Im guessing not noticed, as I stand in the center of the circle. He stopped there, looked around and stopped in surprise. In an instant, everything changed, the sky had taken refuge dense leaden clouds, and went cold pouring rain. Water poured from the sky in torrents, wind tore the pitiful remnants of autumn leaves on the trees. A gust of wet wind biting painfully lashed my cheeks and pushed out of the community. I rubbed my eyes involuntarily. The sun was shining peacefully rustling yellow and orange leaves of the maple that grew nearby. I wiped his wet face with his right hand, spread his matted hair on his head and instinctively looked at his watch. Arrows watches showed exactly 1730. We must hurry, yet I will go to the subway, there will be about six in the evening. Of course, I had not yet been able to realize what had happened, so do not even managed to lose the sense of reality. And only managed to catch my breath as I was to reach the event happened adventure. I have mixed feelings, squelching shoes full of rain water, walked to the clearing pedestrian stairs, all accelerating and accelerating pace. And only on the steps, leaning on the railing viewing platform, began to take off shoes at a time, wringing wet socks. Trousers working suit, stick to the legs during walking, and the skin on the feet become irritated unpleasant, itchy body. I came home on time, I was met at the door his wife:
Where have you lost an hour, eh? On Friday you work ends at five oclock.
Damn, I forgot. I lost and stayed there until six.
And what is your Lubchenco, too, sat up to six?
He was sent on a business trip and all at once fled early.
Why are you so wet? Lily noticed. Rain like no. Suspiciously examining me, he paused, waiting for an answer. Then, recollecting himself, he exclaimed:
Run to the bathroom. Take a hot shower immediately and properly, keep warm. Then tell me where you doused himself water?
I walked into the bathroom, dropped into a bowl wet, and well washed under a warm shower.
And later on, and she could not clearly explain what happened to me, and where, and why, Im drenched in the rain
Chapter Three
On Monday, as usual, I went to work at 9 am. In the department at his workplace was Isai Tamara Petrovna. Their faces were tense and fun as it usually happens. After greeting, I proceeded to your workplace.
Valentin Albertovich, come here a minute. Ton, unlikely to lead to anything good, I called Alexander.
What? I asked, approaching nearer.
You saw the chief of staff when you leave the factory for lunch and did not return, was it?
He could not see me. I said, looking into her eyes shy Tamara Petrovna. What Petrovna said:
Valentin, do not look at me like that. Just Nikolai Andreyevich since his office oversees staff. You can not see, and he sees all.
I instantly realized that deceit, and took a job that made an enemy number one in the person of Chief of Staff. And in order to defuse the situation, he asked: And when its leaves on vacation? What Isaiah said: He is a workaholic and always prefers the winter holidays, the New Year.
Yes, I was not lucky.
And not just you. Isay said in a threatening tone. For such violations deprive prize not only you, but the whole department. He paused and frowned at one point. I looked in the direction of his gaze. On the drawing board drawing board, which looked Isai, it seemed to me that there is a wisp of smoke began to stand out as a magnifying glass focused on the sunbeams. A ubiquitous Tamara Petrovna, in a hollow voice, suddenly said, looking moist eyes at Alexander Vasilievich:
Sasha, maybe something can be done for the first time after all?
Yes, Ill talk to Shchekin; Nikolai Andreyevich good guy for the first time may take place. At the same time, we went to the workplace and in our group a tense silence reigned, nervous heard rustling paper drawing so slamming leafed through the folders with the drawings. Soon, Tamara Petrovna flew into the shop, followed by the left and Alexander. And my annoyance again cramped throat, a lump has risen to the sky foreboding disaster. Still disappointing early career overshadow the reprimand, all the troubles of the alleged collective blame one person, and that person turned out to be me. It became unbearable to sit in this room, to hear sniffling colleagues work and catch them sidelong glances. And even two students intern Polytechnic Institute assigned to our department to serve posited practice began to whisper, glancing warily at me. Well, at least Lubchenco Alexander Vladimirovich was not, well, Golde Alexander Askoldovich him.
Perfectly beaten track working, I could not stay longer in the room and breathe the smell of ammonia from the air, from fresh copies of the drawings, neatly arranged in the drawing folder. What do you do in this, absolutely idiotic situation, I did not know, and we ought to get out into the fresh air and think calmly their behavior among these people, snapped at me. Saving idea came suddenly and somehow immediately pushed for action: «Yes, this well-wishers say that you need to see a dentist, the tooth hurts.» Ideas for saving hint, I began waiting impatiently Isaiah. And on a whim, he flew into the department, with the words:
Folder forgot drawings.
Without giving him time to recover, I quickly ran to him: Alexander!
Yes, yes, I will listen carefully?
I would be a doctor.
Something urgent?
Yes. I wanted to take time off in the morning, but due to our five-minute out of my head.
Yes, I also surprise even forgotten folder.
I suffered a two output, thought himself to be held, and there it was. Yes, I firmly decided on Friday to the doctor with this tooth, but, frankly, was afraid. So that?
Well, thats so good, I asked to go to and no talking. Come into frames, take a leave. Only now, that does not catch your eye Shchekin. There is Zinaida Maksimovna, it will issue a leave and sign for it, and Ill sign it. Well, lets go, and the tooth hurts even more. The words of Sasha our eyes sparkling smile.
And where to find you?
Listen, Valentine, Im not old, come on, «You», but then I somehow embarrassed to talk to you, this we all Lubchenco only «you» says.
Yes OK. Well, I went. And then for you to sign.
Yeah, lets go. Do you know where our clinic? Today, there is just a dentist accepts.
I have mother-in-law at the Institute of Dentistry, opposite the Bessarabia Market, physician-scientists are working stoma. He is waiting for me already.
So go. He put the folder with drawings under his arm and ran out the door. And I with a sigh of relief went through the cabin number six. Asked on duty there woman on duty Where to go? I said that going for a furlough. This procedure took me less than ten minutes. And five minutes later I triumphantly presented a leave guard in the booth number six. That long considered a piece of paper with the signatures, I could not resist, did quipped: Signatures are all genuine, whats wrong?
There must be signed Chief of Staff.
But there Maksimovna signed Zinaida, she has the right to a formal management approval of the plant and the secret part. I do not give up. The guard stared at me with her evil little eyes, and slowly without taking his eye mouse slowly slipped on a piece of paper sticking out the pin, which has a pile hanging severance passes.
Listen, Valentine, Im not old, come on, «You», but then I somehow embarrassed to talk to you, this we all Lubchenco only «you» says.
Yes OK. Well, I went. And then for you to sign.
Yeah, lets go. Do you know where our clinic? Today, there is just a dentist accepts.
I have mother-in-law at the Institute of Dentistry, opposite the Bessarabia Market, physician-scientists are working stoma. He is waiting for me already.
So go. He put the folder with drawings under his arm and ran out the door. And I with a sigh of relief went through the cabin number six. Asked on duty there woman on duty Where to go? I said that going for a furlough. This procedure took me less than ten minutes. And five minutes later I triumphantly presented a leave guard in the booth number six. That long considered a piece of paper with the signatures, I could not resist, did quipped: Signatures are all genuine, whats wrong?
There must be signed Chief of Staff.
But there Maksimovna signed Zinaida, she has the right to a formal management approval of the plant and the secret part. I do not give up. The guard stared at me with her evil little eyes, and slowly without taking his eye mouse slowly slipped on a piece of paper sticking out the pin, which has a pile hanging severance passes.
Come on! He muttered, pressing the pedal stop rotating cross. I like to springs charged jumped into the fresh air of the factory gate and collided with Isay.
Alexander, but where are you?
I was in the frames. Think of a question about your AWOL removed. Well, there is a separate entrance from the second floor. So thats all right. With a smile, a reassuring look at me, my team leader.
Yes, Friday and today will not be tabulated.
It is clear that I do not get a penny these days. But Isaiah was no longer there. With the drawing of a mouse, he stood on the steps of the entrance porch and talked with the military in the form of Soviet Navy.
There remains, finally, with himself, I walked slowly walking along the tram tracks towards the Red Square. There near the monument to Ukrainian philosopher Gregory pan, I sat down on a wooden bench, and began to reflect on his present position in the design department of special plant «Electric appliance». Bus passing by, some stayed near the bench where I was sitting. Finally, it dawned on me that I was still in the parking lot route. I had to, got up and walked in the direction of Andrews descent. Following along the rows of souvenir, I noticed a familiar climbing the stairs towards the top of Castle Hill. Legs like themselves-gales motion in this direction, and, most surprisingly, I did not feel any fatigue. And all this guilt was indescribable thirst for unexplored miracle. I wanted to feel again the strange change in the weather, and I went straight to this magic circle, without knowing why. Excitement filled my senses. I would particularly like to feel like a researcher unidentified phenomena of nature, which can not be said, even the closest people, to not consider you not quite adequate mood. But todays conversation in the department said unpleasant metamorphosis so that I would generally send everything and plunge into something predictable, once and for all put an end to the humiliation of the deed weathered minutes misconduct. No longer hesitate, I looked at his watch, not to be late home, and not to betray the fact that I did not have the whole day at the factory. The time was exactly eleven zero, zero, and the inscription of the day, «medium», of course, one thousand nine hundred and eighty one. Having determined the time, I boldly stepped into the center of the circle. Instantly everything changed. Trees and shrubs why they became half the size. Some of the trees did not exist either in place or nearby. There was a lot of space and light, and it was cool. And on the branches of bushes and trees near the foliage was not observed. Wind does not feel the warmth of the sun was shining, but not warmed. Shivering from the cold, I stepped back from the community, to the place where you just stood in amazement, nothing happened. Landscape, which has just changed in an instant, was unchanged. I froze with fear. Repeatedly jumping in the middle of the circle, and back I tried to go back into your reality, but all in vain. My manipulations to nothing lead. Desperate, I realized what had happened. I do not have my measurements, Im in another reality. I began feverishly to think what it could mean. The idea came desperate to lose examples of people in the caves, extinction of entire crews of vessels on the high seas, and even remembered the ghost train, disappeared in the early nineteenth century, the Italian tunnel with passengers. Gradually, I began to come to life, struggling with despair of his foolish act. Then it became a logical co-deliver the facts, trying to find a memory of a constructive approach to the incident. In this new dimension, I found the cut tree stump and sat on it. The body immediately felt the cold touch, but I did not care, I have ceased to feel the cold. Reflecting on his back, I still could not believe that it happened to me. After sitting a little more, I made a last attempt. With eyes closed, he came to the center, and carefully opened his eyes, slowly raising the eyelashes. Everything was in place, nothing is changing. I had to go back on the stump. The cold and despair slowly left me, came to replace the cold and sober thinking of the fact of what happened. I began to think more coolly. Thus, if this phenomenon exists, then there is a de facto. So the one who came into this reality, that of it and went out, otherwise there would be observed this black spot, as many as three circles. But that meant three laps. In my case, it may mean only that the first time I walked in and was able to get out immediately. This is indicated by the outer circle. The second round, medium, means that for the second time a man stuck in a foreign reality for a long time. But that means an average circle appear that this phenomenon exists and that there is in this place. A person faced with this phenomenon, how to stay fork-encrypted message to his counterpart in misery, do not despair, you can come back and come back at a certain time. Yesterday! Not on Friday, pushed me back into my reality. So, on Friday I can come back and come back another year. What to do? It should be a year, somewhere to live, something to eat and drink, to do something. Well, my God, wow, thats it got involved. To tell you will not believe, I do not consider in their mind. Well, the fact happened and the decision is made. It is necessary to survive in the new reality, not to be lost, and to control the situation. After all, Im in Kiev range of people should be the main thing will be defined with the local reality, well, at least to know what year and whats going on here? And stay in the shade and not to attract attention. So, I begin to adapt, to get to my cart-hour rotation, which will come on Friday, the next year in late September, the 25th day.
Reassure myself of this opportunity to return to my reality, I have decided to move quietly to explore a strange reality. Coming through the wet grass to dry the proposed tourism ladder, I was horrified to find solid bushes, through the bare branches, which, viewed a steep cliff that fell straight to the Little House on St. Andrew descent. In desperation, looked at St. Andrews Church, which from the height of the Castle Hill It was well visible and are still standing as a beacon in its rightful place, where she was once hoisted the famous architect Rastrelli. From this my heart was a little lain, and I self-preservation instinct, just mechanically, almost nothing is not knowing rushed as misguided ship in the ocean, in the light of this beacon of hope given to shaving.