Читать книгу The Science Fiction Anthology онлайн

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Cable tapped the dead microphone several times, then put it down. They stood around the receiver, listening to the chess game between the man in Rabaul and the man in Bougainville.

“Pawn to queen bishop four.”

“Pawn to king three.”

“Knight to Queen bishop three.”

There was a sudden staccato burst of static. It faded, then came again in three distinct bursts.

“What do you suppose that is?” Sorensen asked.

Drake shrugged his shoulders. “Could be anything. Storm’s shaping up and—”

He stopped. He had been standing beside the door of the shed. As the static crackled, he saw the bird of paradise dive for a closer look. The static stopped when the bird returned to its slow-circling higher altitude.

“That’s strange,” Drake said. “Did you see that, Bill? The bird came down and the static went on at the same time.”

“I saw it,” Sorensen said. “Think it means anything?”

“I don’t know. Let’s see.” Drake took out his field glasses. He turned up the volume of the receiver and stepped outside where he could observe the jungle. He waited, hearing the sounds of the chess game three or four hundred miles away.