This is it, my dear friends, one more short chapter is translated into english now! For those who did not have a chance to read the very old blog with the beginning of the story and for those who forgot how it all started, I am posting it whole again(chapters 1 and 2 of Part2)...
Enjoy reading and let yourself get drawn into this mysterious world, but do not forget, a day will come when you can become the next fatal nightbird!
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Part 2
The Silver Moonlight
They call for a walk. There are again them, them, these people, whom they call nothing else but "sick" and treat with kindness, terrible kindness. Have to go. Nowhere to run from the fate! Neither mine nor of the world`s one. Moreover, our fates are like two long parallels.
Vladimir Vysotsky
"Life Without Sleep (the Dolphins And the Nutcase)"*
1.
We called at a small café, me and Fabio. As we sat down a girl drow my attention. While waiting for them to bring our order, I began to study her...
Good, our table was located very successfully, and it was possible to examine everything even the smallest details, without frankly staring.
She was sitting alone, it seemed she really enjoyed this specific lonely pleasure, or may be not, but one could notice, that she felt herself quite comfortable. She pecked with a fork in some salad, slowly and even somehow lazily, instead of bread there was a rolled up slice of ham in her left hand. To all appearances the ham was much more to the girl`s taste than the boiled meat, which pieces I managed to see in her salad... The girl finished with the salad(rather quickly, I would say, with all that visible protraction of her motions) and picked up a large round cup of coffee from the table. She held it in her hand so easily as if the cup was absolutely empty.
The girl sharply glanced into the window and again she was immersed into the leisureliness of her own motions, I saw at this moment, as shuddered the curled upwards ends of her hair. The hair were of some orange color and they shone a little bit in the twilights of the stuffy bar, in such a rainy day it was unnatural and too attractive... Suddenly she raised her eyes and looked directly at me, must be she felt that someone was staring at her. Her lifeless-sluggish eyes were of extraordinary large shape, deep as an old well. I started to fall down through these eyes, as into a narrow bottomless slot...
Already every single part of my body felt free fall downwards, when at some weird point I found myself sitting at her table.
- Isn`t it a pity, that the sun is not shining today? - she said sadly.
- What is your name? - I surprised myself with such a sudden question.
- In general, you can call me with any name you prefer, - the girl yawned.
Something similar to an orange reflection of a sunbeam flashed inside of her pupils. And it became noticeable how tired girl`s eyes were, the blue-gray circles under the lower eyelids were slightly hidden with a help of make-up, but only slightly...
And again she looked to me so fixedly, that I was falling, I was falling together with the chair, I was sitting on, downwards, downwards, downwards... This dual flame flashed in front of me one more time. It was pleasant and frightful at the same time, the sensation of the unavoidability spilled throughout the whole body...
- It`s a pity, that there is no sunshine today, right? - she asked again.
I realized that I`m still sitting in the café opposite her.
- Call me, when the time comes... But it should be a sunny day, - she was purring softly into my ear, then she stood up and left the café.
I was ready to rush after this girl, but it turned out that I was nailed to the chair, some strange paralysis bound my flesh from the feet up to the hips...
About ten minutes went past before Fabio came to me.
- What is that with you? - he wondered.
- Have you seen this girl?
- Which one? We are the only customers in this entire devils snack bar, and they still did not bring our order! - Fabio was getting more and more angry.
My legs did not obey, as if they went numb, but this feeling was stronger in thousand times...
- What is that with me, Fabio? - I asked in a squeezy-weak voice.
- How should I know!? Thanks god, it stopped raining. Let`s go!
- I cannot arise... - I squeaked still so sorrowfully...
2.
- So sorry, but I could not help it, - the cat stretched herself negligently on the grass, as she continued her lazy purr, - you know, cats love to hunt. After all, who asked this silly jerboa to run away from me? By the way, he turned out to be not that tasty... I must confess, a juicy slice of some delicious ham would be much better...
- Isn`t it enough yet? - such a rough voice bellowed suddenly, but I noticed, it was obviously a female voice.
There was someone sitting in the shadow under the ruins of an ancient stone wall.
- Did we actually need him? Arthy passed out of use, he found the papyrus, - an old wheezy guy popped up from nowhere.
- Dirty old man! - the harsh voice said.
- Now we know where to look for the cherished manuscript, what else? It`s up to Nino now... - he added, clearing his throat simultaneously.
- He is just a bloody loser! Nino has no fit, you will see! - a young mulatto stepped out of the shadow at last.
She looked a lot like the one, which I saw in that ill-fated cafe, but at the same time, this girl was different. Every single cellule was running a mysterious inner impulse, her flexible slim body, which normally would be meant to have some kind of a sexual attractiveness, was created to attack and defense in the most extreme situations, it was a perfect device for survival, just a package, a tight-fitting shell of something or someone so great and powerful...
- You know, Bazra, how close I am to turn up my toes, - someone's rasping voice broke through my sleepy reasoning.
- You won`t be able to get along with Telepinu on your own - the elder continued, rubbing his watering eye.
- Do not dare! - Bazra`s terrifying yell roared, the wall shaked, several yellow bricks broke off and fell directly next to the bristling cat.
The cat started to prance, the old man realized the unforgivable mistake he just made and buried his face in his shoulder. As for the girl, she leant her head far back, shouting three obscure words in some weird language and clenching her fists furiously untill the eyes full of blood closed slowly...
Her body was still shuddering with convulsions as the noise died away and stunned silence fell.
- Do not dare to pronounce this name, - she spoke already in a calm but tired voice, - never ...
- But, you do need a new helper, so many adventures are awaiting you...
- What do you mean, old bastard? - the cat lost her temper completely, - Are you trying to say, that I do not count anylonger?
- You do not count ever, - Bazra, this arrogant young woman, was laughing now, - you were not worth taking at all...
- I admit my fault - the elder agreed, and being not able to manage to control himself he broke into another paroxysm of coughing.
- Never mind, - and she went on giggling.
It seemed for the moment that there were real tears frozen in the cat`s eyes. Yes, they were great sparkling tears of feeling wronged by Bazra`s bizarre joke, they were little brilliant drops of hatred, hidden deeply in a secret dusty corner of her tiny soul.
- We will see! - the cat grumbled ambiguously and turned aside.
- She threatens me!? No, have you heard this? - the incident sent her into fits of laughter, Bazra could not calm down swallowing every second syllable...
- Okay, it`s over with laughing now. Let`s take care of our business, - she addressed the guy, still smirking in her malicious pleasure and glancing at the offended cat.
- Should we visit our sick friend, may be? - he asked.
- Perhaps, it will be better tomorrow... - the girl smiled thoughtfully and fixed her chilling heartless gaze upon me.
I did want to wake up but I could not, something was not letting me or someone...
- Where is the drowned one? - worried this old fellow, meantime his back became unnaturally bent and little by little the hump was growing into some enormous black wings, his neck extended. And the hardened nose was knitting with his mouth. It was truly a predatory bird...
Anna Topilina © Copyright: 2007-2008
* - the epigraph is the original translation of a fragment of Vladimir Vysotsky`s short story "Life Without Sleep (the Dolphins And the Nutcase)" by Anna Topilina. More about Vladimir Vysotsky can be found in one of the previous blogs "TO BE OR NOT TO BE - THAT IS THE QUESTION?"...
working
devious
adventurous
