ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥
The outlines of the city loomed against the background of a blue, cloudless sky. It was so big that there seemed to be no end to it. In the very center of the city, high-rise towers grew out of the ground, whose roofs, in cloudy weather, were completely hidden behind the bodies of unwieldy clouds. And their walls of clean mirrors reflected snow-white light in clear weather, creating a halo effect. Thousands, millions of people have lived here. They were born, studied, became adults, then worked for the benefit of society and at some point, died. And anyone who came to these parts for their happiness felt a certain presence of the almighty forces. They stood guard over the city and sheltered it from envious eyes, helping it grow and develop so that someday this "Babylon" could reach the cosmos itself and allow people to go to distant corners of the galaxy. But not everything was so rosy and beautiful.
Around the "heavenly" towers stood less beautiful, less attractive houses, where most of the townspeople lived. All kinds of cars were driving along the gray, dusty, similar streets. And each of them poisoned the air. And industrial complexes, factories, and thermal power plants were piled up here and there. Their pipes emitted hundreds and thousands of harmful substances into the atmosphere every second. And no filtration system could stop air pollution. And when winter came, the surrounding world was plunged into an impenetrable poisonous smoke, from which there was no escape. And the protective masks advertised on TV could not stop their disastrous effect on health. Perhaps someday "Babylon" will be emptied, destroyed, and turn into another ghost town, which became more and more on the world map every year. But now the heart of the metropolis continued to beat rhythmically to electronic music, and nothing in the world could stop it.
I was lucky because I lived in the suburbs of this "Babylon", so I could walk through the streets full of greenery, breathe fresh air, feel the shade of living trees and enjoy the aromas of sweet flowers. I had a cozy two-story house in a quiet area, and I could drive a small car anywhere I wanted. But it was necessary to pay a decent price for it.
A once ambitious girl who dreams of conquering the world with her voice has turned into an ordinary housewife, devoid of any purpose. All I had to do was create comfort and peace in the house for my beloved. His name was Killian, and he was from the Jones family. His imperious touch, eloquence, and sharp mind quickly captured me, making him his wife forever. And at first, everything was just like in a fairy tale. I sang for him, and he composed odes for me, where he praised my beauty, grace, and ability to cook. Yes, I learned to cook delicious food for him, because of the way a person lies through his stomach. But then my beloved was destroyed by the thirst for power. Every year he became more sullen and angrier. And ten years later, my caring Killian turned into the Great Callian. After all, now he has reached a good rank in the city administration.
Because of his high position at work, he began to return home late, go on business trips for a long time, and, unfortunately for me, got into the bad habit of getting drunk. And then his imperious touches, which once brought me to ecstasy, turned into rough blows. And it's probably my fault. Instead of expressing my dissatisfaction with him, dealing with him, and stopping the assault, I chose to remain silent. Yes, the once ambitious girl turned into a gray mouse who was afraid of the shadow of her master. I chose the easiest way of life for myself. And I know that this path was wrong. I had to create for myself an imaginary world in which my husband was the most beautiful in the world and where we lived in the best place with the most hospitable neighbors.
By the way, I need to say a few words about these two-faced leeches. When my husband wasn't famous, they didn't want to be friends with us at all. They pretended that we didn't exist. And as soon as Killian became a Great Killian, a whole queue of new friends-neighbors appeared on the doorstep of the house. They began to invite us to visit, treat us with homemade cakes, and offer their help in solving all kinds of cases. I didn't want to have anything to do with them, but Killian, instead of sending them all to the devil, pulled a fake smile on his face and began to enjoy the benefits of the neighbors.
"We need to be open and welcoming," he told me then.
"They haven't known us all these years! Why should we forgive them?" I retorted.
"Honey, I'm a Great Killian now, and I don't need another dirty article in the newspaper accusing me of inappropriate behavior with neighbors."
"But…"
"Enough about that, you'd better prepare a festive dinner, today the Hoppers will come to visit us."
"What?! You hate them!" I was very surprised at that moment.
"Maybe I didn't like them before, but I need their voice in the council, so keep your mouth shut. "
I resigned myself to my fate and fulfilled his decree. I cooked dinner and spent the whole evening serving these red-haired pigs who tried to fire my husband from work a few years ago. And it is a pity that they did not achieve their goal…
That's how I lived, and probably would have lived on, until one day something unimaginable happened. Everything happened unexpectedly, like Santa's bag falling on your head on Christmas night. Only in this bag were not gifts, but heavy coal.
Because of the noise on the street, I woke up abruptly and could not understand anything that was happening at all. It was four o'clock in the morning. Honey was sleeping next to me like a dead man, and I had to get up and look out into the street. I almost gasped when I saw that my "Gams" was hit by a car. (Gams is a wooden figure of a garden gnome who lived on our land plot and protected us from the dirty tricks of our neighbors). Then I noticed something crawling from the car to our house. Something was moving on all fours, like a creature from some horror movie. And can you imagine how scared I was to see this creature in the dim light of the street lamps? Images of disgusting creatures that broke into the houses of citizens and brutally gutted them immediately appeared in my head. Splatters of blood, severed limbs, and pieces of flesh flew in different directions. In one word — "TERROR"!
I quickly ran to the bedside table where the phone was lying. On the way, I hit my foot on the corner of the bed, so much so that sparks flew out of my eyes. And then I dialed the number of the rescue service and... my voice disappeared. My breath was taken away, and whatever I did, it was all in vain. The throbbing pain spread in waves in different directions along my leg, spurring the general despair. My heart was pounding nervously in my chest because it seemed to me that someone had already reached the front door and was trying to break it down…
The doorbell rang. I was numb, as fear had completely taken over my body by this time. And let the "armchair expert" of the fairy tale not tell me here that they say you need to take something sharp or weighty and kick this creature so that it no longer crawls on private property. After all, if you are afraid of something, you lose control of yourself very quickly. There's nothing you can do. The brain told the body to go, and it answered — go yourself, and I'd rather sit here.
"Honey, go open the door. It's the courier who brought the package," Killian muttered to me through a dream.
I wanted to tell him that it was four in the morning and normal couriers are not working at this time, but then I changed my mind. It's better to let him sleep, otherwise, he'll start something else. Then the newspapermen will come and grind us to powder. By this time, the lady from the rescue service on the other side of the "wire" had hung up, leaving me alone with "something" outside the front door.
"What should I do?!" — I tried to come up with a plan of action.
And then the doorbell rang again.
"Probably, a maniac wouldn't ring the doorbell," a sensible thought was born in my head.
"Or is it a trick?! I will open it, and he will attack me!"
"Is anyone home?!" A voice broke the silence. " Hey, there is someone alive?!"
"A woman? And why can't a woman be a maniac? Such a sweet, pretty, but a black widow," thoughts ran through my head like ants in an anthill. "Really, what is she doing here at such an early hour?"
"Hey, I know there's someone at home! I saw the light from the window! Open the door, please…"
Maybe I should have stayed at home, but for some reason, it seemed to me that someone was calling for help. And when I thought that the owner of the car could have been injured, and he needed help, the fear immediately disappeared, as if it did not exist at all. I flew out of the room like a bullet and opened the front door to save the victim. But instead of her, I saw a tall, quite lively brunette on the threshold.
"Finally, you woke up and got out of your warm bed, " the midnight guest reacted. "I thought I was imagining it. "
"Excuse me, are you all right?" that's all I could say in response.
"Well, I'm still not feeling a hundred percent. You may ask why? And I will answer: yes because I had fun in the bar for two and a half hours, " indeed the guest was rocking from side to side, and she kept on her feet thanks to the hands that held on to the wall of the house.
"By the way, what time is it now? "
"An hour? Four in the morning, " — I felt like a fool because I opened the door to some drunk.
"Damn it! And I thought it was seven! Now I understand why the world around me is so dark and uncomfortable…"
"Maybe I should call an ambulance after all? "
"No! I'm fine, and that guy I drove into clearly needs a paramedic's examination," the companion made a sonorous belch. "Wow, I haven't been so drunk in a long time. Wait a minute… I hit a man!"
"It's not a man, it's my garden gnome Gams," I wanted to comfort her because the stranger was completely depressed when she thought that she was going to jail because of a murdered man.
"Do you live together with Gams and keep him on the street like some kind of yard dog? So, do you think garden gnomes should have fewer rights than humans? Oh my God! I knew I'd moved to a neighborhood of hypocrites and racists!" she groaned.
"And why is it always necessary to insult people?! " I was indignant.
Then she quieted down and looked at me seriously with her dark eyes. I even felt uneasy, and goosebumps ran down my back. The voice of reason told me to quickly lock the door and call the police so that they would deal with the troublemaker as soon as possible. And suddenly a stranger flew up to me and hugged me with one arm around my neck and clung to me.
"Don't worry. I also despise these little, dirty creatures. Therefore, let's help each other."
"What do you want to do? Please let me go!" I tried to pull away from her because I couldn't stand the smell of alcohol, but the brunette had a tenacious grip. She was so strong and domineering…
"Do you have a shovel?" and again she baffled me.
"W-for-what?" I stammered.
"We'll quickly bury your gnome and pretend that nothing happened. And don't worry, I can keep secrets. Everything will be just great. You will get rid of your beloved-hated Gams, and they won't put me in jail. How do you like this offer? Agree as soon as possible, before the neighbors wake up and call the cops.
"Are you kidding? " It looks like she was mocking me.
"No, because I always speak in all seriousness. And I can admit to you that you have very attractive body shapes, appetizing cheeks, sweet lips, and very deep eyes in which anyone can drown.
And now she's decided to flirt with me. Of course, I was pleased to hear these words, but not at this hour and not from a drunken rude woman who offered me to bury my gnome in the yard and pretend that nothing had happened.
"You're fine, too, but you should go to bed as soon as possible," she advised her.
"Oh, I got the hint," she grinned. "So, you agree?"
"I don't understand you at all," she continued to hold me in her tight embrace, not letting me escape.
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. In short, you didn't see anything. "
"But you hit my gnome!" her rudeness even made my mouth open.
"Hush!" She put her index finger to my lips. "Let's do this. I'll buy you a new gnome, and we'll forget about everything. Let it be a dream, a terrible dream."
Yeah, what else! It's a good thing she didn't tear down our fence. After all, it was only recently painted and brought into a divine appearance. Or she could have moved into our house or garage. And it's even better not to think about what Killian would do to her.
"Good. I agree," as long as she leaves me alone as soon as possible and lets me finish my sweet dream.
"Really?" the woman was boring me with her gaze. "Indeed, anyone can drown in your eyes... if everything goes smoothly, then I will give you an unforgettable kiss. Please don't hand me over to the law enforcement officers."
"Okay, just get out of my sight," this conversation gave me a headache.
And why am I being punished like this? I didn't do anything wrong! I was always getting it from the fate of the prankster. So now this lady in shabby trousers, a black blouse, and an extravagant jacket decorated with rose patterns have fallen on my head.
"Great!" the stranger was satisfied. "I'm Regina. And it's a pleasure doing business with you. And my friends also call me the Queen, so you can call me that."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Emma Jones," it wasn't nice to meet her at all, but I wouldn't have had the fortitude to tell her about it, especially since I was still held by her imperious hands.
"So, Emma, but on this moonlit night, you look like a swan. "
"A swan?"
"Yes! The Queen and the Swan, partners in crime."
"We didn't do anything," I couldn't figure out what Regina was thinking. I got the impression that she never thought about anything at all.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about your relationship with Gams," she suddenly switched to a more friendly style of conversation. "See you soon, my accomplice."
Without waiting for my answer, the new acquaintance pulled away from me and slowly wandered to her car. She got into it and after a while drove off, having previously run over my garden gnome one more time, as if she wanted to crush him completely. Then the car rammed through the fence, drove out onto the road, and, to my surprise, parked at the opposite house. I stood rooted to the spot and silently watched her actions. I was very afraid that Regina would decide to go somewhere else and knock down a real person, and then bury him in the forest. Regina got to the front door of her (probably) house and disappeared. Then I took a shower, changed into fresh underwear, and carefully, so as not to wake my husband, went to bed. And I discovered that it was already five o'clock in the morning…