Darina Grotto - Unlimited

The man got pale and contradicted, banishing the old man from his sight not to let him talk nonsense. The demon insidiously smiled, his eyes flashed which had nothing in common with old age and kept on telling some things that nobody could have known but the couple themselves.

Indeed, the tear-stained girl punched him with the thorn roses in the face, threw away the ring and ran home in tears.

‘You, freakish old grumbler…’ he hissed, clenching his fists.

‘You’re gonna be an impotent in a year, young man,’ the demon predicted in a sepulchral voice.

Having had fun with the passer-by Kharon went down in metro as crowded as a can with sprats. People went home, tried to smile, pretend they were fun and glad the day was over. By the way they didn’t forget to shout at others, having wolf-looks, hated them.

When the carriage was at Kuznetsky Most a great crowd invaded into and Kharon turned to be almost at the very corner. There was a nice-looking girl before him, and she looked at everything around with understanding in her eyes. Her shoes were stepped on, someone pushed her, but she thought that it was ok, none of those were on purpose.

The demon was too close to her and without hesitation staring at her face. It had sadness and sorrow a bit and some desperation. Kharon saw her eyelashes freeze, her eyes were staring ahead at his chest.

The door opened and more people got into the carriage, pushing and kicking each other. The demon had time to set his hand against the wall not to let him press the girl.

‘Unbelievably…’ he said quiet looking at her scared eyes.

Looking at her face you could see the girl waited for the man to be about to fall at her with his body, tramp her foot or make a nasty trick. Her eyes got scared while Kharon’s eyes smiled.

The train steamed out of the station and people mechanically waved aside but the demon kept his hand against the wall not letting large-tonnage wave come down on the girl. The smile played across his lips while he was looking at the understandable confusion.

The girl tried not to stare at the man who was heroically covering her with his body. In the glimmering of the carriage Kharon gazed her cheeks were overspread with a faint flu and her eyes looked lower.

Using his position and potential coming closer together the demon moved to her. He did so close he could feel warmth of youth. The girl felt too the atmosphere and lifted her eyes.

‘I’m sorry.’ He said quiet slightly bowed to her.

The train was running down, and the wall of passengers leaned upon the demon’s back. He, of course, couldn’t hold himself such pressure and the crowd bumped him into the girl.

Instead of screaming and going into hysterics the girl smiled and turned to the door in the glass of which leaned on her demon was reflected.

Daria… The demon closed his eyes and let the thought stream so uninteresting break into his head…. I’d like to go in this way eternally… Mine is incapable of anything like this… Cans are on his head… the cell is in his hands… here the stranger is like a protection from everything. I don’t wanna you go out…

“Go out” came Kharon back to reality, letting out the girl’s thoughts from his head. He shifted his eyes to get what the station was.

‘This is Barrikadnaya station, change here for the orbital link…’

Kharon smiled once again, glanced at the girl interested and left the train.

He was in the middle of the station having his eyes closed and listened. No. He didn’t listen to neither people nor unceasing clatter and chatter around, mechanical voices… He tried to listen to her.

Then some visions flew one by one: an intimate atmosphere, a pub, café, restaurant. He couldn’t understand what a place was it, but he knew a place to eat. Victoria. A man was confused. An ambitious precisionist. What his name was G…Georgy… Gregory… It started with G… He wore a grey shiny suit. His hair carefully done… Supper. Business lunch. Some food. Something whitish. Who knew what was it exactly? But it could move. That wasn’t a human. No heart, discorporate. A spirit. Female energy. Fear. There were Victoria and her fear. Why?

The demon read the girl’s visions who was coming to meet him. The closer she was the better he could see what she had seen.

Kharon turned back and headed to the head car coming from the centre. Yes. The closer he came up the better he could get Victoria was in the very carriage. Her crazy energy… the energy of the witch gave itself away and Kharon could feel it coming closer to the doors.

The man stopped near a supposed carriage and stared at the wall where like on TV he could see the train rush in the tunnel. In several seconds bright light showed out from the hole. Kharon smiled.

The train was running down at the station, the man stepped back, hiding in the crowd. The train stopped, the doors, near which Victoria had been staying, opened and a hand appeared before her.

‘How do you do this, ah?’ Vic asked with obvious smile of admire.

‘You, dear, stream through my body. I can feel your every atom and neuron. By the way, I’m glad that your mood has been enhanced as you see me and I can hear now a pleasant tune of your voice. I wish you hadn’t remembered the lunch with that man… But this is what you’re gonna speak about, isn’t it?’

‘That’s impossible, Kharon. You can’t just so unceremoniously dig in my mind. We’re gonna have nothing to speak about if you keep on reading my mind. Shall we go outside?’

‘Actually, I didn’t read.’ Kharon led the girl through the crowd. ‘I’ve almost stopped being able to do it. I can still see your past by bright and picturesque images. I can still feel your feelings. Why were you confused with the invitation from that man?’

They were at the long moving staircase. Kharon was on the lower step, embracing the girl. Being only in his arms she could relax totally, let everything be as it was, without interfering in anything, thinking of nothing. Only his arms could help her to distract from all the world and make her think only of him. She desired to think of his warm, gentle hands, stroking her back under the jeans jacket with no stopping.

‘It scared me.’ Vic put her arms around him, having laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

‘Scared? Don’t you like surprises?’ he took up the girl and careful brought her from the moving staircase.

‘I don’t.’ Vic said the truth, coming ahead in the street while Kharon was holding the door for her.

‘It wasn’t the one for him, indeed.’ The demon followed her and at once it started drizzling like the thinnest needles falling on his face from the sky.

Victoria was staring at the sad sky, feeling its tears on her face.

‘It’s raining…’ she whispered, and something brought her into a country of illusions and dreams.

The demon held her strong in his arms, trying to protect from raining. Being under his arm, she felt like a peregrine falcon nestling under its mother’s wing.

‘I’ve heard that raining in the human world is very romantic event for lovers. This is romanticism, dear!’

‘True. But it’s not for everyone. There’s a touch of romanticism for both of us but there’s no any for these who are pushing and cursing us. I wanted to walk home…and it’s raining. Are you so romantic Kharon to walk in the rain? I know it’s not so warm and tender as the summer one, but it’s good anyway when you’re with me.’

‘We can find out about romanticism of my… soul,’ Kharon looked at her.

‘What are we waiting for then? Come on!’ Vic grabbed his hand and hurried to the Garden Ring Road.

They walked put arms on each other, stepping on the Garden Ring Road, trampled by the times. It was still raining but was ready to leave with no breaking down the lovers. People ran under umbrellas, constantly bumping into each other with their umbrellas. Vic didn’t care! Rain. Snow. People. The world. The planet. Was there any point to see all of those? All lived in its own circle. This circle had been before Victoria was born and it was going to be after she was dead. The only thing she would hardly have was the man. But at that time he was walking near her.

‘Didn’t you want to know the man whom you had lunch with?’ Kharon asked being curious.

‘To ask how you can know is stupid… I think I didn’t because I don’t like him, I don’t feel anything for him and the only man in my mind is you.’

‘I know, dear. But, how to put it right… He’s a human. You have more chances to live like a human with him.’

Vic stopped, came up to Kharon and looked at him with indescribable fear and despair in her eyes.

‘Tell me the truth, Kharon.’ She asked quietly. ‘Will I have a chance to live like a human with anyone after that night on 26 thof September? Will I be able to love a human as I love you? Will he be able to give me what you do? Tell me, Kharon. Don’t be silent!’

‘Are you giving up for lost? You’ll be only 23 on 16 thof September 2015 and now you’re speaking about your future and abilities to love?’

‘I don’t wanna give up but I’m a realist. You are the most perfect happiness that could ever happen to me for my eternal life. I regret nothing and moreover I’m not gonna be regretful about your appearance in my life.’

‘You know, dear, you have to live with people a bit to answer your question now… Honestly I don’t know what to say, what I have to say…’

‘You don’t need to say what you have to. What’s there?’ Victoria touched his chest. ‘What does it say?’

Kharon said nothing. Tears. There were tears in her eyes. Vic was waiting for an answer like manna from heaven.

‘I…’

‘The truth, please, Kharon. Tell me the truth, what do you feel here?’ the first tear dropped on her cheek and hurried to run away to flow together with the rain.

‘The truth?’ the demon defined. ‘Nothing. I feel nothing here.’

The demon put her hands away. Vic pursed her lips, fighting the coming up tears. She took his hand and kissed his fingers, pressing his warm palm to her cheek.

‘That’s ok… I’ll do everything to fill you with a human life, make you hear your heart trembling when you see the eyes of a human whom you really like. I’ll teach you how to feel, Kharon, I will. Please don’t resist me.’

‘I’ve got you. I don’t mind. Try your best. But don’t let them drop, ok?’

‘You don’t wanna me cry, do you?’ Vic smiled through tears, still pressing his hand. ‘I won’t.’

‘And you’re still doing it?’ he smiled.

‘No. The last ones. Shall we go further? I have something to tell you.’

‘About your meeting?’

‘Yes. There was a woman.’

‘Called you the Devil’s bride?’

‘Did you…’ Vic was about to get surprised but grinned instead of. ‘Exactly. Why did she say it, Kharon?’

‘You again listen to everyone and think that’s it all about you, don’t you? When we were going out from the metro some girl called you…just a second, I’m trying to remember. It was something like a bitch. Why didn’t you notice it? So maybe you shouldn’t notice what ghosts say?’

‘Do you want to say that the insult was about nothing?’ the girl exhaled.

Kharon stopped near the sad girl and with words “come to me” , pulled her into the nearest archway. He pressed the girl understanding nothing in the corner and put his hands on her head.

‘I’m sorry, Victoria, but I understand nothing what you’re speaking about… I need to know… Now!’ The demon pressed her head stronger with his hands with difficulty getting into her mind.