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OUTCAST 27
At the box office they gave me a ticket - a white cardboard long flap with gold embossing - letters, symbols. The words on the ticket were not clear, but I felt that my name was among them. With this cardboard in hand, he entered the doors indicated at the box office. Behind the doors opened a corridor - about ten meters, without windows, lit by the soft gray light of long lamps built into the ceiling and walls. I walked along the gray carpet that muffled the sound of footsteps to the reception. This is the frontline, what you need. The girls, all three, were as beautiful as a poster for a better life. Redhead, blonde and... I froze when I saw her. Black, with sad deep eyes, a smile - as if cheerful, but still bitter. It was she - the one with whom I wanted to live together, once in my youth I built plans and dreams. Who refused me and, in fact,I couldn’t think where I was, where she came from, what was happening and what could be done, I, confused and timid, approached their table,
OUTCAST 28
“There is a fire there,” with this recollection and something else very cynical, rude, vulgar and very funny, following from the inscription that the men showed in the yard, I opened my eyes, resting immediately on Wolverine’s eyes. It was morning outside the window, it was light in the room and the sun's rays lay in juicy bright spots on the carpet, on the wall, on the table.The witch was still in the same terry white robe, but without makeup, without hair, slept. She looked at me curiously, touching my cheeks and hair. She smiled and remained silent, shaking her head, whispering something.I was surprised how well I felt, powerful streams of energy seemed to go through the veins, through the muscles, they were tightly inflated with force, I almost flew up to the ceiling.In the kitchen, sitting again in the company of a dog and a cat, I watched Wolverine nimble between the stove and the refrigerator, making food, and listened to her cosmogonic performances.- Look. Imagine that eve
OUTCAST 29
- All right, I'll give you the opportunity to talk to the two detainees. Only without a camera. They look bad. Don't look at me like that. There is a war, and they are prisoners of war. My counterintelligence worked with them. No one will accuse me of anything, I did not break the law, but there is no need to show it.Major Kloss was sitting on a cot in his tent, wearing a T-shirt, rubbing his thick chest hair with his hand. His boots beside him, topped with wet socks, rested his bare feet. On a stool next to the cot was a glass of tea and a tray of sweets.- I should not let the press go to the prisoners, but I respect Fadir and trust you. These guys - captured militants can no longer be helped. But I would like you to have the intelligence and professionalism to bring their stories to others. To those just like them. There are billions of them in the galaxies. They were not brought here by faith. She brought a dream of justice and that they have the right to happiness. It was only l
OUTCAST 30
This library seemed dark last time, but now there was normal light from the lamps in the ceiling. It was clear that this was a rather spacious hall, connected by an arch to the next one, and then to another one - it was not known where these rows of shelves with books, folders and individual sheets in files stretched.A middle-aged woman librarian, with blond hair tied in a bun, in a strict skirt just below the knees and in a blue blouse, climbed down the ladder, carefully stepping on the floor with her feet in shoes with low heels. She smiled at me, I smiled too.“I wanted to take you something for tea, like cookies and jam, but somehow it turned out that I came without everything,” I said guiltily.“If you wanted, you brought it,” she said. And on a small low table appeared a jar of some dark jam and a plate of cookies. She reached behind a nearby rack and pulled out a boiling electric kettle.She poured boiling water into transparent faceted glasses in copper coasters, where the bl
OUTCAST 31
She used to walk her big black dog here every night. The dog was already running and calmly sat at her feet. She - again in a long black coat with silver patterns, in black boots with metal stilettos, in soft leather gloves - looked into the distance of the dark city, to where the outlines were lost and trees were only guessed, and behind them were the walls of houses. We stood together, she looked at me with interest, but was silent. They were silent together, because they liked not to break this silence, they liked just looking at this darkness, feeling each other and the dog next to each other.It seemed that we communicate with her not even exchanging thoughts, but communicating mood to each other. She was calm, well, and at the same time she remembered and dreamed. I suddenly had an understanding that she knows everyone in this city in general, remembers everything about everyone. And she loves them, and loves to fantasize about their future. Now it was clear that she knew everyt
OUTCAST 32
Three dozen women sat in two rows on chairs on the stage, playing some local stringed instruments like harps. Something soft and vibrant. The acoustics in the hall were not bad, the sound hung well under the spherical vaults, where hot sunbeams played among the blue windows. Beautiful maidens with amphoras of wine, bunches of grapes, and fruit trays were painted on the walls. And also snow-white birds, fluffy lions, huge kind elephants.The "virgins" on the stage were dressed somehow - some in torn rags, some in jeans, a T-shirt, sneakers, some in a local long dark dress. The performers were of all ages - young, adults and old. Everyone diligently pulled the strings and rejoiced at the sound of some kind of light melody.In the hall, children were sitting on tattered red seats, frightened, obviously hungry. The boys looked around anxiously, looking incredulously at the film crew. The girls jumped up from their seats and rushed to the journalists in a noisy crowd. They asked for sweets
OUTCAST 33
One shell hit the water and gave only a tall gray tight fountain, and the second turned the edge of the swamp and solid earth, raising a cloud of mud and slurry, groaning deafly in the ears and falling asleep with small branches, foliage, sticky pieces of soil. Breaking branches, a hopelessly dirty schmuck fell out of the bushes onto Ratmir. The face, streamlined with brown strokes, was recognizable as a lieutenant - the platoon commander, in whose stronghold it all happened. There was always almost nothing to see here because of dense shrubs and a solid wall of treetops above, which did not let in sunlight. But now, in the clouds of dirt raised by the explosions and fine suspension of water, plucked leaves and small branches, it was now completely impossible even to determine where anyone was. Instead of all landmarks, the only noticeable points were bright short erratic flashes of breaks. The sound was also not clear - it was impossible to determine the range and strength of the cla
OUTCAST 34
A cold autumn wind was blowing on Cathedral Square, the October sun did not warm the whole space, but roasted it pointwise, economically - aiming with a beam who you like, and giving a hot, tender kiss. The leader of the political opposition, Hammer, tall, relatively young, broad-shouldered and broad-browed, stood with me, hiding behind a bus, one of those with which we fenced off the square from the avenue. In general, we have frayed everything that is needed. He brings his supporters (three thousand were already here), all the time of the confrontation around the Cathedral, his people follow my orders regarding the defense. He takes all the political consequences and, if any, the benefits for himself. I don’t need anything further than the Council, he will speak to the press and then apply for the presidency.His people - young people, half under 20 years old, stood in a loose line along the line of buses and trucks, from which we made the first barrier against possible assault atte