Svetlana Mirrai "The Witch’s House. Mystical stories"

– Who are you? – he finally said, and I noticed how his palms began to clench and turn into fists.

IВ ignored him and pushed him away and entered the apartment.

– Lena… – I called.

InВ response, IВ heard aВ small noise inВ the kitchen.

IВ went there and found her at the table, holding her head with her hands, it looks like she was drunkВ too.

«Lena,» I began, «I’m sorry I left you. And I’m sorry for everything.

She looked at me, but didn’t say anything in response, and I continued:

– I’m sorry, I’m in front of you. And this is from me.

And he put the bread on the table, looked at her red and swollen face, turned around, and went toВ the front door. IВ was genuinely sorry forВ her.

Oddly enough, Igor was not inВ the corridor, and the way toВ the entrance was open forВ me.

When IВ came out ofВ the entrance, my way lay back toВ the store, and the hope ofВ getting out ofВ this strange world that IВ did not understand did not fade atВ all.

When IВ got toВ the door ofВ the store IВ whispered:

– Lord, please give me a chance, let me go home and I will change!

After that, IВ opened the door and entered the store. But before IВ could take aВ step, the saleswoman came up toВ me and said loudly.

– Man, the store is closing for the exit!

– How does it close like that? I said, startled.

– Man, we have a short day. Today is a holiday. We also want to sit with our loved ones at the festive table. Don’t you have a family too?

IВ lowered my head sadly and mumbled toВ myself.

– Of course there is.

And began toВ leave the store.

– Happy New Year, – the girl said cheerfully with a smile.

– Thank you and happy holidays to you! I replied.

With great difficulty, due toВ the strong wind, IВ opened the door and went outside.

The blizzard played out inВ earnest. But for me now the snow was the best gift ofВ fate, because it means that IВ got back into my world.

– Did it really work out! I exclaimed joyfully and ran home waving the bag containing the bread.

Happy, IВ just flew up the stairs toВ my floor. And my joy knew no bounds.

Soon IВ went up toВ my floor, and saw aВ completely unfamiliar door, after aВ little hesitation IВ rang the bell.

My wife Lena opened the door, she was wearing a dress I didn’t recognize.

– Anton, you’ve finally come, otherwise I’ve been waiting for you. «I have an important conversation to have,» she said in a serious voice.

– What’s right for the New Year? And I thought we were going to rest. «And where is the mother – in-law?» – I asked, passing into the apartment.

The most interesting thing is that not only was the door unfamiliar, but all the furniture inВ the apartmentВ too.

– Mom? I told you, she decided to stay with her neighbor to celebrate the New Year.

– How interesting, – I said with horror realizing that I was again not clear where, just not at home in my own world, – Honey, remind me, what year is it now?

– Are you kidding me? – she looked at me without understanding.

– Yes, what kind of jokes can there be, – I objected, – So what year is it?

– The outgoing two thousand and twelfth.

– That’s right, – I said.

– You surprised me, of course, that you don’t know a year, but I’m already used to your oddities. Let’s go to the kitchen, I’ve set the table, we’ll talk at the same time,» Lena said and pulled me by the hand.

– Let’s go, – I was very glad that food was waiting for me.

When IВ went into the kitchen, IВ was extremely surprised there were no festive salads on the table, there were no potatoes, traditional chicken baked inВ the oven. There were rolls, sushi and wasabi on my plate.

– You know I don’t like this kind of food.

– Since when did you stop loving them? Lena asked irritably and sat down at the table.

– And that there is definitely no other food? I asked, looking around.

– No, you let’s sit down and we’ll see off the old year.

IВ sat down and pulled aВ plate towards me, there were seven rolls and two sushi pieces inВ it.

– Economical,» I said, picked up a fork, stuck it on and dipped it in soy sauce.

– Well, what is delicious after all? she asked with a smile.

В«Tolerable,В» IВ replied, В«So what did you want toВ talk toВ me about?В»

– Yes, Anton, I wanted to. It’s like pulling out a bad tooth.

– Do you have a toothache?

– No, I’m speaking figuratively. Our relationship with you has reached an impasse. Do you understand?

– Well, go on.

– So here’s Anton. I want to file for divorce after the holidays.

– Have you thought about our son?

– What kind of son? Lena said in surprise, «We have a daughter, Natasha. And she knows it, she’s with Grandma now. Are you out of your mind at all? What’s the matter with you?

IВ decided not toВ continue the conversation anymore, left the table and went into the corridor.

– Wait, Anton, where are you going? Lena shouted after me.

«I’m sorry,» I said, «I have to leave now.

And without waiting for an answer, IВ abruptly opened the door and left the apartment.

AВ strong wind was blowing outside. IВ turned up my collar and went. There was nowhere toВ go, and IВ decided toВ go toВ the store toВ pull the door again, and toВ fully understand whether it was closed.

The door was locked. And that meant that the road to my world was closed to me. For a long time or not, I didn’t have an answer to this question at the moment.

– Happy New Year,“ a five – year-old girl shouted and ran up to me, „Uncle, happy New Year, I’m telling you.

– Happy New Year girl! – I smiled for the first time in a long time.

– And my name is Katyusha, here take a candy in honor of the holiday, – and the girl handed him a candy in a golden wrapper.

– Thank you, girl, you are so kind. Only here I have nothing to treat you with,» and I opened the package in front of her, in which the bread I had bought the day before lay alone.

«I don’t need anything from you,» the girl laughed.

Her mother came up toВ us, took her daughter byВ the hand, and they disappeared behind the house.

And IВ was walking down the street not knowing how toВ live and where toВ go now. IВ was tormented byВ aВ lack ofВ understanding ofВ the situation and not knowing how toВ get out ofВ it.

Suddenly, my feet began toВ slide on something unstable and smooth, and at the last minute before falling, IВ realized that there was ice under my feet, which was lying unnoticed under the snow. My head started toВ hurt because IВ broke it and began toВ lose consciousness lying on theВ ice.

I woke up on the train. The man’s hand was on my shoulder, apparently he was waking me up.

«I’ve finally woken up,» he said in a pleased voice.

– Hello, I thought I was dreaming this whole nightmare, – I replied.

At first IВ took the man for aВ neighbor inВ the compartment.

– Will you wake up a cup of tea? He asked politely.

– Yes, you can. And where is my wife Lena?

– You wait with the questions, I’ll bring tea first, and then we’ll start the conversation.

And the man got out ofВ the compartment.

The train suddenly rocked, and IВ decided toВ look out the window.

IВ opened the curtain aВ little, but toВ my great surprise, IВ saw nothing but whiteВ fog.

– You don’t have to look out the window, there’s nothing there, – said a fellow traveler who entered, he was holding two mugs of fragrant tea in his hands.

– And I already realized that there is only fog in the circle, – I replied.

– Alas, but we don’t have a beautiful landscape outside the window here, what can you do, dear friend, we are on the border of parallel worlds, – the man replied.

– So that’s how, and everything that happened to me means it’s not a dream, – and I even whistled from the information I received.

– Did you Anton want you to dream all this? The man asked with a grin.

– Well, yes. Yes, not one normal person would not want to be in my place!

– Maybe so. We call such people losers. But, fortunately, there are very few such cases, one in a million.

В«What am IВ supposed toВ do now?В» IВ asked sadly.

– To begin with, I will introduce myself to you, I am the border guard Kazimir. To get into your world, you will need to strain a little and remember everything down to the smallest detail. From A to Z, so to speak. Your fate will depend on your memories. You will have no more opportunity to return, you will stay in that world and you will live that life to the end. Remember about the presence of your double, too.

– And what do you need to remember right all your life? I asked in horror.

– No, just the last ten minutes. What they talked about, what they did, who was there…

We sat down comfortably, and IВ began toВ tell Kazimir my last moments that IВ spent inВ my world.

– I’m so sorry because my wife and I almost had a fight over bread. How could I start this pointless argument with her! I sighed, having finished my story.

– Perhaps you will have more time, and you will fix everything, – Kazimir said with a smile. – And now I will send you to your world, which you have described. Let’s say goodbye. Good luck to you Anton.

– Thank you, Casimir, – I said.

Everything that was around me disappeared, and instead IВ found myself inВ aВ hospital bed and my wife Lena was sitting right inВ front ofВ me now, looking affectionately into my face.

– Anton, what a blessing that you woke up! And Vanka and I didn’t sleep all night long, we were on duty at your bed. Vanya was very worried, and now he was tired and went home to sleep.

– Lenochka, but how did he go? Probably not alone, but together with Grandma?

– No, Anton’s mom is at home with us, she cooks food. I’ve already warned her that you’ve woken up and maybe you’ll be discharged today. Why would they keep a healthy person in the hospital?

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.