“Smart animal” Merle in brief


The seventieth years of this century. Professor Sevilla. has long and successfully studied dolphins. Truly amazing abilities of these animals, and most importantly – their minds, are of general interest – both from curious public and from various departments. In the United States, where Professor Sevilla lives and works, five hundred million dollars are spent annually on dolphinology. And among the organizations investing a lot of money in studying dolphins, there are a lot of those who work for the war.

Sevilla tries to teach dolphins human speech. His work is supervised at once by two competing intelligence agencies; one he conditionally calls “blue”, and the other – “green.” In his opinion, some follow him with a touch of hostility, others – with a touch of benevolence. And although Sevilla is only interested in her work, a natural sense of justice often makes him think about the correctness of the policies pursued by his country

and the president. This is especially true of the war in Vietnam, which the United States has been carrying out long and unsuccessfully.

Both departments know each step of the professor, even how and with whom he makes love. Surveillance of his personal life is particularly enraging for the professor: the temperamental Sevilla, in whose veins a lot of southern blood flows, is divorced and often turns on novels, hoping to meet the woman of her dreams. However, it seems, finally he succeeds: his current assistant Arlette Lafay becomes his lover, and then his wife.

In addition to Miss Lafay, at the station Sevilla work Peter, Michael, Bob, Susie, Lisbeth and Maggie. They are all very different: Peter and Susie are fine workers; Michael is more interested in politics, he adheres to the leftist views and opposes the war in Vietnam, Maggie – the eternal loser in her personal life; Lisbeth deliberately emphasizes his independence, and Bob – the secret informant of one of the departments.

Professor Sevilla achieves striking success: the dolphin Ivan begins to speak. To the Fa, as the dolphin

calls himself, was not lonely, the professor pushes the “dolphin” of Bessie to him, or, as the Fa says, Bee. Suddenly, the Fa stops talking. The existence of the laboratory is endangered. Then Sevilla applies the method of “carrot and stick” to Ivan: the dolphins are given fish only when the Fa will ask her for words. The result is not very pleasant: the Fa achieves a fish with a minimum of words. Then they take away the female and put a condition: Fa says, and he is given to Bi. The Fa agrees. Now the teaching of the Fa and Bee is truly a seven-league step.

The work of the laboratory is classified, but Sevilla is not interested in this. Suddenly, it is called “on the carpet.” A certain Mr. Adam accuses the professor of the fact that due to his negligence, there was a leak of secret information – the retired Elizabeth Dawson gave the Russian secret information about the work of the laboratory and said that she did so at the behest of the professor himself. However, Adams knows that this is a lie: Elizabeth made such a statement out of jealousy. However, he very unequivocally warns Sevilla of the need to be more alert, otherwise he will be suspended from work. In the end, Sevilla, hotly attached to her pets, agrees to compromise: to publish the results of his experiment, but in the form in which he will be allowed. Seville is allowed to arrange a press conference with dolphins: “there” they understand that, Once the enemy is already aware of this work, it makes no sense to keep it a secret, it is better to publicize it in itself, which is not a flashy, pseudo-scientific form. Especially since Sevilla does not suspect for what purposes “there” intend to use the dolphins trained by him…

Press conference with the Fa and Bee becomes a sensation. The dolphins intelligently answer the most diverse questions: from “What is your attitude to the president of the United States?” to “Your favorite actress?” In their answers, Fa and Bee show remarkable erudition and an undeniable sense of humor. Journalists learn that dolphins have learned not only to talk, but also to read and watch TV shows. And, as everyone unanimously noted, Fa and Bee love people.

The United States covers dolphinomania: records with a press conference are sold out instantly, toy dolphins are sold everywhere, the costumes “a la dolphin”, all dance “dolphin” dances are in fashion… And other countries are frightened by yet another scientific achievement of the US, their governments feverishly reflect on how soon the Americans will be able to use dolphins for military purposes…

Sevilla writes a popular book about dolphins, and she has a dizzying success. The professor becomes a millionaire, but he is still passionate about work and leads a modest lifestyle. The trouble comes unexpectedly: in the absence of Sevilla, Bob takes the Fa and Bee from the laboratory, and the professor declares that this is the order.

Angry Sevilla wants to leave the country, but he is not released. Then he buys a small island in the Caribbean and settles there with Arlette, at his own expense, establishes a laboratory and begins to work with the dolphins again. One of them – Daisy not only learns to speak, but also teaches the professor delphin tongue.

Suddenly, the world is shocked by the news: the American cruiser Little Rock was destroyed by an atomic explosion in the open sea near Haiphong. The blame for the explosion is China, in America anti-Chinese hysteria begins, all South Ossetians are persecuted. The US president is ready to declare war on China, and most Americans support him. The Soviet Union warns that the consequences of American aggression against China may be irreversible. He comes to Adam, he reports that the Fa and Bee have fulfilled some task of the competing agency, and he needs to find out what it consisted in. He wants Sevilla to return the dolphins with the condition that the professor will give him a record of their story. Adame says that, after returning from the job, the dolphins stopped talking, and he hopes that Seville will manage to talk them. He also informs Seville of the death of Bob,

They bring dolphins. Fa and Bee refuse not only to speak, but also to take fish from the hands of Sevilla, Professor in the language of whistles tries to find out what happened, and learns that “the person is not good.”

There is another problem: Daisy and her chosen Jim do not want to give way to the harbor to new dolphins. Sevilla takes the Fa and Bee to the remote grotto.

At night, the island is attacked by military men and kills dolphins in the harbor. Everyone believes that the Fa and B, died, only Sevilla and Arlette know the truth, but they are silent. Comes to Adam to make sure of the death of the dolphins and find out if they have anything to tell the professor. Leaving the island, Adam warns that Sevilla, most likely, awaits the fate of dolphins.

Sevilla and Arlette go to the grotto of Fa and Bee tell how they were forced to blow up the cruiser “Little Rock” by their deception. Those who sent them did everything that they died with the cruiser, and only by a miracle they managed to escape. They told Bob about everything, but he did not believe them. Since then, they do not want to talk to people.

The military surround the island. Sevilla and Arlette decide to flee to Cuba, from there to tell the world the truth about the actions of the American military. Under the cover of night, they sit down in the boat, with the help of dolphins, noiselessly pass defensive posts and swim along the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.


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“Smart animal” Merle in brief