Бесплатный фрагмент - Dreams

Dream 1

Darkness. Why is it so dark in here? I can’t feel anything. I need to feel the light of the stars, the warmth of the sun and the cold of space, the feelings and thoughts of others. Others, like me, like the whole in every small and tiny part of the whole, but this darkness, thick and endless, swallows me whole. I have to release some of the energy to free myself, to emerge into the light, to break this cocoon of oppression. Yes, one more effort and… what is it? Who’s that? What a pleasant female voice, so native and familiar… why are you asking me to calm down? I don’t want to be in this matter, I don’t want to be here… but my mission… who are you? I need to feel you, to read you… it would be much easier in freedom, but I will try……

Why is there so much pain and despair within you? This incomprehensible weariness of life… why can’t you see the light? How can you not see the light? Ah, yes… now I see… now I see everything clearly… I am your ray of hope in this endless circle of struggle and suffering… Calm down my dear, don’t cry, just five more minutes and I will fix everything, I will do everything… now you will be happy and your physical body will be healed. You’ll forget all the horrors you had to endure. If I have to endure it, so be it, I will put my true consciousness into a 25-year sleep so that you can be happy. There you are, smiling that tired and wistful smile. Soon I will be with you, only three more months.

* * *

18 years later

A time of slightly reddish foliage but still quite warm air. A time of melancholic romance combined with a sense of eternal Monday. A time when nature prepares for hibernation, for the end. But as we know, every end is the beginning of something new, isn’t it? No matter how proud the stone cave dweller calls himself the pinnacle of evolution, his destiny is inherently tied to nature. So it is at such times that fateful encounters occur, when you find yourself not where you want to be, but where you should be.

For example, two homosapiens, Max and Masha, stand on the balcony of a classic high-rise apartment building overlooking a sleeping anthill. Max, a typical third-year botany student at the Institute of Technology. He graduated with a red diploma, won awards and prizes in all sorts of math competitions, and, as is typical for such people at that age, he is, of course, not popular with the opposite sex. Of course, the reason for this is not his appearance, because he is handsome and neat (blond with a piercing look of blue eyes that many people notice, but they are often hidden behind glasses), but rather the way this appearance is presented. Classic trousers carefully ironed by his precious mother, with whom Max preferred to live after school (unlike most of his peers who moved to a dormitory or rented housing); over the same tasteless classic shirt pulled a sweater from the category «golden boy in an elite private school. By the way, it should be noted, and the cost there is corresponding. And on his feet as a subconscious and modest rebellion against all this misunderstanding are sneakers. And the last touch — glasses, at least in fashionable frames. Max is even sure that they attract women’s eyes, which, of course, is not true.

Masha… Uh, Masha. In a word, «thingy». High heels, a miniskirt, a blouse with a very low neckline, in which the impressive breasts sway. Her mother is a salesman, her father an alcoholic; she grew up thanks to the efforts of her beloved grandmother, but blonde Masha’s priorities in life are completely different from Max’s. She found herself on this balcony in the midst of a student party at the invitation of a friend, Natasha, who is dating Max’s best friend, Nikolai, the complete opposite of him — an athlete, triple qualifier, favorite of the girls, and generally a loose guy.

Their really strong friendship even in their school days caused a lot of confusion, but there’s no secret: the boys have always lived next door, on the same floor, and their mothers are close friends. And both grew up without a father, which is also important. However, there was a mysterious episode in their childhood, but we will come back to that later.

— ...Masha, Maria,“ Max mumbles, „you know, I grew up without a father, and I get so lonely sometimes when……

— And it works? — Grinning, Masha removes his hand from her thigh.

— Well, statistically, no, but we can make a logical assumption about the feasibility of this method, since we have not reached this stage with previous research subjects. — Max babbles, nervously adjusting his glasses.

Masha rolls her eyes and leaves the balcony, wondering how she could listen to his wimpy romantic whining for so long. Although she really liked the part of the monologue about the stars, for a second she even forgot the image of the ideal macho man she had built up in her head long ago.

Max, leaning against the railing, looked up at the sky and sighed heavily, wondering what he was going to do in the evening after this pointless event that only distracted him from more important things. And how to explain his departure to Kolya, to whom he had promised to try to bring someone together.

— I liked it, especially the part about the stars,» he suddenly heard behind him.

Frightened, Max turns around and, having gotten over the surprise of what he saw, explains:

— Did you hear everything?

— Yes, it was very exciting, you tried so hard… my name is Nika.

— Is that what it says in your passport?

He shakes her outstretched hand, his gaze fixed on the girl. Her face, her hair, her smile… mesmerizing, so that Max is already mentally searching for some nice words and a name for this feeling.

Nika, a slender brunette in a light blue dress, modest but stylish. In heels, but not too high. She wanted to leave her friends and the party, but to avoid annoying suitors who wanted to see her off, she decided to find the quietest and most harmless one herself and unwittingly stumbled into a funny «I met you» act. Max seems very sweet and smart to her, but extremely naive. And she has the same soft and pure beauty. The light scent of her perfume puts Max in a kind of trance. He’s never been looked at like this before, and the smiles he gets from girls are usually of a completely different nature. He feels that Nika likes him, but what to do next? The mathematical mind has no answer to this question.

— Yes,“ she laughs, „Nika Mikhailovna Skryvaeva. My palm can be released, and I must be escorted to the dormitory on Novikov, and perhaps on the way to tell something else about the stars, but, please, no hands, I have a purely scientific interest.

— Unusual name. I mean name. I mean, I mean, of course. Now… I’m just going to go and tell you, we’re going, yes, in a minute, you stay here, just a minute, don’t go anywhere……

They walk all night and into the morning, talking, enjoying every second together. Nika is fascinated by the legends, stories and myths about the stars, of which Max seems to know countless, but she loves it, and even if he makes half of them up on the spot, she’s willing to forgive him. Max soars, oblivious to the books, forums, lectures, projects, and strategic plans that fill his studious mind. From now on, none of that matters, not much. And if Nika were to say, «Let’s drop everything and go to the ends of the earth,» he would agree without a moment’s hesitation. But now it’s morning, the dormitory, time to say goodbye. He looks a little shyly into her eyes and wants to tell her that this is the most wonderful evening of his life, and suddenly she agrees to meet him again, just to have a friendly chat, of course, at any time and absolutely anywhere, even on the moon — Max is ready to start building a rocket. And Nika stares into his eyes, as if to catch every thought, every word that could fall from his lips, and as soon as Max opens his mouth — she kisses him.

Happiness fills him to the brim and threatens to tear him apart. Nika touches his finger lightly, asks him not to say a word, and says a quick goodbye:

— Tomorrow at five o’clock in the evening, wait for me here.

* * *

It’s been four years

Years go by, the planet goes around in circles, renewing itself cycle after cycle. Everything remains the same as before, but at the same time it changes, renews, adds, improves. The essence remains unchanged, but the embodiment plays a new performance of a long-known play each time. The intertwining of destinies creates a completely new tangle, but the labyrinth still has two central postulates, entrance and exit, birth and death. Two sisters, so similar that it is sometimes impossible to distinguish them.

* * *

Downtown, lunchtime, Irish pub, table by the window. The weather is very rainy and sometimes you can hear a thunderstorm. Rivers of people rush along the sidewalks and squares, through the alleys and courtyards, only slightly shallower because of the bad weather. Like a match thrown into an anthill, the rain catalyzes the collision of destinies. The celestial conductor waves his hand to the orchestra, it’s time to gather all the forces that would give the fuse. What else but a thunderstorm, a leaden sky and stormy rain to remind a man that it’s time to move and how precious every second is here.

Max called Kolya to tell him he was going to propose to Nika. They had been dating for a long time, he wanted to do it in the first year of their relationship, but decided to wait for the right moment, when they both finished university, when things would be more or less clear with work and money. His mathematical mind wouldn’t let him do it until everything was just right. Now he felt confident, because even as a graduate student he was called to work in the Scientific Center of Cosmonautics, and the salary, unlike his previous job in the museum, was twice as much. To work there was his first dream, now it remained to realize the second. Kolya gave up his studies in physical education and sports and went into business, and quite successfully. His construction company was one of the most promising in the city. He kept calling Max to join him, as his intelligence combined with his punchy chutzpah would make them millionaires, but Max always wanted to do science, and the prospect of cutting cabbage did not interest him at all. Nikolai’s relationships were constantly changing, from secretaries to fleeting encounters in bars, so he could not understand his best friend’s long-term relationship.

The waitress brought two cappuccinos. Max noticed that her long blonde hair was loose, though it had clearly been braided when she’d taken the order, but her special look at Kolya unmistakably revealed the lustful intent of that action. Not surprisingly, a fiery brunette in an expensive business suit, a sporting past visible to the naked eye, an expensive BMW, and correct facial features made him an ideal man for waitress Dasha, who had come from the backwoods to try her luck in the northern capital.

— Would you like to order something else? (the waitress asked Dasha, looking at Kolya who was fixing her hair as if Max was not there).

— Well, we haven’t decided yet (Kolya said frankly, looking at Dasha).

— I’ll come a little later.

The waitress, wagging her ass beautifully and skillfully, went to the bar. Kolya, looking at Dasha.

— Tell me, the first chick you managed to stick to you for four years, I can hardly understand. But the first chick you’ve managed to keep for the rest of your life? Don’t you think you should eat before you go on a diet?

— I’m a vegetarian. Your meat gives me diarrhea.

Maybe he’s right? — Max thought as he watched Kolya talk and gesticulate. Our last fight was about my work. Maybe I should give up all this science and become like him, every girl’s dream. A businessman, a handsome man. Only I can’t do it, I can’t do it. The stars, the starry sky, they…

— Hey! Are you even listening to me? (Snaps fingers irritably in front of Max’s face) Uh… Look, I don’t know why you’re so worried. She could have chosen anyone at that party, and she chose you. You moved in together a year ago on her initiative! If you’re going to be a mumbler this time, she’s the one who’s going to propose to you, not you to her.

Max took the ring box out of his pocket and wanted to check his speech.

— I agree Max, not even five years have passed and here you are, here you are. Nikolai is a better option, but I’m going to make a man out of you.

— A restaurant? Or maybe the place where we kissed for the first time?

— The restaurant, man, no way. In this weather, and you’re going to give a speech there, don’t torture Maxim. Call me after a moment of shame and I’ll tell you the plan for the bachelor party, and yes, man, there will be a lot of strippers.

The next day, Maxim arranged to meet Nika at a restaurant after work on the pretext of celebrating his transfer to the Science Center. He was already driving an old Opel, on the way to the restaurant there was a strong thunderstorm and it was just gathering momentum, and suddenly he was overcome by a strange fear, like a dog before an earthquake. What is it with me? Is it the lingering excitement of an important event? It doesn’t feel like it. A panic attack? I’ve never had one before. And the weather has been bad all day. The lightning is giving me a headache. That’s right, it’s the weather.

After parking, he got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the restaurant. At the entrance to the restaurant stood the doorman, an older man of large stature, staring straight ahead at one point and his hand twitching strangely. Max started to walk by, thinking it might be some kind of illness the old man had. Suddenly, he grabbed Max’s shoulders with both hands, his eyes rolled back so that only white could be seen. And he started screaming in his face, «Wake up, wake up, before it’s too late! MERCURY IN THE SECOND HOUSE! THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE! THEY KNOW WHY YOU’RE HERE!

Max managed to break free and pushed the old man. The old man immediately fell to the ground, shaking and foaming at the mouth. Security and the receptionist ran out of the restaurant.

— Oh my God, what is wrong with him?! Call an ambulance! Come with me.

— I don’t know. I was just walking and he… (Max nervously)

The girl took Max by the hand and led him into the restaurant.

— I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. He is very old and has been working here for a long time, much longer than the rest of the staff. This is the first time, probably because of the storm, some aggravation of the disease, I think. Excuse me again, please come in. The appetizers are on the house.

She snaps her fingers.

— Show the young man to his table.

Max, adjusting his tattered suit, anxiously searching his pocket for the ring, sits down at the table.

It’s in the right place, it’s here. The rest doesn’t matter, I’m here, the ring is here. My head, what a headache.

— Would you like to order something or should I give you a moment? (waiter very friendly)

— Water please, I’m waiting for a man.

— Sure, coming right up.

Max began to notice how everything around him had become so unfamiliar and strange. The waiter seemed very short. With slicked back black hair and an unnaturally wide smile. What the hell was that? The old man is an attack, now the waiter is a cartoon. I don’t feel well, maybe it’s fatigue or a brain tumor… I have to pull myself together.

The waiter brings water in a carafe, pours it into a glass and puts the carafe on the table: Anything else?

— No, nothing for now…

The waiter left, and Max began to notice how strange the faces of the people at the neighboring tables were. Their expressions seemed so huge, their heads out of proportion. Thoughts, many thoughts, all of them like glass, began to crash into his head. The voices became so many that Max couldn’t take it anymore and covered his ears with his palms, his ears crinkled, he could barely keep himself from screaming. And suddenly, abruptly, it all went away.

— Don’t you feel well? (the waiter reacted uneasily to Max’s strange behavior)

— No, I’m fine, just a little migraine, it’ll pass.

He only had time to say this when he turned around and saw the same waiter standing in front of him, but almost two meters tall.

How can this be? Am I going crazy? What time is it… she should have been here by now, she’s half an hour late? HALF AN HOUR? I’ve been sitting here that long? How?

* * *

Max dials Niki’s number, but the phone is out of range. He dials and dials but gets the same frightening cold voice saying «the subscriber is out of range». About 15 minutes pass and then he decides to call her at work, where they say she left two hours ago, which becomes the last straw. The feeling of distress grows and grows, the headache comes back and hits the scales more and more precisely. Finally, he can’t take it anymore, he jumps out of the restaurant, ignoring the astonished looks of the audience, who clearly realize that the guy isn’t himself, runs to the car, jumps in and, with the rattling of the wheels barely holding the steering wheel, drives away from the damn restaurant in the direction of the hospital where Nika works as a nurse.

* * *

On the way, he decides to stop at a pharmacy to get some medicine for his headache. Ignoring the «no parking» sign, he parked right in front of the pharmacy’s entrance. It had already darkened into a dim, not-quite-nighttime darkness. The old blue Opel, the friendly servant of its compromising owner, was still trying to surprise him with mechanical innovations, but the surprise was not how many there were, but their unchanged performance after 15 years. The pharmacy was located in a beautiful old building with large windows and a large red cross that flickered constantly and annoyingly, either because of a thunderstorm or a short circuit. The building was in the center of town, but in an alley near the avenue, so it was quiet and deserted. The silence and the murmur of the rain was complemented by the sound of an iron structure in the distance, like the wailing violin of a slightly drunken vagrant minstrel. Max got out of the car and, massaging his head in various places with his right hand as if trying to find a switch for the pain, walked to the entrance of the drugstore. When he opened the door, there was a ringing of bells, which added to Max’s irritation. Behind the counter he saw a beautiful red-haired girl with glasses, whose stern expression suddenly changed to a soft and friendly one when she saw Max.

Pharmacist Alice has been working in her father’s pharmacy for two years, and right after graduation she couldn’t refuse to help him keep the already unprofitable pilaf business going. Network companies and the economic crisis had a detrimental effect on the unambitious entrepreneur Leonid Apollonovich Nefedov, whose main activity was still teaching at the medical university. She looked very organic, like a sorceress and ancient witch doctor and ancient witch, having learned the secret of youthful face and burning beauty, like a magnet attracted suitors, but frightened by the strictness of her father. Alice’s dreams were far from this place, but she loved her father very much, who was able to raise her without the participation of the opposite sex. Alice’s mother disappeared when she was only two years old, just like that, going to the store and not returning. Contrary to what her father said, Alice was still convinced that she had abandoned her.

— Hello, do you have Pentalgin?» (Max speaks indistinctly)

— It’s not here right now… but I can offer you… die. (Completely unperturbed and friendly Alice)

— I’m sorry, what did you say? (Confused Max)

— DIE!!!

Alice shouted very sharply and directly into their eyes, her eyes turned completely black, all the doors swung open and a strong wind blew into the pharmacy. Her long red hair began to flutter in different directions in the wind. Max fell back with a start as a sudden sharp pain in his head made him clutch his head between his knees. For a second, the wind was completely gone. There was a sharp, deep sound, and with it came a powerful shockwave from Max as if from the epicenter of the explosion, blowing the whole drugstore to smithereens. Alice was thrown back against the wall.

The pain was gone, Max opened his eyes and couldn’t believe what he saw, he was sitting on the floor in the middle of the ruined room, the light was preserved only by the miraculously survived one large rectangular lamp, hanging on its side and flickering, but these flickers were enough to see something. Max made his way across the broken salesman’s rack littered with cabinets and saw Alice lying on the floor. She was trying to get up, holding her broken head, her eyes had the usual human look, but not the rest of her, as the blue jeans were torn to shreds, the white robe was no longer white, and a cut on her leg just above the knee was bleeding. Barely standing, she looked around and raised her hands to her head in a slowly growing daze of horror.

— What was that, God… (very softly, holding back a cry, bringing her left hand to her lips)

— I don’t know… I… I really don’t know, at first I was dreaming again and I closed my eyes from the intense pain in my head… and those… eyes, your eyes, they were… (very tired and scared Max)

— It is necessary to call, the police… or emergency… someone needs… (taking her left hand in her hair just above her forehead, Alice began to dial something on the phone).

Max headed for the exit. Alice, realizing too late that he was leaving, tried to catch up with him in one shoe, limping or jumping, seeing only Max’s car leaving.

Hallucination is not material, explosion is material… Eyes, totally black eyes… and this clear voice in my head… Calm down, I’ll do everything… who is it… what is it……

Max, despite the fog in his head, was thrashing around thinking about the irrationality of what was happening, trying to find some logic, pushing the gas pedal, squeezing all the juice out of the old car engine.

* * *

The storm is still raging. The evening has imperceptibly begun to turn into night. A shift change has just taken place at Clinical Hospital N69, and the faithful dog of this «madhouse», as she affectionately calls it, the janitor Zina, has taken up her post. Unlike her younger sister Nika, she is not slim. Her short, curly hair and her constant use of makeup make Boris, a former paratrooper who works as a security guard in the same hospital, a faithful knight to his big-breasted queen.

Zina, after glancing out of the window to see if the door was closed for visitors, took out her tablet, turned on another TV series, and began her regular night shift. All the courtiers were gone, the vassals asleep, and only the sentinel stood guard on the palace walls.

Meanwhile, Max pulled into the hospital parking lot. Adding to the growing pain was the clear realization that Nika was in trouble. He didn’t know where this certainty had come from, but the voices were slowly coming back. The rain intensified, he struggled to move his already tired body from the car outside, when the voices and the pain hit him with triple force. The hospital courtyard was filled with a strange electric sound that mixed with the sound of the heavy rain to create a chorus of a billion crickets. Unable to stand the pain, he fell screaming to his knees in a puddle, clutching his ears with his palms. All the light bulbs on the poles immediately exploded, showering Max with a silvery rain of sparks. The voices disappeared, the pain eased. A little recovered from the screeching alarms of the three cars parked nearby, he got up, muttered something to himself, and made his way to the main entrance of the hospital with a sluggish but brisk bear-like gait.

The hospital building was very old and seldom restored. In the lightning, it looked like a citadel of the Dark Kingdom, with its horrible stories shrouded in secrets. There might not be many secrets, but there were as many horror stories and tragedies as any hospital. Max often had to comfort Nika after another episode on the shift, but to all the pleas to change the place of work, she said that being a doctor was her dream, and in another place she would be more unhappy than in the moments of regret for not having provided timely help or for the slowly fading lives of seriously ill patients.

Max goes to the door.

— Okay, pull yourself together… you look like a bum. The important thing is to keep your cool and not scare anyone. It’s locked...the bell, there should be a bell here, where’s the damn bell!

He fumbles around for the small bell on the edge of the door and starts ringing it nervously and with maximum force.

The doors are opened by guard Boris. Black, worn uniform, round face and light stubble. Under his jacket, a calfskin and a black, thickly hairy chest peeked out. There was a pungent smell of cologne, the scent of which was hard to distinguish from cigarette smoke and cigarettes. You couldn’t say he wasn’t neat, but the fact that he was a bachelor with a military background was written all over his round face.

— Who’s there? Reception hours are long over… Oh, Max, is that you? How did you get your knees skinned?

Boris knew Max well by sight, as he always came to pick up Nika from work when he could. Sometimes it was in his company that Max had to spend the waiting time. He didn’t like him very much, but Boris liked to listen to him when he tried to explain something about science in simple language. Boris was never stupid, but he lacked education.

Max went in, passed Boris and went straight to Zina.

— Where’s Nika? (Max restrains himself)

— She was with you in the restaurant, wasn’t she? She got ready in the restaurant, got dressed up, took a cab and left… what happened? You called me, I called you and…

— She wasn’t there, do you remember which cab, what time exactly, did she go somewhere else, what did she say?

— Well, I…

There was a sharp rumble and the lights went out, Max began to feel that it was starting again.

— What the hell was that? Boris froze numbly, eyes wide, staring at the ceiling.

Zina huddled in the corner of the wall, the light from the windows illuminating the silhouette on the ceiling, her eyes filled with deep horror at the nightmare she had seen. A shadow with human features was crawling along the ceiling, becoming more and more convex and finally turning into a jet-black, faceless man standing on all fours on the ceiling. Max was already writhing from another wave of symptoms of a disease he didn’t know he had, but this time the pain was worse and it was accelerating.

Hysterical screams echoed throughout the hospital. The black man dropped to the floor, now clearly visible as a black substance, something viscous and sticky like oil, dripped from him. The creature was moving toward Max when a gunshot rang out. Boris, coming to his senses, unholstered his pistol and, without thinking, fired at the unknown creature. The black man’s left arm rose sharply, seemingly at the speed of light, toward the shooter. Boris began to tremble, gasping for breath, his eyes rapidly filling with blood. Max had been on his knees for a long time, squinting in pain, unable to see what was happening. Suddenly he opened his arms, leaned back, opened his mouth and eyes wide, and began to scream loudly. Along with the screaming, columns of light erupted from his eyes and mouth like a fountain, and a moment later a powerful shock wave came from him, tearing down glass and furniture in its path, throwing Boris and Zina into the walls, the old building shook, a crack appeared in the ceiling, and the alien was vaporized by the wave, turning into dissipating smoke.

Waking up, Max slowly started to get up and tried to sit on the floor.

Ringing in his ears, what the hell happened, Earthtripping? Weird interference, then this seizure again… I’m in the hospital and there’s no one to treat me. Telephone, I must call for help.

— Borya!? BORYA?! ARE YOU ALIVE? I can’t get up… I have to call… I have to… I have to…

Niikaa…

His eyes went blank and he fainted again.

* * *

It’s been ten days.

The light, what a bright light, I can’t open my eyes. Why such a bright light. Am I in a hospital? That’s good… hopefully not the nuthouse. Why is no one here, the bag… I see a bag… a woman’s bag… they found Nika, well, thank God, finally… they found Nika and she was sitting here worried, tired and went to eat, rest… yes, that’s right. Why is it so quiet? I’ve been gone what, a day? I have to get up,....something’s not working....noooo, why can’t I sit up!?!?…

— Are you there? Is anyone there? (shouts in a very deep, husky voice)

Okay, we need another approach. Gotta make noise...glass… gotta reach for the glass.

The bed was hard, there were machines and a catheter attached, which of course made him believe he was in this state for a long time, but he didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want this nightmare to continue. The ward was nicely renovated with new furniture. It was a double bed, but the adjacent bunk was empty. Across from the bed was a brown leather chair with a woman’s bag on it. He couldn’t see what kind of bag it was, but blind optimism told him it was Nicky’s.

On the third try, Max managed to grab a glass on the nightstand to the left of the bed and threw it at the wall. The faceted glass shattered on the floor with a sound loud enough to attract the attention of the nursing staff.

A nurse ran into the room, hesitated for a second and turned to the corridor.

— Valya call the doctor, we have a third woke up…

Go to the drip and check something there.

— How do you feel? Do you remember your name? Can you speak? What’s your date of birth?

Lean forward, check your eyes.

Yayaayaa… yes… Maxim Vadimovich Sheremetev… December 21, 1987 (Max’s voice slightly hoarse)

Max’s mother ran into the room, her crying and tired eyes with large bruises immediately said that this bag on the chair was not Niki at all.

Max’s mother, Zoya Vladimirovna Sheremetyeva, is a retired accountant. During the ten days that her only son was in such a condition, she left the hospital only once, and then only briefly, to check the vital signs of her two dogs, Pusha and Wolfgang. The two golden retrievers were left with her neighbor Klavdia, Zoya’s best friend. She had had some brief interactions with Max’s father since the episode, but all of her attention had always been focused on the only person she had ever known, now lying in that hospital bed in such a frightening condition. The familiar scent of perfume from her childhood had a slightly soothing effect on Max’s troubled mind. Beautiful expensive hairstyle, blonde hair, expensive woman’s gray suit with a long skirt, white blouse. She was also wearing slippers, not boots, which once again confirmed the time she was here.

— Maxim! My darling, are you awake? Woke up… well, thank God, because I didn’t know what to do, which doctors to go to… (Panting happily, she sat down on the edge of the bed, took Max’s hand and talked and talked).

The nurse, a tall brunette, had finished her examination, quickly clicked her heels and went to find out when the doctor would arrive.

Maxim silently looked at his mother, wanted to reassure her, to send her home to sleep, but his thoughts were far away. Where is Nika? I’ve been here for ten days and she’s not here… She’s hiding something from me.…

— Mom, where’s Nika? (Still in a hoarse, quiet voice, interrupting his mother’s long, wordy story)

— Honey, don’t worry… (Very slowly and carefully, choosing words, still not deciding whether to lie or tell the truth, and if the truth, how to say it?)