Εχετε ασθενή μνήμη; Παίξτε το “Jewel Game”!

Ο Κιμ και το αγόρι παίζουν το «Παιχνίδι των πολύτιμων λίθων» υπό την εποπτεία του Λέργκαν Σάαμπ.

Απόσπασμα από το βιβλίο «Κιμ» του Ράντγιαρντ Κίπλινγκ.
Διαβάζει ο Madhav Sharma.
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“Not yet - not yet. In a little while he will go away again. But now he is at school - at a new madrissah - and thou shalt be his teacher. Play the Play of the Jewels against him. I will keep tally.”
The child dried his tears at once, and dashed to the back of the shop, whence he returned with a copper tray.
“Give me!” he said to Lurgan Sahib. “Let them come from thy hand, for he may say that I knew them before.”
“Gently - gently,” the man replied, and from a drawer under the table dealt a half-handful of clattering trifles into the tray.
“Now,” said the child, waving an old newspaper. “Look on them as long as thou wilt, stranger. Count and, if need be, handle. One look is enough for me.” He turned his back proudly.
“But what is the game?”.
“When thou hast counted and handled and art sure that thou canst remember them all, I cover them with this paper, and thou must tell over the tally to Lurgan Sahib. I will write mine.”
...
They were a most mad ten days, but Kim enjoyed himself too much to reflect on their craziness. In the morning they played the Jewel Game - sometimes with veritable stones, sometimes with piles of swords and daggers, sometimes with photographs of natives. Through the afternoons he and the Hindu boy would mount guard in the shop, sitting dumb behind a carpet-bale or a screen and watching Mr. Lurgan's many and very curious visitors.
At the end of the day, Kim and the Hindu boy - whose name varied at Lurgan's pleasure - were expected to give a detailed account of all that they had seen and heard - their view of each man's character, as shown in his face, talk, and manner, and their notions of his real errand.

Πηγή: Rudyard Kipling, KIM, read by Madhav Sharma, NAXOS Audiobooks (2 MC)