intensive. Ex-look-
department tel in two hours
brought me up to speed and
ran to sign the round-
no leaf.
But, to be honest, in the Zo-
I liked it. I
made friends with the guys
wrote in the section so-
no tennis and released
beard Three months later I
I studied the station so much that
blindfolded smog
to find the cuttlefish compartment,
armored hippopotamuses or
some electrical
chickens
And on that memorable day I
sat near the enclosure and co-
wrote a poem for
our wall newspaper "Ve-
gray reptile." I swallowed
lived his beard, gnawed the karan-
Dash, I was looking at the ceiling, but
I couldn't think of it
rhymes with "gills". B
some were in my head
"mops" that don't
wanted to fit in with you
the plot that I suffered from. B
The usual fuss was going on in the enclosure.
Actually, the enclosures in
traditional understanding
this word was not there. Was
spacious room with con-
air conditioners, whose floor
covered with a layer of artificial
ctbehhoro soil. According to plan
climbed up the stmas piles
garlands of blue
Brombe bindweed, expands
hanging under the ceiling in
lush openwork roof.
Place a fan on top
twelve powerful
quartz lamps, support
vital activities
cuttlefish and over time
painted my face and sour
Ti handsthe color is firmly woven
pehhoro tea.
Cuttlefish, green ones,
like young cucumbers,
rocked oval glossy
big heads and perky
bounced on four
elastic tentacles. Their
big blue eyes shaking
were on thin antennas and
during particularly strong jumps
kah knocked the owners
heads.
The area was fenced
wall of six rows
lined wire, leaving-
create a small space
for my table, buckets,
brushes and overalls. Ka-
crayfish crawled through
any crack, but like fire
were afraid of power wires
dressing up. Considering their mi-
loving disposition, there are plenty of them
could be kept
without a fence, and if this is
was done, then only for
so that curious people
the three-legged ones did not leak
in some cells
very picky eaters
predators.
Mash jumped up to the fence
ka is my favorite. She was-
stood half a meter from
walls and carefully npocyhy-
la antennas between the wires-
mi. The eyes drooped and
looked at my sheet of paper.
The cuttlefish thought, me-
mechanically chewing the glass
Belle bindweed. I blew on
wet droplet eyes, and
Masha squeaked offendedly,
disappeared into the general trash heap.
There was no rhyme, I
finally got angry and broke up
leaf into small pieces.
(to be continued...)
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