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Puerto rican Definition & Meaning

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/ (ˈpwɜːtəʊ ˈriːkən, ˈpwɛə-) /

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adjective

of or relating to Puerto Rico or its inhabitants

noun

a native or inhabitant of Puerto Rico

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Words nearby Puerto Rican

Puerto Barrios, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Cortés, Puerto Limón, Puerto Montt, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rican cherry, Puerto Rican royal palm, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Trench, puertorriqueño

Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use Puerto Rican in a sentence

• The refugees come from Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.

  The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• “Tu eres como chuleria en pote,” goes the Puerto Rican expression that gave rise to his moniker.

  In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• So in America, “Havana Club” is made by Bacardi in Puerto Rico and can be found in five states.

  Why Congress Hates Your Cuban Rum|Tim Mak|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• And then there is William Morales of the Puerto Rican independence group the FALN.

  Cuba Protects America’s Most Wanted|Michael Daly|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• For example, since 2011 it has been adding 30 per cent more capacity per year on flights to Puerto Rico.

  Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana!|Clive Irving|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• But down here off Puerto Rico, she for once leaves her beaten track of sobriety and indulges in the most extravagant caprices.

  Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2|Ida May Hill Starr

• The opening up of the new railroad to the Atlantic coast at Puerto Barrios will do wonders for the country.

  Guatemala, the country of the future|Charles M. Pepper

• Puerto Rico was occupied with a very small loss—two killed and thirty-seven wounded.

  The Blue and The Gray|A. R. White

• He decided to wait for her, and find out from her how matters stood in Puerto Cortez.

  The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 29, May 27, 1897|Various

• It was some time before the young Puerto Rican lieutenant slipped gingerly into the room.

  The Five Arrows|Allan Chase

Puerto Rican Cuisine

Although Puerto Rican cooking is often compared to Spanish, Cuban
and Mexican cuisine, it is a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African,
Taíno, and American influences, using such indigenous seasonings and
ingredients as coriander, papaya, cacao, nispero, apio, plantains, and
yampee. Locals call their cuisine “cocina criolla”.

Cocina criolla (Créole
cooking) can be traced back to the Arawaks and Tainos, the original
inhabitants of the island, who thrived on a diet of corn, tropical fruit,
and seafood. When Ponce de León arrived with Columbus in 1493, the
Spanish added beef, pork, rice, wheat, and olive oil to the island’s
foodstuffs. Soon after, the Spanish began planting sugarcane and importing
slaves from Africa, who brought with them okra and taro (known in Puerto
Rico as yautia). The mingling of flavors and ingredients passed
from generation to generation among the different ethnic groups that
settled on the island, resulting in the exotic blend of today’s Puerto
Rican cuisine.

Appetizers & Soups

Lunch and dinner generally begin with sizzling-hot appetizers such
as bacalaitos, crunchy cod fritters; surullitos, sweet
plump cornmeal fingers; and empanadillas, crescent-shaped turnovers
filled with lobster, crab, conch, or beef.

Soups are a popular beginning for meals on Puerto Rico. There is a
debate about whether one of the best-known soups, frijoles negros
(black-bean soup), is Cuban or Puerto Rican in origin. Nevertheless, it
is still a savory, if filling, opening to a meal.

Another classic soup is
sopón de pollo con arroz
-chicken soup with rice- which manages to taste somewhat different in
every restaurant. One traditional method of preparing this soup calls
for large pieces of pumpkin and diced potatoes or yautias (the starchy
root of a large-leaved tropical plant whose flesh is usually yellow or
creamy white).

The third classic soup is sopón de pescado (fish
soup), prepared with the head and tail intact. Again, this soup varies
from restaurant to restaurant and may depend on the catch of the day.
Traditionally, it is made with garlic and spices plus onions and
tomatoes, the flavor enhanced by a tiny dash of vinegar and a half cup
of sherry. Galician broth (caldo
gallego) is a dish imported from Spain’s northwestern province
of Galicia. It is prepared with salt pork, white beans, ham, and
berzas (collard greens) or grelos (turnip greens),
and the whole kettle is flavored with spicy chorizos (Spanish sausages).

Arroz con Gandules

Garbanzos (chickpeas), are often added to give flavor, body, and
texture to Puerto Rican soups. One of the most authentic versions of this
is sopón
de garbanzos con patas de cerdo (chickpea soup with pig’s feet).
Into this kettle is added a variety of ingredients, including pumpkin,
chorizos, salt pork, chile peppers, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and
fresh cilantro leaves.

Not really a soup, the most traditional Puerto Rican dish is
asopao, a hearty gumbo made with either chicken or shellfish. One
well-known version, consumed when the food budget runs low, is asopao
de gandules (pigeon peas). Every Puerto Rican chef has his or her own
recipe for asopao. Asopao de pollo (chicken asopao) takes a whole
chicken, which is then flavored with spices such as oregano, garlic, and
paprika, along with salt pork, cured ham, green peppers, chile peppers,
onions, cilantro, olives, tomatoes, chorizos, and pimientos. For a final
touch, green peas or asparagus might be added.

Main Dishes

The aroma that wafts from kitchens throughout Puerto Rico comes
from adobo and sofrito -blends of herbs and spices that
give many of the native foods their distinctive taste and color. Adobo,
made by crushing together peppercorns, oregano, garlic, salt, olive oil,
and lime juice or vinegar, is rubbed into meats before they are roasted.
Sofrito, a potpourri of onions, garlic, coriander, and peppers browned in
either olive oil or land and colored with achiote (annatoo seeds),
imparts the bright-yellow color to the island’s rice, soups, and stews.

Stews loom large in the Puerto Rican diet. They are usually cooked
in a caldero or heavy kettle. A popular one is carne guisada
puertorrique&ntildea; (Puerto Rican beef stew). The ingredients that
flavor the chunks of beef vary according to the cook’s whims or whatever
happens to be in the larder. These might include green peppers, sweet
chile peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, potatoes, olives stuffed with
pimientos, or capers. Seeded raisins may be added on occasion. Meat pies
(pastelón de carne) are the staple of many Puerto Rican
dinners. Salt pork and ham are often used for the filling and are cooked
in a caldero. This medley of meats and spices is covered with a pastry
top and baked.

Other typical main dishes include fried beefsteak with onions
(carne frita con cebolla), veal (ternera) a la parmesana,
and roast leg of pork, fresh ham, lamb, or veal, a la criolla. These
roasted meats are cooked in the Créole style, flavored with adobo.

Puerto Ricans also like such dishes as breaded calfs brains
(sesos empanados), calfs kidney (riñones guisados), and
stuffed beef tongue (lengua rellena).

A festive island dish is lechón asado, or barbecued
pig, which is usually cooked for a party of 12 or 15. It is traditional
for picnics and al fresco parties; one can sometimes catch the aroma of
this dish wafting through the palm trees, a smell that must have been
familiar to the Taino peoples. The pig is basted with jugo de
naranjas agría (sour orange juice) and achiote coloring. Green
plantains are peeled and roasted over hot stones, then served with the
barbecued pig as a side dish. The traditional dressing served with the
pig is ali-li-monjili, a sour garlic sauce. The sauce combines
garlic, whole black peppercorns, and sweet seeded chile peppers, flavored
further with vinegar, lime juice, and olive oil.

Puerto Ricans adore chicken, which they flower various
spices and seasoning. Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice) is the
most popular chicken dish on the island, and it was brought long ago to
the U.S mainland. Other favorite preparations include chicken in sherry
(pollo al jerez), pollo agridulce (sweet and sour chicken),
and pollitos asados a la parrilla (broiled chickens).

Most visitors to the island seem to like the fish and
shellfish. A popular fried fish with Puerto Rican sauce (mojo
isleño). The sauce is made with olives and olive oil, onions,
pimientos, capers, tomato sauce, vinegar, and a flavoring of garlic and
bay leaves. Fresh fish is often grilled, and perhaps flavored with garlic
and an overlay of freshly squeezed lime juice -a very tasty dinner
indeed. Caribbean lobster is usually the most expensive item on any menu,
followed by shrimp. Puerto Ricans often cook shrimp in beer (camarones en
cerveza). Another delectable shellfish dish is boiled crab (jueyes
hervidos).

Tostones

Many tasty egg dishes are served, especially tortilla
española (Spanish omelet), cooked with finely chopped onions,
cubed potatoes, and olive oil.

The rich and fertile fields of Puerto Rico produce a wide variety
of vegetables. A favorite is the chayote, a pear-shaped
vegetable called christophone throughout most of the English-speaking
Caribbean. Its delicately flavored flesh is often compared to that of
summer squash. Breadfruit, prepared in a number of ways, frequently
accompanies main dishes. This large, round fruit from a tropical tree has
a thick green rind covering its starchy, sweet flesh. The flavor is
evocative of a sweet potato. Tostones -fried green breadfruit
slices- accompany most meat, fish, or poultry dishes served on the island.

Tostones may also be made with plantains. In fact, the
plantains seems to be the single most popular side dish served on the
island. Plantains are a variety of banana that cannot be eaten raw. They
are much coarser in texture that ordinary bananas and are harvested while
green, then baked, fried, or boiled. When made into tostones, they are
usually served as a appetizer with before-dinner drinks. Fried to a deep
golden-yellow, plantains may accompany fish, meat, or poultry dishes.

Interesting Fact
Plantains are an important crop in many agricultural sectors of the
island. However, demand is so high that many plantains are also imported,
usually from the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.

Desserts

Flan

Desserts usually include some form of flan (custard) or perhaps
nisperos de batata (sweet-potato balls with coconut, cloves and
cinnamon). Equally traditional would be a portion of guava jelly with
queso blanco (white cheese). Chefs take the bountiful harvest of
Puerto Rican fruits and create any number of desserts, including orange
layer cake, banana cupcakes, and guava cake. The most delicious dessert
may be a freshly prepared fruit cocktail. the pumpkin, which grows in
abundance on Puerto Rico, is used not only to flavor soups and as a side
vegetable, but also to make the succulent base of a traditional Puerto
Rican cake. Similarly, the sweet potato is used both as a side vegetable
and in making a regional sweet-potato cake.

Coconut is probably the most common dessert ingredient. Many
delectable desserts are made with its milk (leche de coco),
including coconut flan, coconut cream desserts, crunchy coconut squares,
coconut with meringue, and candied coconut rice. Another classic
preparation is coconut bread pudding (boudin de pasas con coco).
Polvo de
amor (“love powder”) is prepared with grated coconut meat
after the milk has been extracted. The coconut is mixed with a lot of
sugar and placed in a kettle to cook rapidly, then served crisp and
golden brown.

Puerto Ricans make a number of preserves and jellies. Both sweet
and sour guavas are used for various concoctions -not only guava jelly,
but guava shells in syrup, guava paste, and guava pudding. Papayas are
made into preserved or desserts with sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla
extract. A mango dessert is made with virtually the same ingredients.
Mangoes may be used for mamey preserve (dulce de mamey) or may be
consumed raw.

Drinks

Finish your meal with strong, black, aromatic Puerto Rican
coffee, which has been produced in the island’s high-altitude
interior for more than 300 years. Originally imported from the nearby
Dominican Republic, coffee is still among the island’s exports and is a
suitable ending for any well-presented meal.

Because the island does not produce wine, it is entirely proper to
order a cold beer before even looking at the menu. Beer, of
course, is called cerveza throughout the Spanish-speaking world,
the most popular brand on Puerto Rico is Medalla.

Rum is the national drink, and you can buy it in almost any
shade. Puerto Rico is the world’s leading rum producer; 80% of the rum
consumed in the United States hails from the island.

Today’s rum bears little resemblance to the raw and grainy
beverage consumed by the renegades and pirates of the Spanish Main.
Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane, from which rum is distilled, to
the Caribbean on his second voyage to the New World, and in virtually no
time it became the regional drink.

It is believed that Ponce de León introduced rum to Puerto
Rico during his governorship, which began in 1508. In time, there emerged
large sugarcane plantations. From Puerto Rico and other West Indian
islands, rum was shipped to colonial America, where it lent itself to
such popular and hair-raising 18th-century drinks as Kill-Divil and
Whistle-Belly Bengance. After America became a nation, rum was largely
displaced as the drink of choice by whiskey, distilled from grain grown on
the American plains.

It took almost a century before the rum industry regained its
former vigor. This occurred during a severe whiskey shortage at the end of
the World War II. By the 1950s, sales of rum had fallen off again, as
more and different kinds of liquor became available on the U.S. market.
Rum had been a questionable drink because of inferior distillation
methods and quality. Recognizing this problem, the Puerto Rican
government drew up rigid standards for producing, blending, and aging
rum. Rum factories were outfitted with the most modern and sanitary
equipments, and sales figures (encouraged by aggressive marketing
campaign) began to climb.

The color of rum is usually gold, amber, or white. The lightest,
driest rum is white. It can easily replace gin or vodka in dozens of
mixed drinks that are eminently suited for consumption in the tropics.
Many Puerto Ricans make Bloody Marys with rum instead of gin or vodka.
The robust flavors of the gold or amber rums make them an effective
substitute for whiskey. Whit white (clear) rum, orange juice and tonic
water are the most popular mixers; amber rum is often served on the
rocks. Puerto Ricans are fond of mixing it with various cola drinks. Gold
rums, aged between four and six years (sometimes longer) in wooden casks
are called ánejos. They are considered the most flavorful
and distinctive on the island rums. They are smooth; drink them straight
or on the rocks.

Bacardi is the Puerto Rican rum most widely consumed in the United
States. It is followed by other popular brands, including, Ronrico,
Castillo, and Don Q. The ánejos rums carry such labels as Bacardi
Gold Reserve, Ron del Barrilito, and Seralles’ El Dorado.

Delicious fruits from Puerto Rico

Your best introduction to Puerto Rican rum making is to visit the
Bacardi distillery in Cataño, just a short ferry-boat ride across the
San Juan harbor.

Each bartender worthy of the profession in Puerto Rico likes to
concoct his or her own favorite rum libation. Every resort offers the
piña colada, which is made with cream of coconut, white Puerto
Rican rum, and canned pineapple juice. the ingredients are thoroughly
blended and served frappé-style in a tall cool glass, usually
garnished with a maraschino cherry and a small paper parasol. But you
may want to be more adventurous and sample some of the island’s other
cocktails, many of which are made with fresh fruit juices. Planter’s
punch, served over cracked ice, is the second most popular mixed rum
drink for tourists. Often, it combines dark Puerto Rican rum, dark-brown
Jamaican rum, citrus juice, and Angostura bitters. Of course, you can
substitute rum in many mixed drinks such as rum collins, rum sour, rum
screwdriver, and rum and tonic. The classic sangría, which is
prepared in Spain with dry red wine, sugar, orange juice, and other
ingredients, may be given a thoroughly Puerto Rican twist with a hefty
dose of the island’s rum.

Spotlight

Piraguas:
A shaved ice cone covered with syrup of fruity flavors such as: rasberry,
pineapple, coconut, guava or tamarind, among others. Those who sells “piraguas”
are known as piragüeros. You can find them near plazas in small carts creatively
painted with bright colors.

Want to indulge and try more Puerton Rican Recipes?

Cocina criolla
is my favorite Puerto Rican recipe book. My mother gifted me a copy on my 18th birthday, since then,
it has been my staple recipe book ever since.
You can find few other
great Puerto Rican recipe books online.

Other Resources

• Restaurants in Puerto Rico
• The Acción Rum (and Food) Page

90,000 Space tramps. Mysterious cargo read online Sasha Silver (Page 9)

Chapter 7

Trap

“I won’t give it to you,” the old man repeated with evident satisfaction. – Let’s chat! He clapped twice, turning on the light. – I want to see you better.

– What do you mean “I won’t give it back”?! Give it back like a little one! Let me go now, or I’ll smash your wrecked brick into pieces! – The beetle seems to have taken it into his head to gnaw the tourniquets. His sharp teeth clacked loudly, but his bristly neck was not long enough to reach his bonds.

– You have no right! What is barbarism? You are an employee of the organization and must fulfill your obligations,” Willy was indignant.

– Listen to me, otherwise it will get worse. The old man began to move and speak more slowly. Apparently tired. He took a vial of crimson liquid from the cupboard, sat down on the table, took a sip and grimaced. Wow, it’s been a tough day. Vigorous raspberry juice!

– Can we… also… have a drink? ‘ asked Willie, licking his dry lips.

– Of course, of course. A little later, when we discuss all the burning issues.

Willy and Beetle waited, gazing at their insane tormentor from under their brows.

– Listen and remember, small fry. You will only get the gourd if you take me with you too,” he said.

– Why is this all of a sudden? Willie snapped.

– Silence! the bearded man squealed. “By the grace of Eddie, I have sat here for so many years and I will not stay another day!” You will take me away from here!

– Who is Eddie? the Purican said.

– Eduard the Power-hungry, of course! Your customer! It’s all his brilliant idea!

— YES YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND! – Willy lost his temper. – The balls for the rollers have stopped! So that we can take you to Gmurr in the Fat Swallow? Do not be this! Only over my dead body! Your feet will not be on board my ship!

“Our ship,” Zhuk corrected gloomily.

“Ours,” agreed the pilot. – I will not let it! Let us go and give us the gourd, you coward!

– Wow. The old man looked surprised. “And you, however, are stubborn!” Well, I think spending a day or two in this nook without food or water will make you more accommodating.

– Mr. Ti and the entire Academy know where we are! We will be looked for!

– Let them search! When they are here, you will be left with only memories! Chao!

With these words, the bearded man got down from the table, turned off the light and went out. Willy and Good Beetle were left sitting in complete darkness.

— Do you think he is bluffing? asked Good Beetle.

– He looks very much like someone who can leave us here and completely forget about it. I would not risk giving him such an opportunity,” Willy shivered.

— What about the fact that he is a friend of Governor Ti?

– An imaginary friend is useful to anyone. And if you’ve been sitting in a creepy place like this for six years or more, then you just can’t do without it!

— And what are we going to do? Shall we take it with us?

— No way! the pilot exclaimed. “I won’t let him aboard the Swallow.” He is dangerous!

– The old man does not want to be left here alone, without work. Let’s pretend we need his services as… well, babysitter for the pumpkin. And…

— That’s what he wants! Willy interrupted nervously.

“You didn’t listen to me…” Good Beetle patiently explained. “We’ll pick him up from here, but we’ll only take him as far as Yquilibrium. Let’s go on without him.

– He won’t like it.

– The old man can’t do anything outside the aquarium. He is alone, we are two.

– Who knows. What if he takes a yukva hostage? Or Elaine?

– The police will be on our side in the city. The main thing for us is to get out of here together with the pumpkin, and then we will solve this problem somehow.

– Sounds reasonable… But a little man somewhere in the depths of me insistently whispers: “Master, you are making a mistake!” Willie grumbled.

“Tell the little man that we have no choice,” Good Beetle said softly. “Then get rid of him and get yourself a Purican. Puricans tend to be less fatalistic.

The door slammed and the light came on.

— So, my dears, what did you decide? the old man asked with a grin. He had time to change his clothes: instead of wide, shabby trousers, he wore tight trousers suitable for riding, and over a sweater he threw a cloak with a hood.

“We thought about it and found a way to solve your problem,” Good Beetle said politely. “We will hire you to accompany the gourd. Are you a specialist in this matter?

— You could say that. You made a wise decision,” the bearded man approved. “Just don’t think that you will take me to the city and leave me at the gates to the mercy of fate. We will conclude a contract, in case of non-fulfillment of which I will contact the police.

“Well, that’s right,” the Purican showed no sign of disappointment, and ignored Willie’s dubious eyebrow. – Bring the text, I’ll sign it.

– Now we will write together! The old man pulled out a piece of paper from his bosom.

– Excuse me, for this you will have to free my hands, that is, paws. I’m sorry, but I can’t write with my nose. Although, if you wait a couple of years, maybe I’ll learn.

The old man looked puzzled.

“Come on, let’s hurry up,” Willy encouraged him. – My hands are completely numb.

– Okay, okay. I’m not such a weakling that a half-tied, frail Purican can overpower me. – The bearded man came up, carefully freed the Good Beetle’s upper right paw and thrust a sheet and a feather into it. — Write.

— Sorry, my dear. The catch is that in our Purikan, only the signature made by the middle left paw is officially recognized.

The old man snorted incredulously:

“You are fooling me!”

“What are you doing with your nose?” the Purican got angry. “Free the middle left paw and I’ll show you the ink marks.” I always sign for her.

The bearded man tied the upper right paw of the Beetle back and freed the middle left one.

— Well, where are the traces of ink?

— WHERE! the Purican exclaimed and poked the old man in the eye with his paw.

– Oh, you scoundrel! Iggy yelled and covered his bruised eye with his hands.

— How do you like the middle left hook?! roared the Good Beetle.

– I’ll show you now! Iggy took his hand away from his face and swung to hit the Purican on the head, but he threw out his free paw and knocked the old man off his feet.

— Where did you learn this? Willie was delighted.

— At the one-handed wrestling class. We have an Olympic sport in Purikan. I have always trained the left middle, no one expects a dirty trick from her! KI-YA!

Iggy struggled to his feet and, rubbing his thigh, stared at the Good Beetle with hatred. He happily waved his paw in different directions.

– Well? Let’s! Last try in qualifying! Good Beetle wins!

— Console! Willy hissed softly. Take the remote from him!

— What? Ah, yes! Exactly! exclaimed the Purican. “Hey you, what are you waiting for?” Go here!

The old man was obviously going over the options in his head on how to cope with the released paw. But, judging by the expression on his face, he did not like either of these options.

“I’d give up if I were you,” the pilot advised. “Then the paw will spare you.”

“The paw spares no one,” objected the Good Beetle. It’s not in her rules.

Iggy gave Willy a withering look and apparently decided to challenge his paw.

He stepped back all the way to the wall, and then his eyes bulged terrifyingly, filled the room with a wild cry and rushed at the Purican with a running start.

I must say that the tactic worked. Good Beetle was really scared when he saw a crazy old man rushing towards him with a bloodthirsty grin. He was already in the shoulders and shorter in stature. Changed color from purple to green. He really wanted to go to the toilet.

Iggy was triumphant as he approached the target.

But the paw… THE PAW IS NOT FEARED.

Her hairy claws moved in anticipation of prey.

And when the flushed Iggy was within reach, the paw darted forward with lightning speed and deftly pressed the button on the remote control, which dangled from the old man’s belt.

The cords holding the friends were pulled into the grooves on the chairs with a whistle.

Good Beetle got up and now grabbed Iggy by the breasts with all his paws.

– The paw always wins! he announced. “Now take us to the pumpkin, old man!”

— Oh no! the bearded man groaned and clutched at his heart. “Oh-oh-oh …” He suddenly creaked, his face wrinkled, and he collapsed to the floor. “ Heart… P-help, I beg… I’m an old man…

“Faking,” commented the Beetle, turning purple.

— And if not? Willie doubted. – What to do?

— V-v-water… — the unfortunate man croaked, writhing in convulsions.

– Would you like compote and candied fruit cookies? the Purican frowned.

— Cupboard… On the p-shelf…

Willy rushed to the cupboard, from where the bearded man got a drink a little earlier, and found there a couple more glass vessels – one with a yellow liquid, and the other with a blue one. The first one was labeled “Pineapple Nectar” and the second one was labeled “Blueberry Brew.”

– No, I definitely won’t give compote. He’s got a good supply already,” Beetle grumbled.

The pilot made the old man drink from a yellow vessel, and he slowly began to come to his senses.

— In…you won’t leave a sick old man here alone… In these lifeless walls… Take me at least to the city, there is a doctor… There are people… “Another thing is the Puricans!”

“For someone who has spent so many years in a cold stone bag, people are salvation… This is hope… This is life,” the bearded man said in a singsong voice, half closing his eyes.

Space tramps. Peploid Invasion read online Sasha Silver (Page 11)

– HO! HO-HO! Shortpaw began to make strange sounds, and Good Beetle looked at her with obvious alarm. — OH-HO-HO-HO!

— What else? the Purican grimaced.

— Did you hear, dear? – Shortpaw loudly and dramatically turned to Stout. – Our Bug offers to buy a cake in the store! He wants to feed his guests food made from environmentally dirty ingredients that have expired. What will the whole city say? What will our daughter think of us?

— That we are careless misers, irresponsible liars! – Supported Krepysh. – No one will come to visit us! We’ll be known as miser all over the district.

Good Beetle is completely confused. Then Elaina intervened in the conversation:

– So I knew that you would not be able to stand up for yourself, Bug. I will help you! Miss Shortpaw, I wanted to tell you something interesting about your son…

The Purican gave her a look of horror:

“No, Ellie! Just not this. Don’t tell them!

– Elaine, don’t, you’ll break it! Willie twitched. – Let the Beetle decide for himself!

Korotkolapka and Krepysh meanwhile came to a consensus.

– Dear, Good Beetle, today he is punished and will sit in his room.

– Excellent solution, dear. It is a pity that there is no cake, otherwise he would have lost his piece!

– I can’t stand mucus, how much can I repeat?! roared the Good Beetle. – Why don’t you ever listen?!

“Mistress Shortpaw, do you know that your son…” tried to break through Elaine’s inexhaustible verbal stream. She looked pretty.

– Elaina, no! Willy exclaimed and rushed to the diplomat to stop her.

Blue Good Beetle, meanwhile, began to fade rapidly and in a matter of moments turned white as chalk. Willie had never seen him like this.

— Mom, how can you be so cruel? exclaimed the Purican. – I flew here! From the other side of the galaxy! To attend this stupid wedding! I acted like a good boy, trying to please you! And what is the result? You want to lock me in a room?! Punish?! Do you think this is fair?

“I’ve said everything,” Mom finished and went to a group of dumbfounded guests. “And don’t yell, you’re embarrassing me in front of worthy Puricans.”

Good Beetle rushed after her and barked:

— But I haven’t finished yet! I WANT AND WILL SCREAM!

Willy grabbed his friend by the shoulders, trying to hold him back. The enraged Purican threw him away like a bug.

A shadow flickered outside the window. Maybe it was the dark silhouette of a hoodie. Or maybe the Good Beetle got imaginative because of the stress. Anyway, the Purican, noticing this shadow, lost all of his composure and exclaimed indignantly:

“You don’t believe me, do you? Ready to be locked in a room because of a missing dessert?! I will prove that I spoke the truth! I’ll catch one of those brats and make him tell you everything. You will regret it!

Randomly waving its paws, Good Beetle rushed to the exit. Guests and relatives saw him off with astonished glances.

– Son, come back! You will make the whole city talk nasty things about us,” his mother shouted after him.

– Bugs, wait! Willy yelled. Don’t worry, we’ll sit in the room with you!

Good Beetle, alas, did not hear anything. But Elaina managed to pull herself together and do something effective. Something supportive. Although it would be more accurate to say – holding.

Seeing the fleeing Purican, the diplomat steps towards him. But the Good Beetle raced so fast that it immediately became clear that he would not stop. Elaine was horrified: a collision with a tall and strong Purican could result in serious injury. Then an idea came to her mind, striking in its genius and simplicity. The girl lifted her foot higher to make the Purican stumble…

The calculation was wrong.

The Purican, staring at the glass, behind which he thought he saw a dark figure, managed to spot Elaine’s leg just in time to jump over it. Instead, he looked the girl in the face. Good Beetle’s eyes lit up. Mouth stretched into a gleeful smirk that frightened Elaine. The diplomat was instantly disillusioned with her plan and wanted to jump away, but before she had time – pushing off the ground like a real long jumper, the Good Beetle took off and, growling furiously, collapsed with all its weight on Elaina’s leg.

– HAHA! he yelled as he landed to keep his spirits up.

– Woo! — the girl howled thinly and plopped down on the floor, holding her foot.

Without looking back, Good Beetle ran out into the yard at full speed and disappeared.

“Pay no attention,” Longwhiskered Shortpaw gracefully waved her paw. – My son is not well, he went out to get some air, he will be back soon! We don’t disperse, the cake didn’t disappear, but just fell! We lifted it, cleaned it, and now it is even better than before,” the Puric woman whispered excitedly in her husband’s ear:

– Dear, take out the jugs of champote as soon as possible, we need to distract them!

The excitement among the guests began to subside.

– Alive? The pilot leaned towards the girl.

Did you see? Elaine glared at Willie. He stepped on my foot again! Now he has to apologize twice! Amazing!

The pilot silently helped the girl up.

“Let’s go back to the ‘place of power,'” the diplomat suggested. We need to check what’s going on! Maybe the Beetle will be brought there by some miracle.

Willy nodded, thinking to himself that thanks to Elaine’s over-zealousness, the Beetle can now carry anywhere. And it will be a great success if he returns home safe and sound.

Long-whiskered Shortpaw, who had already forgotten about the recent embarrassment, jumped up to her friends.

“My dear children,” she cooed.

“Oh no,” Elaine said in a low voice. — Not grandma’s hair.

She vividly imagined how they would take the excited grandmother to the hairdresser and how she would tell all the way which hairstyles are appropriate for grandmothers and which are unacceptable.

Even the thought of taking her for a haircut and escaping aboard the Fat Swallow ourselves did not seem indecent to the diplomat, despite her firm intention to do everything perfectly.

— What? No, no, no, I have a special request for you – to bring flowers from the flower shop. Very urgent! The ceremony is in two hours, and there are no flowers, everyone forgot about them! Be cute, run away? It’s not far from here if you take the train!

“And if you teleport, it’s just a stone’s throw away,” Willy muttered softly. Fortunately, Shortpaw did not hear this and ran off to the guests, loudly rustling the hem of her shiny dress.

Elaina sighed, finally saying goodbye to the hope of seeing the scene of dangerous events. Good Beetle dragged them into this madness, and he fled. Very smart! Now he alone can find out what is happening near the “place of power.” Well, it turns out that his temporary insanity is not so bad…

Soon, Elaina and Willy, armed with detailed instructions and dressed in familiar and comfortable uniforms – they had to take off their holiday clothes so as not to wrinkle – went to the city for flowers .

The little hood, after which the Good Beetle ran, galloped to the clearing to the hill and began to merrily jump with his friends, talking about something.

Good Beetle, after rushing through the forest after the scout, hid in the bushes, waiting for the right moment for a surprise attack.

The crew members of the Fat Swallow were not destined to meet again soon, but none of the trinity suspected this yet.

Chapter 7

The President is unwell

Arriving in his hometown of Purican, President Broadbrowed Manylegs left the ship and, without drawing attention to himself, quickly walked to the beetle parking lot, where a personal car with a driver was waiting for him. His health has improved, and the president has already forgotten that an hour ago he felt like a package turned inside out and, in addition, a badly rumpled package.

“To Science Block B, by the shortest route,” Broad-browed Many-Legs commanded the driver.

“Yes, Mr. President,” the driver replied. – How was the meeting?

“As usual, business, conversations,” answered Manylegs without hesitation and closed his eyes.

The beetle was an elongated cockpit with nozzles behind and narrow wings on the sides. Passengers were seated on comfortable seats one behind the other. There were up to ten seats in public beetles, and only he and the pilot were placed in the president’s personal transport. To easily overcome traffic jams and areas with heavy traffic, the presidential beetle was equipped with catchy flashing stripes on the sides.

– Warn of your arrival, Mr. President? the driver inquired, giving the car instructions for takeoff and the route ahead.

“Yes,” nodded Manylegs, reluctantly opening his eyes, “tell Pimply Wax to be there and ready to make urgent changes to the program. I’ll give you the details when we meet.

“Yes, yes,” the driver confirmed.

The vehicle took off and sped away from the spaceport, deftly avoiding other transports.