Chapter 1. 4. Souvenir

  The night was dark. The wind blew, and the door slammed.

  Then there was silence, and everything started all over again - a terrible groan, and a loud bang interrupted it.

  Someone jumped from the roof. Someone tall, looking around, went into the house.

  I also looked around and noticed Lagoon, approaching silently along the roof.

  It was very dark around, and only by the stirring of the mass of foliage could one guess at what height we were.

  The attic was completely empty. Lagoon, chewing a candy, walked calmly in the darkness, as if it were daytime.

  Then we lit the lanterns.

  The first room we came across was the bedroom.

  The beam darted across the high bed, was reflected many times in the darkness of the luxurious mirrors, frightening us, we even recoiled and, having looked closely, calmed down.

  There was also a large wardrobe, a chest, and a table in the room.

  I turned off the flashlight and stood by the mirror.

  It seemed to me that I could see my reflection, although I understood that this was impossible.

  I turned on the flashlight.

  Lagoon sang a major tune out of tune.

  “Are you sure there is no one?” I asked, looking at the things on the dressing table.

  Lagoon smiled carnivorously in his chair.

  “Of course not. The old Mayor Capital disappeared. And the new service did not appear. Wonderful! We are the owners - we were not invited.”

  “It's strange that he left everything.”

  “Why does he need old things? Everything is new in the capital. Everything a person wants. Lots of services. They will fulfill any wish.”

  “Any?”

  “Of course! A person doesn't have to do anything himself.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Nothing. But a person will rest on the conveyor. Do you understand?”

  “You better shut up.”

  “A person, for example, has soiled a cup. He immediately identifies the cup as trash and exchanges it for a new one.”

  “An old cup can be used by someone,” I objected.

  “A stained cup? With a flaw?” Lagoon said arrogantly in someone else's chair. “Never.”

  “This is our cup, our own.”

  “Who needs their own? There is a huge world out there,” Lagoon suddenly said greedily. “Different. Everything in it is different. How many different cups are there in the shop?”

  I thought.

  “Few.”

  “In the capital - many.”

  “Many?”

  “Yes,” smiled Lagoon, confirming.

  “Why many?”

  “Find, choose. Don't remake. Immediately replace one thing with another, and we don't need to compare. Why does Vitamin need so many girls?”

  “For the love of art.”

  “What a celebration!” Lagoon was indignant. “Okay, I'm downstairs.”

  The light that came on in the floor lamp was enough to return the bedroom to a mysteriously abandoned look.

  I lay down on the bed, putting my hands behind my head. The wind howled outside the window.

  The house was filled with sounds.

  I could hear someone walking in the neighboring rooms, climbing the stairs.

  Everyone was talking quietly, and I thought it was funny - what difference did it make.

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  I put my feet up on the high edge of the bed where the mayor had rested for many years, and at that moment Lagoon, Antipode, and Effect tumbled in, stepping carefully, like a ferret on a trail. Lagoon jumped onto my bed.

  “Chic...” he said, yawning with a crunch, stretching his mouth.

  Discipline and Record entered the room with bulging bags.

  Without wasting time, the graceful natives approached the wardrobe.

  They acted with expertise, filling the shelves with things. Usually laughing, they were full of reverent seriousness.

  Antipode, having filled the armchair, respectably smoked a cigar and watched.

  I was tired of Lagoon, and I tried to throw him off, but the bed was hopelessly wide, and Lagoon resisted, spreading his arms and legs.

  Effect amateurishly peered into places that were obviously filled, looking around boredly.

  Caprice poked her head into the bedroom and smiled languidly.

  “You come to us!” said Lagoon, perking up, and although Caprice didn't care about Lagoon, she readily climbed onto the bed and squeezed herself between us.

  Caprice was an attractive young lady.

  A slender brunette, moderately thin, with long, finely curly hair framing a pale, matte face with beautiful, delicate features.

  But she looked generally sad, like all optimists - she did not hide her passion for melancholy.

  This monkey Lagoon began to pester her, crawling with his paws.

  I tried to push him away, but Caprice was between us, then such a roar was heard below that everyone froze.

  “Go to the slums!” Caprice, usually reserved, even delicate, said with fury. “I have no words.”

  No one answered her. There was a howl below.

  Lagoon heard Caprice's words, and he expressed himself in the sense that she was good without words, and if she increased, he would be happy, and everyone else too.

  Caprice appreciated his sophistication, but Lagoon had a good reaction, and the blow landed on the pillow.

  Caprice turned and hugged me around the neck. Lagoon was puzzled and discouraged.

  He feigned jealousy and monkey pride, and Caprice hastened to appease him.

  Down below there was another roar and screams.

  “Laureates…” Antipode said, turning purple.

  Caprice kissed me very tenderly, and Lagoon was hurt by this circumstance. The bed creaked.

  Antipode glanced at our bustle and stood up.

  Discipline came up with a wad of money. It was thick, but how valuable it was, no one knew.

  Antipode thought about it and agreed.

  The wad moved to the sideboard.

  Effect took a gold ring out of his pocket, bit it and sent it to the box too.

  The company below began to sing.

  Antipode looked at the floor with hatred.

  “You are perfect!” said Caprice to Lagoon. “Don't laugh. It hurts!”

  “I'm not laughing,” I said, pleased.

  “You are good. You are bored.”

  “You...” I began, lay down on my back and dreamily looked at the ceiling.

  “You are talented,” Caprice said unexpectedly. With some reproach.

  “Get out of my life,” Lagoon said. "You're putting pressure on the bed."

  Caprice jumped down to the floor indignantly, explained in a few words how gifted we were, and wanted to hide, fearing Lagoon's wrath, but he caught the pillow with his mighty paw and immediately threw it, and Caprice was knocked down.

  She fell back, angry and confused at the same time. She quickly voiced a series of tender expressions and jumped out the door.

  Her steps, hurried, confused, were already heard on the stairs.

  “Shock,” said Lagoon. “Did you hear? Did everyone hear? Where are you going?”

  Downstairs, everyone was singing together.

  On the stairs, the sublime words were clearly heard. And after that, Caprice still gets offended.

  I jumped over the railing and found myself in the living room. A vase flew around the room.

  “I'm treating everyone!” Catalog began to cry.

  It stood on the table and was already choosing another vase from the other utensils.

  Problem was sitting on Caricature's lap against the wall, tempted by his moustache.

  Glory, Success and Chief applauded.

  There was a safe on the floor.

  Antipode who came in stood there like a statue, his eyes wide open at his spoiled contingent, and wisely walked out like a drunk, holding his head in his hands.

  Catalog settled on a pot-bellied bottle for its creative choice.

  He grabbed the bottle, straightened up, and resisted losing his balance for a while.

  Catalog closed his eyes for a long time, and his long legs sometimes involuntarily bent, and then he waved his hand like a conductor.

  The bottle, changing direction, crashed into the wall and exploded like a grenade, splashing Caricature and Problem from head to toe.

  Catalog's non-personal fun was not over.

  While Caricature was assessing the damage, slowly rising with Problem on his knees, a large jug, describing a smooth arc, casually cracked him on the forehead.

  Caricature let out a wild cry, brushed Problem off his knees and, to the discordant encouragement of the crowd, pettily set off after the long-legged Catalog, who was able to instantly assess the changed situation and jumped off the table.

  He dodged the fat Caricature with an agility that was hard to expect from his long figure.

  Everyone was interested in how this action-packed excitement would end, but Catalog deceived expectations and jumped out the window.

  Catalog wanted to be a postman.

  Caricature, breathing heavily, stopped at the undamaged mirror and began to examine the head.

  Problem, completely splashed, walked back and forth like a colorful parrot.

  The self-taught barbarians had nothing else planned, and I headed upstairs.

  The mayor had probably had his fill in the provinces and did not take his old things to the capital, generously leaving everything, without sorting, to the joy and relay revaluation of a company of city idlers.

  The old service returned to the capital as a winner - without anything.

  I walked along the corridor and noticed that someone was silently sneaking behind me. Without slowing down, I turned into the bedroom.

  Before I had time to get to the window, I turned around and saw that Caprice was standing in the doorway and looking at me across the room.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked ingratiatingly.

  “Me? Nothing...”

  Caprice laughed.