A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 7. Stories-2

We approach closer, we see that “mirror” has the rhombus form. On a brilliant background some black point. As if moves. “Solar spot!” – someone from our company jokes. “A mirage in the desert!” – picks up another. Truly, a mirage in the desert!

– Yes the person on a roof climbs! – my neighbor Trofimov told. – And the roof burns as Isaakiya’s dome on sunset.

– Oh, you look. Departed! Fell! From a roof fell…

And really, “the solar spot” slid off down and crashed down on the earth. And house two-storeyed. Below people began to move, noise, laughter, voices, shouts are heard. We approach.

– What at you happened here? – I ask. – Whether long ago gold roofs on houses began to do?

– The correspondence engineer from a roof fell!

– Roof not gold, but copper! – I hear in reply.

What else such correspondence engineer? I look at the person who sits on the earth and the knee rubs. Near it the bucket and a brush roll. Young man, snub-nosed such. Screws up the face and smiles. Yes it is Mishka!

– Bear! – I shout. – Hey, Sinitsyn! Hi!

And he answers:

– I should become attached a rope. Hi, Kolya!

Rose, greeted. Turned back to young companions that stood near it, and speaks:

– Well, children, for today representation is ended. It is necessary to welcome the guest.

And again to me:

– We go, Kolya. At me you will stop.

Limping, he started wandering forward, and I with the small suitcase behind it. He lived in the same house “with a gold roof”, only the entrance was on the other hand.

We entered its small room. All it was filled up with stuff: on tables wire hanks, fittings of an electrical wiring, tisochka, screw-drivers, keys, hammers – the tool different. Ware is chemical, papers with drawings, on a wall – regiments with books. At once it is visible that the inventor. Over a small desk – a radio loud-hailer. On a table – a commonplace book and a pencil. Until we were washed and Mishka lit a kerosene stove that after the journey to treat me with tea, already the sun set. Darkened. From under a table the lamp without lamp shade appeared.

– Here, admire – Mishka told, lighting a lamp. – It is necessary to use kerosene lighting. It is a shame in our century of electrification!

– Unless at the mine there is no power plant?

– Are going to build – Mishka answered – yes hard this business. From where here to take energy? There is no local fuel, and the river? There was nearby one and that ran away. And if did not run away, I pound from it a little. What bias of falling of water in it, you know?

– One ten-thousand – I answered.

– There now you see. On kilometer ten centimeters. You will not construct hydroelectric power station. To put power plant on coal – it is expensive energy will manage. Try to deliver here. Unless oil will be found.

– Where here oil? – with doubt I told.

– Well, do not tell. At the desert, the brother you mine, are a lot of riddles which to solve for our century will last. Recently I had to hear. Cattle-farmers sent a caravan to Khiva on the main caravan road Ashgabat – Khiva. On this road hundreds of years moved caravans. Each piece is studied. And wells – and could not be spoken. Here behind a water drop tens of kilometers not a hook. And here found the well thrown and semi-brought by sand in bush thickets. Began to dig – water black. All dressing gowns in dark oil splashes. Whether oil? Lit a bunch of a dry grass, threw into a well – as will fall a cropper. Hardly sand threw. Oil! Why well? Why oil? Filtered, perhaps. Myurrek Telkiyev is a brother of the chairman of an aulsovet – itself in a caravan was, “the fiery well” saw and can show a way to it. You never know such finds and nearby it can appear? But only time presses…

– Wait, children, give only term. Will be to you and the doll, will be also a whistle – Mishka recited, pumping up a kerosene stove. – Here at least and a kerosene stove to take. Again game. Primitive, one may say, tool. Rustles, hoots and cuts the cheese. What a difference electric kettle… You speak, solar installations. I read that abroad thought up absolutely new principle. Imagine at the foot of the mountain something like a big hotbed. The sun heats air in a hotbed. And from a hotbed on the mountain the pipe is laid. Hot air goes up where more cold. Put above the turbine which would rotate from this stream of hot air. Here to you and ready solar wind-driven electric generator. For such piece I know the suitable town: northern and northwest borders of Mirzacho’l. Steppe this plateau. It rolls down from the North a wall, sixty-meter, crimson from an exit of granite breeds. Here where to arrange such car. I already was there, nasmotret the town and I think to be engaged in this business as soon as I finish the copper roof here.

– What the roof is?

The bear rubbed the hurt knee.

– Great расшибся – he told – only showed no sign. Swelled up. It will be necessary to make a compress. And you have tea. I still will be in time.

And, having been engaged in the leg, it continued:

– At me too if you want, solar installation. Only other. Direct transformation of solar energy into electric. Photo cell. Heard?

– Own invention? – I asked.

The bear shrugged shoulders and modestly answered:

– Not my idea. I on radio heard the speech of companion Ioffe. Academician. About the new plan of electrification. Sixty million kilowatts. This is not a bug of a mosquito caught! That such to the settlement to collect, it is necessary from everywhere where it is only possible, energy to scoop. He spoke and about photo cells. And still said that the youth, Komsomol members first of all, has to put pressure that such task to execute. Here I also solved: what do I am not youth? Than not the Komsomol member? Why not to undertake this business without postponing? Photo so photo. Element so element. Began to get acquainted with literature, to do experiences. You know, I the inventor a bit.

– As, I know. Forgive, Mishka and why you when you fell, called the correspondence engineer?

– So, joke. In the questionnaire I somehow wrote that I have the highest self-education. Made a fun of me. I say that there is nothing ridiculous here, as most it is possible to overcome the highest sciences and the equipment to study. I supposedly on radio took the whole course of electrophysics. Correspondence course. Well, someone also let: “Correspondence engineer!” Only they so laugh, without sting. Children love me and helped me. You only listen that here with a copper roof was.

I was engaged, so in experiences over photo cells… Yes you, maybe, do not know what is photo cells? You see conductivity of some metals in connection with other chemicals increases from effect of light. Take an iron leaf and cover it with selenium. Take out it on a sunlight – here to you and a ready element. There will be current. Scientists knew it long ago, only current turned out very weak – in some thousand shares of percent from Energy of the sun, light. Well, and now this business quickly uphill went. And now photo cells rotate small motors. I thought to arrange such element. Only with selenium things look bad. It is got in a small amount on Hawaiian, the Lipari Islands. There you will not jump. Not Soviet they still meanwhile. After I learned that selenium can be extracted from a deposit in lead chambers when receiving sulfuric acid. But on radio about it I was not told in time. Also I stopped on another – on a copper photo cell. The leaf has to be from copper and is covered with a copper oxide. All this near at hand.

– And what force of such element?

– Wait, there will be a speech and about it. I began to do small photo cells. Long nothing at me left. But, as they say, constant dropping will wear away a stone. Several children became interested in my invention. Came to me, together worked. And what you think? Eventually the small bulb of a pocket lamp lit up from my element. You also cannot present yourself what joy at us was. As if we the first invented electric lighting. Burned down this bulb, did not fuse yet. And another was not. Also it is impossible to get soon. So. Well, after all it’s done. On ointment, it is possible to tell.