Íà ðóññêîì: http://proza.ru/2016/10/19/934
I, twenty-year-old thin Tanya, suddenly found myself in a huge hotel, beautiful and rich. The people there were dressed well, behaved with dignity, they are popularly called high society.
How I ended up here did not interest me at all. The only desire was to get on a large ship, on which all these people in the hotel were going to become passengers. The staff was not visible at all.
I had my own room, which was not locked, because... theft, or any other antics were not acceptable in this society. I walk along a long corridor and enter a huge hall, on one side there are round tables, around them there are four chairs, at which people sit and drink coffee and cake. All furniture, curtains, flowers are white. In the other half, an orchestra plays against the wall and a couple dances in the middle.
I need to ask this tall, handsome man of thirty-five years old: do I have the right to be a passenger on that big ship where all these people are going? He danced with a lady in a long white dress, and I stood next to him and waited for the end of the dance.
When the dance ended, I quickly approached him before someone invited him to dance and asked about it. He examined me carefully and said:
- “Of course, but look at yourself, you’re wearing jeans and a T-shirt, your appearance should correspond to the rank and time of these people.”
I looked around..., sure enough, there were ladies all around in white dresses, fashion of the early nineteenth century, and men dressed according to that time. Looking into the man’s eyes, I quickly told him:
- “No problem, I’ll be right back.”
I ran along the corridor and looked into all the rooms, but there were people there, who would voluntarily give me the dress like that, even if I asked? But in one of the rooms there was only one girl, she was folding a suitcase and her dresses were laid out on the bed. I grabbed two of them and ran into the corridor, hearing next:
- “These are my dresses!”
In response, she heard from me:
- "Shut up!"
Again that hall and that man danced with a lady in the middle of the dancers. I had to wait. When the dance ended, I jumped up to him and, showing both dresses, said:
- “Here, dresses! Now can I become a passenger on the ship?”
He pointed to the dress on my left arm, which had a pink lining and said:
- “I like this, put it on, but not here, find an empty room and change there.”
Again I rush along the corridor to look for an empty room, but as luck would have it, everyone is busy, people are putting things in their suitcases.
There is simply no time to look for my room, I need to hide somewhere and quickly change clothes, from the bustle of people it is clear that boarding is soon, and this gentleman has not yet given me permission to become a passenger on the ship.
I still found an empty room where someone was in the bathroom and quickly changed clothes. Again I rush, now dressed according to the time, to the master’s hall. Well, now it will be resolved, where will it go?
And again he dances, we had to wait. When the dance ended, the man immediately came up to me and gallantly invited me to dance. They started dancing, but he was silent. I asked him a question:
- “Well, what now, learn to dance? Landing is coming soon, are you kidding me? Why are you silent, I’m waiting for your permission?”
He calmly replied:
- “What kind of passenger are you, without a suitcase?”
My nerves were at their limit, without answering anything, I turned and ran again into the corridor, looking into the rooms, there were people with already packed suitcases and it was unlikely that they would give me at least one bag.
In the corridor at one door I saw a large brown leather suitcase. I grabbed it by the handle, but it turned out to be heavy and, having opened the latch, I had to dump the men’s things on the carpet by the door. I run with this suitcase into the hall to the dancers.
I find this man, without waiting for the end of the dance, I show him this large suitcase:
- “And now, now I have everything?!”
Without stopping, dancing, he says to me:
- “Who will allow you onto the ship without documents? You must have documents, as soon as you show them to me, I will give you permission and buy the ticket personally.”
Now I had to look for my room, fortunately, it was found quite quickly. She grabbed her passport and ran out into the corridor. But there is no one around, an empty corridor, an empty hall, and this man is sitting at one of the tables. Near his chair stands, now mine, an empty huge suitcase. I ran up to him, put my passport on the table and said:
- “That’s it now, I hope! Give me permission and a ticket!”
She looked around, there was no one around except us:
- “Where is everyone?!”
He calmly replied:
- “Everyone sailed away on the ship, sailed away.”
I was overcome with despair:
- “How did they sail away, and me?!” What about me, I also want to get on that ship?!”
Tears flowed, out of powerlessness and indignation I was ready to punch this man with my fists, but he calmly stood in front of me and began to calm me down, say something, like, why should I swim somewhere at all?
Then I started to get hysterical, I began to shout at him through my tears, reproaching him:
- “How dare you tell me what to do, which way to go or swim?! Who are you?!"
He calmly replied:
- “I am your guardian angel...”
These words angered me even more, my despair knew no bounds:
- “Who asked you and is asking you to protect me, who gave you such a right?! Do I need you at all, since you don’t let me decide anything myself?!”
He put his palms on my shoulders and said quietly:
- “Tanya, the ship is called Titanic...”
I was dumbfounded, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t say anything, the whole disaster that happened on that ship flashed through my mind. In the distance I heard the quiet whistle of a large ship. And..., I woke up.
Moral: if the “card” doesn’t work, then stop, quit the “game”, because you can lose everything, and this all often turns out to be LIFE.
2016