Many years ago, inВ some book ofВ aВ wise person, IВ discovered an interesting idea,
В«Our consciousness does not care if something happens only inВ thoughts or inВ reality, because the reaction ofВ the body is always the sameВ».
And IВ thought,
«Perhaps the „time machine“ is a human thought, and our memories are nothing but the „here and now“ reality. So, it is good for our health remembering happy or just pleasant moments…»
Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand. I screamed in surprise, turned around and saw…
…the Boy! The very one…
He held out his hand, looking piteously into my eyes, and said, В«Lantern!В»
And at that moment my brain seemed toВ be completely hacked.
Yanis got up from the table and took the boy by the hand. Speaking in the local dialect, they went towards the village. I thoughtfully followed them with my eyes, but I suddenly remembered my last nightmare – the Giant Ship. When Yanis came back, I decided to share my mysterious dream.
В«Yanis, listen! Tonight!В»
«You couldn’t fall asleep…»
«Yes, I went out to breathe the Ocean. I was standing on the rock, by the stairs, when suddenly the Wind appeared! It looked like hurricane! The Sky instantly became so scary! Huge clouds were moving back and forth! Lightning, thunder, and it started to rain, or rather, it was a tropical downpour, and a Giant Ship entered the bay! But people on board… I saw through the wall of rain, I swear to you, I saw them descending from the Ship, but straight into the Ocean! And they walked towards the shore on the water surface!!!»
В«And how else do people arrive on Camotes, if not byВ ship or byВ ferry?В» Yanis chuckled. В«How did you get here, Alice? ByВ aВ flying carpet?В»
My mind went blank again. I got a glitch in the brain, I perfectly understood that there was no other way to the Island. But for some reason the picture on the internal screen split in two. I saw the old ferry that brought me there with Alex, many years ago, and I also saw…
…water… everywhere… all around me… water… and a panic horror seizes me… I try to float up to the surface, but for some reason I can’t and…
…no, I’m not suffocating! – I see a face of a Man before it, a face, pulsing through the double image on the internal screen – the last thing that flickers in my nightmare…
3.4. Voodoo Procession
It was suspiciously quiet at night with neither wind, nor clouds inВ the Sky. IВ took one ofВ the torches from the reception and went for aВ walk around the gloomy Island, aimed toВ reach some specific В«pointВ».
IВ turned towards the pier, as the previous night, and walked for about ten minutes along unknown toВ me species ofВ shrubs and the long-legged palm trees piercing the black-book starry Sky, when at first the tambourines and then drums roll with chilling chants were heard inВ the distance.
However, curiosity got the better ofВ fear, and after aВ couple ofВ minutes IВ saw aВ shocking procession ofВ almost naked native magicians with painted faces and feathers on their heads, with frightening jewelry and scaring accessories, with skulls on thin sticks and aВ huge straw doll on the central thick one. Several people provided the musical accompaniment ofВ the ceremony, manipulating with tambourines and drums, the rest were singing incantations and dancing.
I took a step back, out of the road, to skip the procession and immediately felt someone pulling my dress sleeve, and the already familiar magic word rang in my ears…
В«LANTERN!В»
«My God!» I exclaimed, turning around. «Look, my dear, I don’t have any lantern! Only a torch, this one!»
IВ gave it aВ glance.
The Boy pointed at the Sky inВ response, but IВ had no time toВ think what it meant, because IВ saw Yanis on the road, wandering towards the pier with fishing nets and gear. The procession ofВ black magicians was moving away.
В«Hi,В» IВ breathed out. В«Are they Voodoo people?В»
«Yes. But you’d better not…»
В«Do they really shamanize here, or is it just aВ game?В»
«Really, but…»
В«Every night?В»
«Yes…»
Yanis was too laconic, but IВ felt that the topic ofВ Voodoo did not excite him, while it would be very curious for me toВ attend their ritual.
В«Where are they going?В»
«To the Portal… However, I categorically advise you not to contact them.»
IВ was about toВ ask, В«Who are you toВ advise me something?В» But IВ stopped inВ time, because Yanis, fortunately or unfortunately, was the only one local resident, with whom IВ could communicate, speaking the same language. IВ thought, В«The voodoo ceremony would wait for me till tomorrow. No one forces me toВ inform Yanis about my plans and toВ report toВ him about their implementation.В»
«Okay, Yanis. Let’s say the Portal does exist. But what about… lanterns? Why does the Boy keep asking me for some lantern?»
Strange things happening on the Island didn’t fit into the standard frames of my mind.
«He doesn’t really ask you for a lantern,» Yanis sighed, «but for a light bulb.»
В«AВ light bulb?В» IВ was surprised even more.
«Yes, a light bulb for the lantern. But it is okay also without lantern. A light bulb is enough…»
В«What for?В» IВ exclaimed understanding nothing.
В«ToВ hang it up on the Tree.В»
Apparently, Yanis decided toВ make fun ofВ me!
«I see… There are no light bulbs even in the hotel! There are no lights on the roads! There is no electricity here at all!»
В«But we have aВ Wish Tree,В» Yanis smiled and asked, В«What are you dreaming about, Alice?В»
IВ clenched my fingers into aВ fist because ofВ my powerlessness toВ understand something.
В«Walk me home. Please.В»
***
I returned the torch to the reception and went into my hut, lit a candle, took out the notebook and continued…
«Michael was the captain of a ship. At first. And then he became an important person in political circles…»
Chapter 4. The CAVE ofВ MAGICIANS
4.1. Life is too short
Michael… I wished he had been with me on the Island!
We never spent vacation together… I used to send him my erotic pictures from the Greek islands asking, «Which girl do you prefer? Choose!» to get in response, «Let’s take them all!» He had a good sense of humor…
Yes, perhaps Michael was the only man sent toВ me from Above, whom IВ would marry immediately, quite consciously agreeing with the fact that he would cheat on me after the wedding inВ the same way, as he cheated on his wife withВ me.
It was strange for me that many girls were lost inВ deep illusions concerning the possibility ofВ changing aВ man via some stamp inВ his passport. IВ never understood those who used toВ read phones, toВ look out for aВ strange hair on clothes, toВ sniff out foreign smells and toВ perform other functions ofВ aВ private detective. Having noticed the evidence, probably IВ would have say something acrimonious, asking not toВ bother me with it any more.
Was I jealous of Michael for his wife? No. Did I secretly wanted them to get divorced? I didn’t even think in that direction.
His wife was an axiom. Besides, almost from the first day ofВ our acquaintance, Michael hammered into my mind the idea that IВ was absolutely free and could find another man at any moment with the aime toВ be friends or toВ get married, and he would be sincerely happy for me and even ready toВ celebrate my wedding, because there was no Michael inВ my life and would neverВ be.
From time toВ time, IВ honestly tried toВ get acquaintance with someone with the aim ofВ creating aВ family, considering exclusively free boys, and sometimes IВ even shared the results ofВ such search with Michael. Negative results. Not because IВ had excessive demands toВ aВ potential prince.
Apparently, it was my destiny. IВ attracted not В«myВ» men, such as chronic alcoholics, hardened gigolos, uncompromising atheists and sexual perverts. With all the wealth ofВ choice, there was no alternative toВ Michael.
Perhaps for the spirit ofВ freedom each ofВ our rendezvous, which could become the last one, turned out into aВ bright holiday, and such aВ format ofВ relations withstood aВ rather long test ofВ time.
Michael never gave me money or gifts, but the most magical February the 14
was connected with him. Michael just used toВ catch for us aВ unique moment ofВ В«here and nowВ», inВ which we found ourselves shining as theВ Sun.
However, the feeling ofВ being unoccupied and not belonging toВ anybody poisoned me. What did it cost him toВ admit that he existed inВ my life? InВ general, we must face the truth, that was not at all the relationship that could bring happiness, should be dreamed ofВ and / or envied.
We quarreled in all these years only twice. Not even quarreled. I took offense. The first time I didn’t like his cynical words about… Or rather, the tone of expressing his opinion. I agreed with him, of course, Michael as always was absolutely right, but I disliked the way he said what he said… However, after a couple of days, Michael realized the reason of my bad mood, came into my office and asked to forgive him. How many people asked your forgiveness for the tone of expressing their opinion?
The second time he persistently asked me the reason of the offense for two days in a row just before my departure to Ammouliani. I even sent him a joking threat, «I’ll write a novel about you!»
And IВ received aВ letter as the answer ofВ not aВ boy, but aВ man.
«No-no-no, this is not a novel, and not even a story, and not an episode, but just a moment in life of two adult self-sufficient people, who simply misunderstood each other. Sorry, I did wrong when I disappeared without explanation. I had a black streak, problems with money and in general… But as soon as life began to improve, I allowed myself to approach you again.»
And that «I allowed myself to approach you…» was imprinted in me once and forever, instantly connecting kilometers of memories into a single whole picture.
«I don’t even know how else to surprise you!»
В«Oh my God, IВ am already aВ grandfather!В»
«I’ve lost some kilograms! Now I’m like a boy!»
I smiled…
