The edges of the curtains are pressed with sticks, glued with adhesive tape, chased with books; The door is closed and tucked down from the bottom with a rag; Candles are exhibited on the floor – the light they created did not go beyond the center of the room, and darkness swirled in the corners of the room; The rods of incense smoldered, smoke in thin threads stretched throughout the available space, turned around furniture, felt the walls. The air saturated the feeling of detachment, as if they tried to isolate the room from the world, close, and prevent anyone inside. However, it was not empty.
A man dressed in a wide chlamyda crawled on the floor, trying not to touch the paraffin columns, from time to time he pulled the hood crawling on his face and brought the figure on the surface – the most part was drawn, remained, judging by the preliminary, barely visible, two more rays. He whispered constantly to himself – but not the words of the dark ritual, but the usual curses: from long standing on all fours his knees were ill, the spine ached, and the clothes, although it looked suitable for the moment, turned out to be terribly uncomfortable, interfered and already managed to get dirty, covered with pale sweeping stripes on the hem and on the edges of the sleeves and on the edges.
Having drawn the last line, the man rose, stretched – the masculinated joints crunched. For about a minute he simply stood, enjoying a comfortable pose, then pulled out a leaf, which was yellowed from time to time, on which the ligature of the letter was barely guessed from a wide pocket. It was not easy to get the call formula, it took a lot of strength: first – to find mention of it, after – to weed out all the extra. As a result, the only option remained, and the person was still not sure that he would work and that now, right in the room, in a protective pentagram, the Supreme Demon of Hell himself will appear.
Last test: candles are burning, the anchors close the intersections of the lines, the ashen crosses did not scatter, the excess strokes are removed. The man threw back the hood, wet the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief, ran along the reddened full -time cheeks, wiped his neck. He was young, hardly older than two decades, but wrinkles managed to settle on his face – two thin vertical folds lay between the eyebrows, two moved away from the wings of the nose and went down, around the mouth of the mouth.
The scarf was wet, untidy heap lay on a pre -prepared place, and a person who again hid behind the tissue of the hood, read the phrase from the sheet. In a small clogged room, the words reflected from the walls, distorted and died smoothly, dragged out without a trace, like water on dry ground. Closer to the corner of the room, a dark rectangle was indicated, opened as most doors opened, and a massive figure came out of it. She was dressed in a snow-white shirt with short sleeve, light beige trousers and shoes. In the hand – a black folder with a zipper.
A creature that appeared, contrary to expectations, not in the center of the pentagram and not even next to her, turned his head, looked around. For an apartment with standard ceilings of two fifty, it had an inappropriate growth: curved horns struck the ceiling, left two lines on a whitewash-and a shadow of ears of displeasure flashed on a dark red face.
“You will submit the next request, know: from the attributes that is on the floor you only need a seal, the rest is superfluous and only creates garbage,” the creature said; Having hunched over and carefully stepping over the candles, it went along the pentagram to the sofa, the village added: – Under comfortable conditions, the efficiency of work increases.
“You … you …” said the man, pointing a finger at the guest.
The creature bowed his head in consent and said:
– True – the devil, Satan, the lord of hell, the tempter, the fallen angel, some confuse with the whales. Over the centuries, people mixed positions, titles, names, nicknames and even outdated callsigns from a previous place of work – hence such a confusion. I propose to dwell on Satan, and at the same time overcome the embarrassment of the usual awkwardness for the first meeting – yes, I am alive, I exist and this fact is not much different from you – and get down to the case for which the request was submitted.
The elongated hand trembled, the mouth opened and closed, but no sound flew out of it; At the same time, a person did not look frightened, rather dumbfounded – as if his ideas about the lord of hell did not coincide with the look of a demon peacefully sitting on the sofa. Satan leaned forward slightly, smiled and tried to help:
“So …” he said with waiting intonation.
– You … must obey me! The man cried out.
– In a certain sense, it is: I am a servant of my own people, and my position implies service and submission. Although you are at the moment and are not a citizen of hell, you have almost the same rights, including the right to appeal to any member of the Hell Chancellery, as well as full citizens, since your petition for citizenship has been submitted and is under processing.
– But I did not give a petition.
“They served,” Satan was gently interrupted.
He pulled the zipper, opened the folder, pulled a sheet of paper from it.
-Semenov Andrey Grigoryevich, born in 1995, the identification number of the soul: AT-162945852294-01M. Postpartum petition for obtaining citizenship of hell, filed by the Council of Angels. The standard mandatory procedure for each person, ”Satan explained, put the sheet back in the folder and continued:“ You have the right to file a similar petition to paradise, but it will be rejected if the sender is not a citizen of hell.
Andrey exhaled through his teeth, wrinkles on his young face were more clearly indicated.
– That is, I have to die? – He said, barely restraining the dispersed emotions.
Satan spread his hands and answered:
– The law for all one.
Barely born – and immediately stood in line in hell? A worthy argument that needs to be thrown into the face of everyone who calls the life of a fair. Andrei knew a lot of such people, but he did not belong to them. He did not consider the fate that had fallen to him neither fair nor happy, and for a long time cherished the dream of living for his pleasure, and not hunching at the factory, listening to daily jokes about the continuity of generations. Is his fault that in a small town where he was born and raised, two -thirds of the population work together? Father, both grandfathers – all at the factory. And they are proud! Like, we raise the country, production is growing – our cranes are appreciated all over the world! And what, he should work hard from eight to five, like a damned one, because the two generations of his ancestors were too lazy to find a place more warmly and more evident? Andrei praised a similar fate, and he was looking for a way to get rid of it: for the sake of grains of information he sat on the night, crossed hundreds of options – and today he pulled out a ticket into a wonderful life.
– To hell with your law! I haven’t spent three years to search for a call formula for this!
– Immediately to business. I approve! – Satan smiled again – the smile looked friendly and did not look at the demonic grin at all, – repeated: – So.
– I need power! – said Andrey and hit his left hand with his right fist, as if confirming: the decision is final.
– Over people? – said Satan.
“Yes,” Andrey answered. – I want them to do what I order them.
– Convinced? Satan asked.
Andrei looked into the yellow eyes of a demon sitting on the sofa and was waiting for a response in the form of a painting with blood, the oaths of unconditional fidelity, soul for eternal use – what other requirements exist in the afterlife? Satan was silent, a thoughtful expression froze on his face, the lower jaw moved forward slightly, and the fingers beat off the rhythm on the knee. Having come to some conclusion, he raised his hands and slapped his hands. The sound came out loud, voluminous, hit the ears, and the world in the eyes of Andrei blurred.
When the vision returned, Andrei, instead of battered wallpapers, saw a perfectly flat wall covered with paint of a juicy beige color. At the joints-a white-gold stucco molding, it climbed up from the floor itself, to the ceiling, where she flowed into a complex twisted pattern. A closet made of dark wood is located along the right wall. Behind the glazed, covered doors, there were some icons, cups, hats, musical instruments-they were very different from each other, and it did not seem to be connected by something in common. Andrei looked down and realized that he was sitting at a huge table from the same dark tree, a set of handles with golden edges lay on his right hand, four disk phones of different colors were installed on the left-red, white and two dark blue. Clothing has changed: instead of chlamyda – a black business suit. It was worth changing the pose, and the comfortable chair barely audible creaked with a leather coating; Andrei ran a hand on him – pleasant to the touch and very solid in appearance.
The door opened, a man entered – medium height, lean, middle -aged, dressed in the same business suit. He held a stack of paper sheets in his hands. He approached, took two upper sheets, put on the table and said:
– Andrey Grigoryevich, the text of your speech at the opening of an aviation plant.
The sharp transition knocked out of his balance, and Andrei looked at the scribbled sheets, looked at the man standing nearby, but could not figure out what they wanted from him.
– Where … – Andrei swallowed the rest of the phrase in time, realizing that he would give himself out with his head, and after a pause he continued: – … the rest?
-A gift to the Prime Minister of Japan is ready. The text of the evening speech, according to your instructions, is compiled in the thesis and at the moment is the final editing. Would you like to get acquainted with him now?
Andrei brought his hand to his neck, felt for a tie knot, pulled, weakening the pressure. Coughed, forcing a sowing voice to return.
“No,” he said finally, “I’ll look later.
The man put a new sheet on the table.
– Decree on the assessment of the effectiveness of the work of executive bodies.
Poppying, Andrey took the pen. He ran through the text with his eyes, did not understand anything and put a signature. The sheet, like a bird, fluttered from under his hands, and his place was taken by a new.
– Decree on the pardon of Korotkovsky.
– Amendments to the Labor Code.
– Order on the allocation of money to the Ministry of Education.
“Resignations,” the man said, and five sheets fell on the table at once, a fan.
Followed by appointments and decisions.
“What am I doing? – thought Andrei, signing either in the twentieth, or for the thirtieth time and feeling increasing itching at his fingertips. -Documents, papers, some plants, evening meetings-why all this to me?!"
Putting the pen, Andrey said:
-Something I wound up. Remember: evening speech is.
– Meeting with businessmen.
-We owe them something? Andrei asked.
Anxiety flashed through a man’s gaze. He ended from foot to foot, taking a tiny step back, and answered:
– No. The meeting brings an unofficial message: business shows loyalty to the state, the state – business.
Andrei pursed his lips, heard, as if from the side, his own breath – loud, noisy, frequent. Sneaky looked at the man standing nearby.
– I need coffee. And cancel this machine -building.
“Aviation,” the man prompted.
– Doesn’t matter! – raised his voice Andrey. – I said: cancel. Send someone instead of me to such nonsense: cut the tape-there is no need for a lot of mind.
– Andrey Grigoryevich, I dare to remind you that you personally oversee the construction process. High-tech production, automation, latest equipment, accelerated reprofiling-technical equipment of this level is the only one in the world, and the nearest analogue is five to seven years. Your absence is a serious blow to the reputation of the plant, and directions, and the country as a whole.
His words raised in Andrei’s soul a wave of dense prickly irritation. Andrei was generally annoyed easily and quickly, from early childhood and for any reason: whether it was an unloved buckwheat porridge that his father adored, which means that the whole family had to eat it; or the monotonous dialect of the teacher, as if specially striving to tell simple things with complex words, confuse, so that after, in the exam, shake their head in crushingly, with a pretender disorder and at the same time to a malicious eye to put unsatisfactory assessments; or the persistence of parents who dragged him first in circles (there were not so many in the city, so I had to visit everything), and then according to the admission commissions – and explained their perseverance with anxiety for the future of the only son; or the obligation to get up daily, weave to work and engage in routine, while life passes by, gleaming with honored teeth of beauties-models and waving the hands of businessmen,whose fingers are humiliated by massive golden rings, and the wrists wrap the clock in which there are more precious stones than garbage on a cluttered summer cottage.
– Listen, you! – exclaimed Andrey, raising his hand with an extended index finger.
Anxiety in the man’s eyes intensified, and he again crossed from his foot to his foot, being a little closer to the door; the face, however, remained serene, and the tone was friendly.
“Peter Sergeyevich Vartsev, the first secretary,” he said, carefully, with squint, peering into Andrey’s face.
– Yes, I know that! – Andrey lied.
He took a deep breath, slowly, with a noise, exhaled, trying to calm down. Balancing over the abyss of roaring feelings, Andrei said with a well -distinguished tension in his voice:
– I won’t tolerate disputes. You are a secretary – so do your job.
Peter Sergeevich bowed his head and left the office. Five minutes later, Andrei drank coffee, enjoying the unusually bright, exciting nerve endings with taste. Fabulous! Never before he tried something like that. In his old life, there was only a soluble drink and heartburn fakes – their cunning sellers gave out under the brand "whole grain".
The mood improved with every gulp.
“You know what, Peter Sergeyevich,” said Andrey, “cancel all meetings and organize my rest on the sea coast. And so that the girls are.
Andrei leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, raised his hand with a cup and added:
– And this coffee.
Goodbye, a cramped apartment! Although there were two rooms in you, they had to be divided into three people, and parents are not the people with whom they want to live together. Goodbye, plant! You can continue to draw useless cranes, make people work from call to call, feeding them monthly handouts. Goodbye, relatives! You, arrogant snobs, with your constant reproaches, moralizing, patronizing views of the older generation, is not a pity. Goodbye, old life! And hello, new! Beautiful, carefree, where you do not have to think about tomorrow, where there is no need to deny yourself the desired trifles – the life that he is merit.
– GHM, – came on the left.
Andrey opened his eyes and slowly turned his head towards the noise source.
– The opening of the plant, Andrey Grigoryevich. Only you are waiting for you.
Over the years, there were more and more irritation that caused irritation, the reaction to them manifested itself brighter, more acute, and control over the raging emotions weakened. Always, no matter how much Andrei remembered, wherever he went, there were people who repeated like clockwork toys: you must, you must, you need, you will have. Inviting, at first glance, words were picked up, because no one once answered the question – “Why?"
The abandoned cup crashed into the wall, scattered with a meek, as if frightened, tinkled. Fragments of fraction knocked on the floor. The surface of the wall, at the site of the blow, stained in dark brown color; The lines stretched from the fresh spot in all directions – they swelled at the ends and quickly crawled down, leaving even traces.
Andrey jumped up and yelled:
– Fold, fuck! Drag here the second secretary, and get out to the damn mother himself!
The threat did not make the slightest impression on Peter Sergeyevich. He didn’t go anywhere, but instead pulled a tiny phone out of his pocket, jabbed a button with his finger, brought the device to his ear and said:
– Situation number eight.
The phone went back to his pocket, Pyotr Sergeyevich took the sheets with the speech, and that lay down all this time untouched, picked up the red phone and said:
– Alexey Fedorovich, situation number eight. The opening of the plant. Yes, in a cut. I will be in a minute.
Before he finished, the door swung open. Three entered the office: dressed in the same dark costumes, on their heads – short haircuts, their faces are similar, as if from their own brothers. One stopped immediately, two, not slowing down, approached Andrei and grabbed him under his arms.
– What. – Andrei cried out and rushed in an attempt to free himself, but did not achieve success: “costumes”, looking calm and relaxed, kept it tight.
– Yes, I’ll fire you all! I order to let go! Lively! This is the agreement! You must obey me! – Anger was torn out, Andrei shouted, forgetting everything, and did not understand why no one was listening to him.
“More than a year has passed,” the man said at the door, “I thought everything would not happen again.
“The problem, of course, but nothing, we can handle it,” answered Peter Sergeyevich and left the office.
“In a special one,” the man at the door gave the order.
Andrei dragged forward. He resisted, twitched, rested his feet – with the same result, he could beat the air or push the sea wave. The group passed a wide corridor, three small richly decorated halls, turned into an inconspicuous dead end. One of the accompanying people led his hand – part of the wall drove aside. Andrei was brought, carefully laid his face down and left, saying in the end: “For your good, Andrey Grigoryevich”.
I felt freedom, Andrei jumped, rushed back, pounding in the door merging with the wall. His fists were drowned in soft upholstery, blows made a dull, quiet sound. He beat and beat, and then in his chest, in the area of the heart, it was pierced, the side was twisted from unusual load, breathing was strayed. Andrei stopped, began to rub tired hands and buzzing brushes, looked around. The room did not amaze with sizes; ceiling, walls, floor – everything is covered with elastic material unknown to it. Backing the walls, Andrei walked around the room, sat on the only piece of furniture – mattress. Were this suspicious type, Pyotr Sergeyevich, who sensed the catch and caused guard! Although why should he be so suspicious if he must keep silent and do what is ordered … or should not?
Andrey slapped himself on his forehead. Satan – this is from whom to ask! What is happening is his hand, and there is probably an explanation: for example, he put out extra checkmarks in uniform, and then pretended to be so should be so. I went to the trick, red -legged impudent muzzle!
A chill ran across Andrei’s back. https://punt-casino.co.uk/ He is here, in an unknown place, on it is new clothes, around strangers around, and the formula remained in the apartment! Pockets of trousers, jackets, shirts-the left hand stumbled upon something small and firm. Mel lay in a neat bag with the second compartment – opening it, Andrei discovered a folded sheet with a call formula.
Draw on a soft coating – continuous torment, and fuss with a pentagram took a lot of time. The work was complicated by the lack of tools: the lines and angles had to be carried out by the eye, and the excess – to wipe the sleeve.
Satan came out of the dark door that arose in the air. This time he was dressed in a gray shirt with discreet patterns, black trousers and black sharp -nosed shoes. The folder remained the same. Now Satan was like a clerk from a small nameless office.
“There are not enough chairs, but generally comfortable,” he said after a short examination.
– They locked me here! – said Andrey. – By your fault.
“Let me disagree,” Satan answered. – I was not here.
– You promised me power!
– One stroke to decide the fate of millions – is it not power? Satan asked.
– You had to do so that any of my word was performed! I gave orders – and what? They did not hear me!
Satan touched the mattress with his foot. The eyebrows on the red face got up – one just above the other, his head bowed a little to his left shoulder. Satan squatted down, pushed the mattress with his fingers, pressed his palm.
“It is very curious,” he said, after which he got up, turned to Andrei and said: “Limitations always exist: giving an obviously impossible order, it is worth being prepared that they will not fulfill it.
Andrei’s upper lip raised himself, he squeezed his fingers into his fist and, exhaling sharply through his nose, hit the air with his hand, like a hammer.
-Then who needs such power, where you can’t step and must sign some pieces of paper, to dangle by unnecessary meetings without having a minute of free time?
“I warned,” Satan said.
– There is nothing to transfer my mistakes to me! – shouted Andrey. – I would remember such a warning!
Satan opened the folder, pulled one of the sheets.
– So, so. I have a new request, ”said Andrey.
The half -wounded sheet went back.
Andrei walked around the room back and forth, his hands were constantly moving to the beat of the words: they rose and sank, bend at his elbows and fell down, outlined complex trajectories. He behaved as if he were on stage under the close attention of the full auditorium.
– Power is an opportunity to do anything without restrictions. One movement, ”Andrei clicked his fingers,“ and any of your desire is fulfilled. The servant will do everything for you, do with a smile, because he loves. Let it be not you, but your money is no matter, ”Andrei stopped next to Satan, looked at him from the bottom. – Make me rich. Trillion! In the ten largest monetary units, in gold, in precious stones, in real estate, ”Andrei listed, bending his fingers, and all this should be valuable. So that without any inflation! My wealth should be enough to buy everything that has a price! – Andrei fell silent, thought about what was said – were there no pitfalls left that the Lord of hell can use for the next trick? – And added: – Perform!
Satan pressed the folder with his elbow to his side and slapped his hands.
Rumble in the ears fell silent. The surrounding world again found clarity, gathered together, but already in a changed form: the room with the mattress turned into a small cozy hall; On the walls, paintings were now hung, the regiments made by the book volumes appeared; A prominent place was occupied by a fireplace, there was a table and two chairs nearby – in one of them Andrei ended up. There was a man of about thirty at the door, dressed in a strange cut costume-he somehow reminded Andrei’s clothes of pianists who arranged concerts for factory workers several times.
The man noticed his gaze directed at him, stepped forward and asked:
– Yes, Andrey Grigoryevich?
“Uh,” Andrei said, and, without inventing anything better, decided to act according to the old scheme: “Coffee.
– It will be done! – the man blurted out, hit the heels of polished shoes against each other and jumped out the door.
Andrey, taking advantage of the moment, looked around again, not worried about to be misunderstood. The situation was more like a home – such a cozy, well -furnished nest and no official, as it was the previous time. The fireplace is drowned into the wall, in its depths, the logs -wrapped in fire merrily crackled. Light, subtle smell of burning wood in the air. Above, on the fireplace shelf, there were a row of figurines of mythical creatures: bearded gnomes with hammers and pickles, a one -eyed giant, a horned minotaur with a two -handed ax, witches in witty hats, mantles and shafts in their hands – all are made in the same style and from one material. “Is it really gold?“Thought Andrei, examining the dull yellow metal, from which it also blew nobility and dignity. The same color had a framework of some paintings, a door handle, a chandelier and curly corners under the book shelves. A huge skin lay on the floor – Andrei defined its former owner without difficulty: empty bear eyes looked at the fire blazing in the fireplace, the mouth was opened, the grin that seemed like a formidable growl was eager to tear from the throat of the beast.
The costume became different: white and cut (in the little things similar to the pianist’s outfit, he nevertheless greatly different from him and looked unfamiliar, strange, unusual) gave him a shade of dandy and somewhat moved away from the business style that he could boast of recently. The sensation of a light greeting was strengthened by gloves on his hands, a magnificent collar of a black and yellow shirt and a cylinder hat-although it lay on a matte glass countertop, but undoubtedly was part of the costume.
Andrei’s attention was attracted. She lay near the cylinder, and on the page’s strip accessible to the gaze, the title was written in large letters: “First trillionaire”. Andrei reached out to the newspaper, but at that time his nose caught the smell of welded coffee and female spirits. Following the field of view, hands appeared, put a small cup with a saucer on the table, and said a soft voice:
Andrey looked at the girl standing nearby. Young, pretty, correct facial features, a minimum of cosmetics – mascara on long eyelashes and dim lipsticks on expressive full lips. Brown hair is collected in the tail and tattered with an elastic band. The buttons of the white blouse are chastely fastened to the throat, but the fabric in the chest area is stretched so that lace underwear was visible through the gaps; The black tight -fitting skirt hid her legs to the knees, on top of it – a white apron with floral ornaments.
The girl was good, and Andrey swallowed involuntarily. Could not stand it, held out his hand, slapped the girl in the buttock.
“Andrei … Grigoryevich,” the girl said with a hitch; She shuddered when Andrei, who had not removed his hand, slightly squeezed the brush, covered her eyes and asked:-Want something else?
The returning man stood in the old place, at the door, looked at the ceiling and with all his appearance expressed complete non -involvement in what was happening. Andrey bowed his head to one side, waiting for at least some reaction, but no, nothing.
“I wish,” said Andrey. – But not here. In the bedroom. Go, you have five minutes.
The girl came out. Andrey raised a cup, took a sip. Coffee was tasty, much better than familiar, but nothing more. Perhaps the point is a light bitterness or unknown additives, but he did not reach the splendor of the drink from the office. Andrey, having managed to get used to the good one in one reception, grimaced and set aside the cup.
At the sight of a grimace, the man took a step and asked:
– Whom? – asked Andrey, examining the pattern on the rim of the saucer.
“Marina, housekeeper,” the man answered.
Swording notes were clearly distinguished in his voice. Andrei raised his head and saw on the man’s face the full range of puppy emotions: love, adoration, joy to serve and devotion.
“Coffee, of course, is lousy, but let’s give her a chance,” Andrei said, rising, rising. – Take me to the bedroom.
The man hastened to open the door.
– Transmit to the driver: let him wait? He asked.
– Yes. What?! – Andrei realized: they are waiting for him again?
He owes someone again?!
“You were going to pick up the yacht and immediately go to the sea cruise – to celebrate your first,” the man cast a quick glance at the newspaper lying on the table, “Trillion.
The sea is good, Andrei loved the sea, and if he had the opportunity-he would have moved to live on some coast. Unfortunately, even a normal river did not flow in his city – some channels with technical water. Like many peers, he went every summer with his parents for a weekly vacation to the sea, but that was not enough, I always wanted supplements.
Remembering Peter Sergeyevich, who preferred to open the plants to all cases, Andrei felt annoyed. After all, he wanted at sea, and as a result he fell under the castle. Satan’s accident, misunderstanding or deliberate mistake – in any case, it is worth behaving more carefully and not keep too smart and insightful nearby.
“We’ll sit down later,” said Andrey.
Expected to hear a refusal – and was mistaken.
“Yes, of course, as you say,” the man answered.
Andrei was amused: no one will re -go, they do not require anything, they act according to the first word – and why it did not work out the first time? Now it’s clear why he will dress like that. Grasping the cylinder, Andrey said:
– I changed my mind. Let’s go for the yacht. Yes, and … – forgetting the name, he raised his hand, pointing towards the door and moving his fingers.
– Yes, take it too.
The trip did not last long. Andrei did not have time to inspect the passenger part of the limousine – with leather chairs, inserts made of wood and gold, champagne, sophisticated by unfamiliar equipment, completely closed from the outside world and from the driver – as the car door opened, and the still nameless man said: said:
– Arrived, Andrey Grigoryevich.
“Wait here,” Andrei addressed Marina.
The girl nodded. Before the trip, she managed to change her hairstyle-gathered her hair on the back of her head, holding them through a large wooden varnished hairpin-and change into something dark, brilliantly crossing. The quality and appearance of the fabric hinted at the dress, although it was more like a narrow, in some places even a tight, elongated T -shirt.
With the thought that fashion sometimes brings on corners, Andrei left the limousine, rpmed the jacket. Smells of salt and iodine were felt in the air, the ears caught the noise of water, but the sea itself was not visible. Before Andrei, a two -story building with an expensive finish, columns and marble steps towered in front. Nearby was a wide paved site with markings – parking for cars; Now she was empty: on her, in addition to the limousine, there was the only car of an unknown Andrei Mark. The man stood near her waved his hand, headed for the guests. Even at a distance, it was noticeable that his clothes were not sophisticated and looked more like a working uniform: a dense jacket of a slurred shade, a sea wave and gray-beige shoes without fasteners.
– Sergey Shvetsov, General Director of BRIZ. Avid yachtsman and designer. Personally engaged in the design of your yacht, – they said a whisper behind Andrei. Andrei did not ask for anything like that, but the hint came in handy.
“Good evening, Andrei Grigoryevich,” said Sergey, stopping three steps before the group; smiled politely, but did not give his hands.
“Good,” answered Andrey.
– Glad you finally appeared.
Despite the meaning of the words spoken by Sergey, neither his even voice, nor his face – wide, open, with large, slightly slanting eyes, straight nose and dimp on the chin – did not express joy.
– Where can I see my yacht? – Andrei was eager to check a new purchase in the case.
“I called you daily over the past four months,” said Sergey, ignoring the question, “he sent his assistants to your office and home, came himself, and I could never meet with you to discuss the nuances of your own order. The yacht is in the assembly workshop, and its condition as it was four months ago: it is not ready.
Andrei’s good mood disappeared like smoke in the wind.
“Seryozha, we agreed that today …” Andrei began to say, feeling the sprouts of anger bloom.
“But you did not comply with the agreement,” said Sergey.
Awareness of the fact that he was not heard again, instantly brought Andrei out of balance.
– Yes, I don’t care! – Andrei shouted, not experiencing anything more but anger, – you know who I am and what I will do with your bastard office?!
Sergei remained calm.
“I know, but this will not accelerate the construction of the yacht,” he answered. – And stop rude: you are licked from head to toe – show a drop of respect.
Sergei looked at his watch and added:
– The working day ended fifty -four minutes ago. Come tomorrow, decide yours in … p … r … oh … s … s.
Sergey’s speech stretched, the voice changed to the bass, his mouth slowly opened and also closed slowly. Andrei seemed to fall to the depths – there was a continuous monotonous squeak in his ears, other sounds disappeared. It stabbed in the chest, thoughts disappeared somewhere, leaving the head empty, like a cast-iron boiler; The yellow points spun before their eyes – they became more and more, they closed the world and began to approach, absorbing and bright light, and shadow.
Andrei felt that he was grabbed by his arms and led him. He seemed to move his feet … sat down somewhere, answered something.
Points changed the color, inhaly, and now the movement was guessed behind them. It became clearer – and now not a blurry stain flashed, but a tree crown. Freshness came – along with a breeze blowing face. Andrei squeezed his eyelids with force, and when he opened, he saw a half -lowered glass of a limousine and a vegetation passing behind him.
– Andrey Grigoryevich, you hear me? Say something! You feel bad? Where it hurts?
Andrei turned his head. Marina sat next to him and slowed down his shoulder, held the glass with his other hand – both he himself, and his hand was in drops of water. Andrei looked down-a half-empty bottle was lying in the legs, part of its contents leaked and gathered in a puddle, the other-with spots adorned Andrey’s costume, spilled in light brown upholstery of the seat. The tight-fitting dress of Marina unfolding in half-turn could not stand fidgets and lifted up to the waist, the hips were flooded with water, as if they were accepting the main blow of the spilling mineral water, but the girl did not pay attention to it: she, without looking up, looked at Andrei, and anxiety and fear mixed in her eyes.
– What’s happened? – Andrei asked and was surprised at his voice – hoarse, dry, he sounded like a creak of an emery, which was ruled by a slightly fixed steel plate.
– You felt bad, turned pale and almost fell – Vadim managed to catch. He put you in the car, and now we are going to the hospital.
The car slowed down, turned off, multi -story houses appeared outside the window. Andrey climbed into the inner pocket of his jacket, fingers stumbled upon something hard and thin. Having pulled out the item, Andrey saw a call formula stolen in plastic. Now chalk. Andrei consistently felt and examined every pocket, but found only a pack of bills packed with paper with a seal of the bank.
– There are chalk here? He asked.
Marina shook her head – the hairpin slipped out, and her hair crumbled on the shoulders with a shiny wave.
“What is the surprise,” Andrei muttered through his teeth, “there is everything in the damn car except the chalk!
– Do not worry, Andrey Grigoryevich, we will bring you chalk, only first you need to call in to the doctor.
– Don’t tell me, fool! Cried Andrey. – I know what I need! Stop the car! Lively!
Marina jerked, dropped a glass. Blood spilled from her face, her lips trembled, tears flashed in her eyes. She sobbed, but got up and knocked on the partition separating the driver from passengers. The partition sank. As soon as Marina was going to say about the stop, her mouth overwhelmed, tears poured with a stream, and she, covering her face with her palms, fell to squat. The girl’s shoulders twitched, instead of words there were sobs.
Alien feelings worried Andrei much less than what was happening outside the car: they just drove up to a wide clearance, and there, between residential buildings and looming in the distance, a little boy sat and on the dusty asphalt of the pedestrian, he painted faces. Chalk.
– Stop! Now brakes! – shouted Andrey.
The driver did not argue and stopped the car. Andrey left the limousine and slammed the door with force.
– Andrey Grigoryevich. – Either he said, or the driver leaning out the window.
– Look! I don’t want to see you all! – Andrey yelled and, without turning around, went to the boy.
Behind him, the limousine gently touched, drove to the nearest turn and disappeared from sight.
Walking through the drawn yellow colors and the unfinished sun, Andrey stopped near the boy. The child’s velvet pants were stained on his knees, traces of chalk were visible on a light brown jacket-some had a fingertips. A second ago, he probably worked on a bee: he managed to draw his head with two long bent horns, the legs, with which the insect held a tiny bucket, and began to paint a thick elongated abdomen – but now he stopped and looked at Andrei.
“Boy, let me,” said Andrey.
“This is mine,” the boy answered, rising, and pressed a piece of chalk to his chest, even more staining his jacket.
Andrei held out his hand, grabbed Mel, the second pushed the boy – the child could not resist, made some quick involuntary steps his back forward, stumbled where the path ended, flopped into the grass and roared. Having found a relatively clean place, Andrei knelt down – it turned out to be unexpectedly difficult – and began to draw a pentagram. Almost immediately I heard a rustle and a retreating clatter, cast a quick glance at the back of a runaway boy and continued to lead a line. On the third ray I had to change the pose: the back ached, my fingers began to go numb, and then my leg was cramped. For the first time in his life, Andrei felt so disgusting: the centers of pain arose here and there; weakness rolled in waves; The ears were dull; The air, it seemed, did not want to reach the lungs, stuck in the area of the throat; The nose captured a sour smell of sweat, breaking through all layers of clothing.
Andrei was so carried away by the drawing and struggle with his own body that he missed the appearance of a new actor. Fried eyebrows, attentive gray eyes, a narrow nose, a flat lip line, a short haircut and a few gray hairs on the temples – the stocky man stood nearby and looked at the angular contours of the pentagram. The same boy clung to his hand and looked at Andrei with large, eyes full of tears – so complete that the moisture managed to lay wide paths to the lowered corners of his mouth and pursed, but trembling, ready to open in a cry of unjust resentment with his lips.
“Hey,” the man called out.
Andrey did not even turn his head.
– You are not ashamed? I took a toy from a child.
Andrey patted his leg, pressed his fingers, finging his muscle. He had very little left, he was tired and be distracted by the obvious, in his opinion, explanation that Mel was more needed by him, was not going to. On the other hand, a useless dispute was not interested in him either, so Andrei pulled out the money and threw it, without looking, towards the man – the pack hit the leather jacket in the abdomen and fell on the asphalt. The boy held bills with a look – a childish curiosity appeared on his face at the sight of a new unknown subject.
“I buy it from you,” said Andrey and led a new line.
The man was not interested in the man: he did not try to catch it, did not pick it up – he only shook his head with disapproval.
– You are suitable for fathers, and behave like a teenager from the street. Bad.
After these words, the man briefly swung and struck his foot. In the side of Andrei crunched, consciousness was blurred in pain; The air with wheezing burst from his mouth, and Andrei fell to the ground, clasping his bruised place with his hands.
“Not everything in this life can be bought,” the man said.
He squatted in front of the boy, gently poked his finger on the tip of his nose, as if pressing the doorbell, winked.
“Let him leave himself,” said the man, and, getting up, took the boy by the hand.
Andrei watched how they leave and say something, but did not feel anything: his usual companions-irritation and anger-retreated under the influence of pain and were in no hurry to leave the shelter convenient for them. He just lay and waited for the damping before his eyes and the stray breath would restore. After some time, the pain subsided so much that Andrei was able to stand up and take up the chalk.
Когда пентаграмма была готова, а формула вызова прочитана – или, как говорил Сатана, запрос отправлен, – сил у Андрея почти не осталось. He sat on the asphalt, wiped sweat from his forehead and began to watch the appearance of the door and how a tall red -skinned figure comes out of it. This time, Satan dressed in a black business suit, on the cuffs – ruby cufflinks, shoes are polished as if they were claiming the role of a mirror, in his hand – an unchanged folder.
“I see you are somewhat tired,” said Satan, “but in your place I would not sit on the cold for a long time.
– Why is such a concern? Andrei asked. – I look lousy?
– You look quite worthy. I talked about the internal state: it leaves much to be desired, ”Satan answered. – eighty -four years – not the best age for increased loads.
“What kind of nonsense,” said Andrey. – I’m twenty -two.
“You are too categorical,” Satan answered. – However, you have a serious reason, so let’s double -check.
The lightning of the folder burned. Satan took out a sheet and read:
-Semenov Andrey Grigoryevich, born in 1995, the identification number of the soul: AT-162945852294-01M.
– Well? Andrei asked.
The dialogue began to bother him. Time passed, but better did not become: fatigue and breakdown did not disappear, with every breath and exhaled, pain in the ribs flashed – not as strong as it was at the beginning, but quite tangible and unpleasant. The first request must be packed with health, and then return to the main case. The horned twice was twisted, the third one will not: he will have to do the way Andrei wants.
Satan sighed. The sigh turned out to be a little sad, and the lord of Hell himself looked as if he fell into other people’s funerals: it seems to be a circle of grief-you need to observe decency and look sad, but grief is someone else’s. Hiding the sheet back, Satan pulled out two new ones, handed Andrei with the words:
– It will be better if you look.
Andrei grabbed the sheets with a sharp sweeping movement. He was spinning in his head, led to the side, he almost fell to one side, but managed to stay, and, leaving, stared at the paper in his hand with such irritation, as if he knew in advance that he would not see anything but Satan’s attempts to fulfill a new task.
"Request of 05 July 2017.
Sender:Semenov Andrey Grigoryevich, born in 1995, the identification number of the soul: AT-162945852294-01M.
Request Purpose: Power over people.
Request status: adopted – July 05, 2017, executed. "
– And what is it? Andrei asked.
“An extract of the history of your requests to the hellish office,” Satan answered.
The first sheet flew to the side. Not reading, Andrey took up the second.
"Request of September 14, 2036.
Sender:Semenov Andrey Grigoryevich, born in 1995, the identification number of the soul: AT-162945852294-01M.
The purpose of the request: the accumulation of the money supply, namely: 1000000000000 (trillion).
Clamps: the money supply should consist of 10 (ten) largest (at the time of the request) of cash currencies, gold, precious stones and real estate in equal shares.
Special clarification: holding the global inflation rate at a level corresponding to the level of date date.
Request status: adopted – September 14, 2036, executed – April 10, 2079.
Andrei began to reach the meaning of what was written, but he had not yet managed to believe in him.
– Seventy -ninth year?!
“You may be interested in the Count“ Special Wish ”, she is at the end,” Satan said.
Andrey turned the sheet turned over and found the last paragraph.
"Particular wish: removal of memory from the moment the request is started on September 14, 2036 to the time of its execution. The sender has been familiar with the likely consequences, the risk considers it acceptable".
Below was Andrei’s painting, printing and other, sweeping and angular, handwriting was written: “I have no objections. A special wish to satisfy. Satan".
Having dropped the sheet, Andrey grabbed the gloves, pulled them off. His eyes widened, a groan flew out of his mouth: a senile leather, densely decorated with pigmented spots, covered his hands; The joints were swollen; The nails, although they were evenly trimmed, they looked dull-yellow, thick, coarse. Andrey brought his hands to his face, touched. The sensitivity of the fingers was no longer the same, but the thin dry skin, which covered the skull, was felt clearly. Earlobes stretched markedly, wrinkles stood out on the neck.
“You took my youth,” Andrey whispered.
– Hell does not take away and does not trade in youth, souls, blood and other similar. Your youth passed while you worked on achieving the cherished goals: first one hypostasis of power, then another.
“I don’t believe it, no …” Andrei muttered, as if he were talking to himself.
“This is a normal reaction,” Satan said.
“Sixty -two,” Satan said. – nineteen years and two months to obtain the most significant managerial position, forty -two and a half years to satisfy monetary needs.
Andrei’s eyes widened, he looked at Satan and asked in a broken voice:
– Why so long?!
– If you are about trillion, then you must understand: the amount is rather big, it is not easy to earn such a thing; And holding inflation at the same level is a non -trivial task at all, – Satan answered.
– So it was necessary to steal! – shouted Andrey.
– In hell they do not steal. When compiling both requests, you insisted on their instant execution, including by theft. However, this is impossible, and I explained why: you can get what you want only and exclusively honestly, you also have the right to use the professional consultations and other legal assistance provided by the hellish office to accelerate the process of receipt – and you expressed consent to actions in the agreed framework. Removing part of the memory is one of the conditions you set. You substantiated your position by the fact that, – Satan looked into the folder and read out: “I want to forget everything. Throw out memories of life, complete restrictions, deprivation and hard work. I am worthy of the best memory ".
– For what?! Why did I do it? Twice! Cried Andrey.
“You should ask you about this, not me,” Satan said.
Once in childhood, in winter, Andrei put his head on a spore in a barrel of ice water. Neither before nor after, up to the present moment, he did not feel so deafening and at the same time sobering effect. Today there was no water, broken ice crust and encouraging young voices, but their absence did not prevent the story from repeating.
“I want to submit a new request,” said Andrey.
Satan pressed the folder to his side with the usual gesture and slapped his hands.
The world remained the same: he did not blur, did not beat the ears – not one of those sensations that arose before appeared.
“I can’t ignore the requests sent to my name, but I don’t follow them directly: the main circle of my working tasks is somewhat different,” Satan explained. – Therefore, you were assigned a curator of the corresponding rank.
A demon came out of the doorway – below Satan on his head, short horns, dressed in a gray nondescript suit. If it were not for red leather and other signs of a true citizen of hell, he could be mistaken for an ordinary employee of an ordinary bank – it seemed so inconspicuous.
“Your permanent curator, hell,” Satan introduced him. – With him, your communication was most of the time, and by the way, he was a categorical opponent of interference in your memory.
“And I remain so,” said the damn a pleasant baritone. – You cannot influence the memory of future and real citizens, even if they themselves insist on intervention.
– Unfortunately, a colleague, the law, in this case, is not on your side.
Turning a look from Satan to the hell and back, Andrei cried out:
– Return! Return everything as it was before! I want me to be twenty -two again!
– requests for adjusting the events that have already occurred, as well as to restore physiological and psychological parameters, such as: resurrection, regeneration of lost limbs.
Andrei’s lower jaw jerked, his lips parted-he was clearly about to say something, but Satan seemed to be waiting for this moment.
– … Restoration of memory, including, can be accepted exclusively from citizens of paradise.
Demons, the door behind them, the road, grass and trees – the environment was lubricated, floated. It seemed to Andrei that a long red -hot needle was driven into his heart, and he pressed his left hand to his chest. He was numb, tried to breathe, push the air into the lungs, but only to no avail opened and closed his mouth. Yellow points appeared in the eyes – the very ones that tried to blind him when talking with Sergey Shvetsov.
“Call an ambulance,” Satan asked in a whisper.
“They won’t have time,” the devil answered quietly, but the phone still pulled out and dialed the number.
Andrey shook his head with all his might. There was a feeling that his brains were taken out and threw back, finally driving along the cranial box. The pain, however, helped: she attacked the uninvited guests, like a watchdog – and the yellow points crowded, backed back, retreated beyond the boundaries of the eyes.
Looking at two red figures, Andrei leaned back, fell on his back, hitting his head and not feeling a blow. He was disassembled by laughter – hysterical, sharp, broken, like a pentagram on the asphalt, he flew out of the throat and soared up to the far sky. Andrei laughed and did not see how Satan looked at the curator, moved his head and eyes a little, pointing to the door to hell. The devil nodded and disappeared into the dark opening. Satan, clasping the folder with both hands and holding it in the area of his belt, swayed from heel to sock and back and froze, waiting for Andrei to speak.
Laughter became quieter; Then he began to interrupt – then he faded, like the flow of water on rifts, then intensified again; And finally disappeared. Andrey exhaled, ran his palms over his face. He did not look towards Satan.
– How many requests do I have – one? – asked Andrey and, without waiting for an answer, said: – I refuse him. In words it is suitable or you need to sign something?
“Given that we have not yet begun to fill out the form, a written refusal is optional,” Satan answered.
– Well, good. Goodbye.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, but we will see you more than once,” Satan said. – Goodbye.
Andrei bit his lip and tried to calm the breath and a bundling heart, like a steam engine. Experiencing loads that did not move away from injuries, the aged body spoke reluctantly, with a h (one, as if he was thinking about whether to send everything to hell and just relax, relax, sway on the waves? On very strange waves that could not be on the asphalt road, but which were. At least, Andrey felt a strong pitching, to nausea, to a twisted stomach and rubbed in his eyes.
Without stopping a quiet struggle, he turned his head and saw the sign of the store. The inscription in large letters read: "Food market". They usually sold different and little by little: lying, old, at high prices-and all this in order to at least somehow shade the main stance with alcohol. “So you are a store of alcoholic beverages?"" What are you, what are you! Chips, crackers, potatoes, children’s toys – and alcohol so, accidentally took half -wings ". In the afternoon, the workers were going on an endless stream who, without a hundred grams, could not hold the tool in their hands, and with the onset of the darkness of the blinking light of the letters, young people and guels of all stripes slid. Andrei himself spent a lot of time in such evil places: first in the evenings, with friends, then – running for two minutes after a morning glass of coffee. The awakened memories brought the idea that the only thing he really deserved was such coffee: diluted, cracked, giving plastic, gary and bitterness-tastes that did not even drown out horse doses of sugar.
Andrey rolled over on his stomach, reached a pack of money, squeezed her in his fist. I got up on all fours, tried to get up, but collapsed back: my legs did not hold.
“Sixty years waited and wait, reptiles,” Andrei whispered and crawled to the shop.