Page 70 - Revelation
P. 70

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova.   Revelation

            words. I looked at her mother. Christina nodded.

                  It didn’t seem a good idea to me, but I had no right to make any decision instead
            of them, because this was their life and, most likely, it was their last conversation.
                  I  repeated  the  little  girl’s  words  and  was  terrified  of  the  miserable  father’s
            expression. It seemed that he had been stabbed right in the heart. I tried to talk to him
            or calm him down somehow, but he was beside himself and refused to hear anything.

                  – Please, enter. – The girl whispered.
                  I managed to squeeze by him through the doorway and entered the flat. There
            was a stifling smell of alcohol and of something that I could not define.
                  Once, a long time ago, it had been a very pleasant and comfortable flat, one of
            those which we call happy. But now it was a real "nightmare", which its owner was
            unable to get out of on his own...

                  Pieces of broken porcelain were scattered all over the floor, mixing with torn
            photos, clothes, and heaven knows what else. The windows were tightly curtained and
            the room was submerged in semi-darkness. Certainly, this kind of "decor" could only
            cast a mortal gloom followed by suicide...
                  Probably, Christina had similar thoughts, because she suddenly asked me:

                  – Please, do something.
                  I  answered:  "Of  course!",  but  thought  to  myself:  "If  I  only  knew  what!!!"
            Nevertheless, something had to be done and I decided that I would try until I got
            whatever result – either he would hear me at last or (at worst) he again would chuck
            me out of the flat.
                  – So, are you going to talk to them or not? – I asked him with deliberate anger in
            my voice. – I don’t have spare time for you and I am here only because this wonderful
            person – your daughter – is here with me!

                  The man suddenly flopped into an arm-chair, embraced his head with his hands
            and began to sob bitterly. It lasted long enough, and it was obvious that, like most
            men, he absolutely did not know how to cry. His tears were scanty and came to him
            very hard. For the first time I understood what the expression “man-tears” truly meant.
                  I sat down on the edge of a beside-table and confusedly watched the stream of
            another person’s tears, having absolutely no idea what to do next.

                  – Mummy, what are all those monsters doing here? – The scared thin voice faintly
                    asked.
                  Only now did I notice some very strange creatures a multitude of which "spun"
            around the drunken Arthur...
                  My hair stood on end. They appeared to be mostly "monsters" from fairy-tales,
            only here they seemed very real. They looked like evil spirits released from an oil
            lamp which managed to "fasten" right to the poor man’s chest and, hang on him like a
            bunch  of  grapes,  gladly  "devouring"  his  life-force,  which  was  almost  exhausted
            already…

                  I felt that Vesta was absolutely horrified but tried not to show it as best she could.
            The poor thing watched in horror at how the terrible "monsters" pitilessly "ate" her


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