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THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 30
The city is no better. The fire seemed to have torn off their false guises from the townspeople. Once all the doors were open for me, I was greeted with smiles, thanked for the work, they promised patronage ... now the doors are closed. Nobody smiles. An ugly cripple without a craft. Nobody wants to deal with ugliness, another thing is a beautiful face, fame spanning several cities, wealth and honorable skill. The human soul shows itself to be a rotten, fetid substance. The world is ugly, people are even uglier.“Enough, please, stop! I can not take it anymore!" I can't stand it, trying to get out of this despair. All the pain, all the anger, all of his life goes through me, making me feel absolutely everything, like I'm a naked nerve. My fingers feel it again, but only for a moment, and then the torture session returns. Painfully. Too painful. I try to escape from these memories, but in vain."Please, I want back!"“You've gone too deep. You will have to see everything to return. Be
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 31
“This is like a dream,” a strange veil begins to tighten my head, but the pressure on my unfortunate scar drives it away.My workshop awaits me in my tent. All burnt tools. Everything that was previously devoured by fire is waiting for me. The cloyingly sweet smell of Black Hellebore wafts through the workshop. A small bouquet is on the table. It's time to create. Create masks. Special masks.I know what to do and I know how to do it. Rub the flower on the inside of the mask. Choose an image that suits the inner ugliness of a person. It is worth putting on a mask, and a person will forget himself. They will merge with the mask, and even the body will change shape. And when the last memories dissolve, there will be no turning back.— Alice?"I remember. I remember who I am! - starts buzzing in my head. My words are only partly true. I'm starting to forget.- Now…Annette's friend is transformed into a spider-like monster by the power of a curse, spreading fear and obsession among young
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 32
“Don’t misunderstand me,” the Man’s eyes sparkled demonically, “I have nothing against people who ooze with fetid vices to suffer. But even for me , this method of reprisal is too cruel.— Good Samaritan! Lis couldn't resist. - And bury them as fertilizer? Also a gesture of mercy?“There is no mercy in this city, and I haven’t seen it in the outside world either!” Your patroness is a perfect example of this. She poisons assistants so as not to risk her own life! - only from this slight wave of his rage, Fox pressed into the back of the sofa, squeezing his temples with tension. “The dead need to go somewhere. And from such Hellebore-saturated bodies, flowers grow better, more often, and the effect of them is much stronger.- How many were there? the voice trembled.- More than fifty. Of course, not everyone was poisoned by Hellebore to that extent. Some, like you, calmly drank "magic teas". They were especially fun ! - from these words, the insides of the Foxes made a small somersault.
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 33
After a night in Brantford, meeting Them , riding the waves of The Man's memory, accepting the existence of witches, realizing the betrayal of the only ally in the city, and even desperately trying to become a weirdo, this was the moment that the Foxes' cup of endurance overflowed. With a loud scream, she managed to escape from the hands of the Man. Resoundingly hitting her back on the floor, she freed herself from the cocoon of her cloak, crawled behind the sofa and hid behind the high back like a child. Once again, her antics made the Man freeze in place in surprise.“What… what was that?! - continuing to hide from him, Alice asked angrily, breathing heavily and almost breaking into a scream."Witches, sorcerers... go to your Hogwarts and leave normal people alone!"Did my face scare you ? The man took a step towards her. "The ugliness didn't scare you!" - One more step. “She offered to make you a weirdo!” A step, and only a sofa separated them. And you calmly admitted the presence
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 34
- No, of course, when we first met, none of us dreamed of traveling! - Fox grinned, moved closer to the table some seemingly reliable chest, and with the tacit consent of the Man, confirmed by his slight nod, sat down on the chest, wrapped in a blanket. “That damned Saintfor brought us together. Our parents left the city before the birth of each of us, but we regularly visited our grandparents. So, once in a clearing near a waterfall, we gathered together. By that time, Zoe and I already knew each other, because we studied at the same school, but the guys met for the first time. It is easy for children to just start making friends from the spot, as if they will never part, and after a joint summer, forget about each other for a year, so that “friendship forever” will be renewed next summer, but this was not the case. We always found a way to get together every weekend. We have grown together since elementary school. Therefore, almost all interests were common ...“Except for Zoey's ch
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 35
- Anything? Without Borders? Lis didn't believe it. “That’s all I want and no prohibitions?” Right here and now?- Exactly. Right here and now! The Man nodded.“What would I like to do right now? And without a single ban? she thought." Surprise me ?"“Hmm…” she drawled, having come to a dead end with the answer to her question, however, it was the booming and drawn-out “hmm” that became the answer to the question. A melody formed in her head, as if someone had turned on music right in her skull, which just had to sing along:“The world was young, the hills bloomedIn the midst of the ringing silenceWhen the moon was freshDarin woke up from a dream.He was the first to roam the hillsAnd he drank first from the stream;He bowed over the surface of the waters:Under him floated a stellar round dance.A shadow lay on the water, and in itHis crown of lights"¹Alice took a breath and continued to sing. With each line, a quiet and slightly trembling voice gained strength. And now she co
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 36
The girl could not stand it and unfolded the letter. In a beautiful calligraphic handwriting in a letter after a long greeting listing all the statuses and regalia of the sender and addressee, the lines were painfully pricked:“ In accordance with the adopted agreement on mutual observance of borders, I demand the extradition of two violators who crossed the border of the territory of the Circus at night without permission. The penalty for violation of the terms of the contract will be appointed by the Director of the Freak Circus, called the Man in the Mask, in a personal meeting with the violators.A personal meeting is scheduled on the day of receipt of the letter before noon.From accompanying the guilty, I strongly recommend to refrain ."Why all this?! I was in his arms right in his tent. I myself asked to be made a weirdo!” Lis thought with a heavy beating heart.“Madame Claudia, please,” the girl breathed out, suppressing panic
THE MYSTERY CITY CHAPTER 37
“It’s only for two weeks, I’ll survive!” the girl mentally encouraged herself and took a step towards the exit from the tent.“Taking this opportunity, I remind you,” her voice caught up, “two weeks and your friend should work at the Circus . The conditions are the same.The fox stopped abruptly and turned around in place. It was as if all the air was knocked out of her lungs, and the girl herself felt stunned by the impact of something heavy. For Charlie, she would not be afraid to give the Man poison to drink, even realizing that this would not harm him, but she would take a sip of the full cup of consequences.- This is too much! she breathed, filled with anger. The turmoil in thoughts due to the presence of the Man instantly disappeared, giving way to crystal clarity.Fearlessly jumping up to the Director, who had gone into the darkness of the tent, she hissed angrily:He is a citizen now. For you, he is untouchable! You can threaten me all you want, but I swear on all the devils,