Chapter 1. 10. Souvenir

  The door swung open, and Effect tumbled into the cabin, small, insignificant, like a dusty scarecrow. He immediately lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke. I carefully took the cigarette from him.

  “You give it to me!” he said.

  “Don't cry.” I suddenly felt very sorry for him. He takes everything so seriously. “Why did you appear in this place?”

  “A priority appeared,” he began to speak incoherently, continuing to look extremely worried. “We need to take the cargo from the capital to the slums and hide it in a safe place.” Effect blinked convulsively.

  “Why?” I knew about the useless Effect's addiction to all sorts of hints.

  “Masterpiece asked. No one will understand him. He has his own affairs. Everyone says that he controls such criteria... Person!” the chick pouted. “Magnitude! Forward.”

  “How did he know where I was?”

  “I don't know. He found me right away,” Effect said.

  “I see...”

  “Faster, please. Masterpiece asked faster.”

  I was surprised, but soon I accelerated so much that Effect was only silent, showing the way. The truck was racing with a tight hum, like a rocket.

  The yard was surrounded by buildings of enormous height. People were bustling about in the depths of the yard.

  They were waiting for us. The light was on.

  The orderlies were carrying large oblong boxes, similar to cocoons.

  I decided not to go out.

  From a distance I saw that the work was being supervised by a woman who had been with Drama.

  Effect approached her. They started talking. Everything was happening quickly, even hastily. Soon the truck was full.

  Everyone watched us drive away, and one orderly began to close the gate.

  Small beads of sweat glistened on Effect's face from running.

  “What is it?” he suddenly asked.

  He noticed the doll.

  “You don't see it?” I said.

  “Did you find it?”

  “What difference does it make?”

  “It's edible,” Effect said.

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  “It's a souvenir.”

  Effect was silent.

  We left the city.

  I leaned over the windshield and looked at the sky. The moon came out from behind the sparse clouds.

  “What's in these coffins?”

  “I don't know.” Effect swayed importantly in his seat. “Is it our business?”

  I said nothing.

  “Do you remember the flaw Standard?” Effect spoke. “I think this is the most suitable place. No one could find a better place, right? It's good that it's not raining.”

  He, too, pressed his face to the windshield, his eyes wide open.

  Thin, transparent clouds stretched across the sky.

  We drove past our city. The hotel was clearly visible, all in lights, standing like a candle. The lights floated past.

  We drove into an abandoned construction site. It had changed.

  Everything was covered in dust, overgrown.

  Dark, unfinished buildings with sunken windows formed entire streets.

  In fact, it was an entire city. It was an eerie place, especially at night.

  We drove for a long time through the potholes.

  The car was thrown from side to side on the deck of the sunken ship Function.

  It seemed to me that something flashed around the corner, but at that moment the truck tilted.

  We drove sideways along the steep slope of the wing of the fallen airliner Rating.

  I directed the truck into the elevator Crash, which will never move.

  We fell into the darkness of the ravine, as if into a bottomless abyss, and the collapsed houses completely disappeared into it.

  But not for long.

  A vast empty space appeared among the buildings, everything seemed to be bathed in moonlight.

  I stopped the car at a large house.

  It was a flaw. Everything was distorted, crumpled, as if on purpose. As if someone wanted to decorate everything, but what an ugliness it turned out to be.

  The desert here was terrible.

  A cottony silence fell on all sides at once.

  Dust lay thickly everywhere.

  Suddenly I realized that we would have to unload these boxes ourselves.

  I shared this thought with Effect, and in response he disciplinedly showed a wad of new bills and said:

  “Someone didn't skimp on coins. We'll throw a party. I'm not working. I've had enough of working like a donkey. I can't carry other people's luggage anymore,” the little man said sadly. “I'm tired. The struggle for existence degrades human dignity. I will do everything - I will do nothing. This is life. Without options. Without deception. Like Masterpiece.”

  We looked around the house. The moonlight seeped into the house weakly, dissolving into the gray cavernous twilight.

  Dark water flowed down the empty walls in rare, shiny streams.

  The daytime sun was powerless before this dampness, protected by thick walls.

  This was the right place. Looking at the spotted ceiling, Effect almost stepped on a rusty nail.

  We got down to business. We carried boxes and carefully and evenly laid them in the damp room, thanks to the diligent efforts of Effect.

  Then we got tired and started stumbling. Effect walked extremely carefully, but soon lost his vigilance again.

  I clung to the wires. They hadn't been there before.

  The body was fruitfully full, and we were delightfully tired while we had dragged everything.

  The trusting Effect sat absently on one of the boxes, his shaking hands hanging down.

  He took a flat bottle out of his jacket, and we drank the juice.

  Effect threw the dishes aside without further ado.

  “It's good that we didn't see the show.”

  I shuddered. A large drop of water fell from somewhere above onto the smooth surface of the box next to me.

  All the boxes were monolithic - without seams or gaps.

  We entered the city in the morning.