Translated material
Island
When Svetlana was sitting on the floor, she had the idea of going to a mysterious island. The problem was that her city was located in the center of the mainland, which means there was no island nearby. She was frightened by the prospect of spending a large sum.
She began to look for the nearest island, and a mysterious one at that. For this occasion, she had a globe and a ruler on her closet. Using a ruler, she measured the distance from the city to the island and multiplied the centimeters by the scale. Such calculations helped her not so much to find out the real distance, but simply to have fun.
The mysterious island has been found. It was mysterious to her because the line ended exactly at it, and it was called very exotically - “Corpse”. This amused her, so the choice was made. Next, she started counting her finances and discovered some holes. However, she wanted to go to the island, so she began to look for options.
The option came out of nowhere; she remembered that not long ago she was given a brochure where it was written: “Credit without interest for everyone.” She frantically began to look for it, and, having found it, called:
— Hello, I would like to take out a loan for the island!
- Hello, what other island?
- Well, let’s say “Corpse”. Why else do you need to know this?
The girl on the other end of the phone laughed loudly, then felt awkward, collected herself internally, coughed and was ready to answer:
- So, well, come! For a trip?
- Yes, I want to go.
— Come to the address st. Prosecutor V.N. Terentyev, house 16, office 23. We’ll solve everything. Goodbye!
Svetlana didn’t have time to answer before they hung up. She decided to fill this gap, and when Lidia Stepanovna Gracheva greeted her at the entrance, she did not answer her and only silently walked past. Lidia Stepanovna was unhappy and shouted at her: “What a slut! That the mother was boorish, and that the daughter is now.” Svetlana decided to ignore her further, this drove her neighbor into a frenzy.
On the bus, Svetlana also didn’t say hello to anyone, but no one paid attention to it. She even got upset. Only at the organization’s office she was greeted, but there she had to answer.
- Oh, you told us about the corpse?
“I didn’t tell you anything about any corpse, that’s the name of the island.”
- Okay, give me your passport.
- Why else?
- So, how can I give you a loan?
- Oh, I see. Fine. Here.
The girl, who introduced herself as Lyudmila, began photocopying all forty-six pages of the passport. Then I changed my mind, but it was too late to retreat. With a serious and concerned look, she continued this activity. Then she also silently typed something on the computer. Svetlana just watched and after an hour of sitting silently, she finally ceased to understand what she was doing here and why she had come. Lyudmila finally finished.
- Well, we will give you a loan. I can say I’ve already given it away!
— What about a certificate from work or waiting from the bank? Credit history, finally?
- Oh, we don’t care about that. We give to everyone indiscriminately, and these are all formalities. If you don’t return it, then we have Vitaly for this case. You saw him at the entrance, he is a former intelligence officer.
- Don’t threaten me! I'm actually a decent woman!
- Don't yell at me!
Then the dialogue lost all semantic content, and people became like animals. As a result, Svetlana finally received the coveted amount and rushed to buy plane tickets. She was also rude there, but she did not lose heart. Just the thought of Corpse Island brought joy to her soul and heart. She had a fight with the suitcase saleswoman, but she got him too. It seemed to her then that in order to get something in this city, she would definitely have to quarrel with everyone and constantly prove her right to have something.
By the evening of that day, she was already completely prepared and was happily waiting for the trip, lying on the sofa. The trip was only a week later. She was sure that the ticket seller didn’t want to sell it to her early. But Sveta waited without losing her fortitude. A day passed, two days passed, she did not lose hope of seeing the mysterious island “Corpse” and only turned the globe in all directions in the evenings.
She even came up with a very funny game where you had to find that very island with your eyes closed, and she always found it with ease. Svetlana even invited Elena Yuryevna, who lived in a neighboring house, to visit her, so as not to play alone. Elena was delighted, even though she always lost.
The game was quite strange. When it was Svetlana’s turn, even if she ended up in the absolutely opposite place from the agreed upon point, it was considered: “I was almost close, so I got plus one point.” When Elena’s finger hit even one iota below or above the point, Svetlana would say: “Well, you, Lena, you’re a dauber, you’re in the wrong place at all,” and laughed loudly. I must admit that Elena won more often in a game for two, thanks to her professional skill. But Svetlana won unconditionally. Her rival was not offended, so they went to the kitchen for dinner together.
Although they had been friends for a long time, Elena knew little about Svetlana. Mostly at such gatherings they talked about the hostess of the house and her planned trip. This helped one not to get bored watching TV, since a friend was watching TV. And the second is to speed up the time until the day of departure.
- Lenka, I’ll be so happy on that island. So I’m waiting, I wish I could.
- And now you’re not happy, are you? What, is your happiness only on the island? I'm happy here too.
- Yes, it is there. I understood it immediately! As soon as I get there, I will be the happiest. I can't be happy here. Everyone is so boorish, everyone swears, at work yesterday Oleg actually hit me! Can you imagine? I can’t take it anymore, I’m suffocating in this city, I urgently need to go there to the island, I’ll feel good there. Everything is kinder there, I even read it in a book. It will be very good there.
- Well then, of course. And I’m wondering why you have such a bruise under your eye! Why does he like this to you, this Oleg is yours?
When Elena said this, she smiled naturally. In this city, such tricks were considered commonplace, and only Svetlana was always dissatisfied with all this. She really wanted to leave to be happy. Then she told all her misadventures that happened to her, and Elena just oohed and aahed, felt sorry for her and was happy for her friend.
Svetlana was afraid that Oleg would come again. Therefore, she did her best to keep her friend at her place, even inviting her to spend the night. Elena Yuryevna agreed carefree. She didn’t understand why she should stay here, but she saw in one movie that they do this, so she didn’t ask. And now they have gathered to watch a movie together. Elena lay down comfortably, and Svetlana was very worried. The friend thought it was because she was waiting for an imminent trip.
II
The meeting between Oleg and Svetlana took place six months ago. One evening she was walking home from work and then she met a young man. He flirted sweetly with her, and she just smiled. The next day she met him again near work, the next day - near her house. Another time - as if by chance in a cafe. This would not have frightened her, but she did not like Oleg at all. There are times when you just don’t like it, that’s all. She couldn't explain it to herself in any way, but she began to get bored with him.
One evening she left work earlier than usual, and he was already waiting for her at the door. Again he asked for a date, begged, this time she agreed. She decided that maybe he was good, and there were no other young men around her. They went to a cafe nearby, she sighed heavily and smiled confidently, and decided to give it a chance. He talked a lot, and she just listened. I noticed and started asking her. Svetlana’s long monologue began. Leaving the cafe, she changed her mind. She seemed to be starting to like him. In parting, he kissed her hand, which touched her completely. She invited him to come in, partly out of pity. To yourself or to him? Sveta could not answer this question.
She didn't like it. The evening at home turned out to be unsuccessful, he apologized, she convinced him that everything was fine. Suddenly she was distracted and laughed out of stress. He hit her.
- For what?
- Sorry, I didn't mean to. But it's your own fault.
Sveta agreed. After all, it really wasn’t worth laughing at such an intimate moment. But what can you do, she was also embarrassed. We made peace. It worked. In the morning she was glowing, and so was he. But I decided to send him away and think. Overall, she liked him better, although not as much. She called Lena and called him “sweetheart.”
A couple of hours later he returned with flowers, she let him in. She didn’t like Oleg at all, but he clung to her so much and paid her so much attention that, rather, out of pity, she agreed to their romance. In the evening we watched a movie. He didn't like it, but it was her favorite movie.
- How can you even watch such crap?
- Well, you don’t understand, that’s because it’s not crap! This is an outstanding film by the German avant-garde...
Before she could finish speaking, he hit her. This time she simply decided to throw him out the door, but he again explained that he hit her because she called him stupid. Sveta argued for a long time, but in the end this dispute reconciled them. We started watching what he liked. She didn’t like it, he said that she just didn’t play around. Sveta barely smiled, but immediately covered her mouth with her hand.
Somehow it happened that by the end of that week he was already living with her. She noticed this only a month later. When I realized that for the only time in many years of work I was alone at work. I didn’t want to go home, and I didn’t want to sit at work either. I decided to take a walk. On the way he met her.
- Why aren’t you at home?
- Should I? Here I go, there was a lot of work.
“I had nothing to eat, there was no food at home.”
- Do I have to cook?
He pushed her. This time she screamed and ran away. He ran after her, but she managed to run into the cafe and ask for help. He came in a minute later, all red, but kind. This irritated her. Nobody believed her, he looked too good and pleasant. It seemed to her that nothing could piss him off at that moment. He began to joke and make excuses, she calmed down. Let's go home. She was scared, but he only joked and put his arm around her shoulders. She began to tremble, he covered her with his jacket. She wanted to take off her jacket, but she was overcome by horror.
A few more days passed, and she decided to tell him about her reluctance to be with him. He cried and knelt, but a moment later he struck again. He apologized for a long time and beat her again after refusing. She tried to understand the reasons for this action. He replied that she was to blame herself, because this should not be done to people. She believed him and continued to live with him for several more months.
One warm morning in July, she left work very early and went to the police. The police assured that this was an everyday matter and sent her home. Sveta was not happy, but agreed with the officers. A day later, he learned from a policeman friend that she had come and pushed her again. This time she hit the table and started bleeding. She just remained silent and cried quietly. He apologized, Sveta only replied:
- Sorry, it's my own fault. There was no need to go there.
He agreed. He brought a bandage, tied everything up, and then kissed her. She was disgusted, but she humbly endured it. She cried quietly and was afraid that even this would anger him. By morning they made up. Sveta lay in bed for the entire next month with a headache. He looked after her every day, they did not quarrel. She believed that it would always be like this and felt sorry for him. One day a neighbor came to them and asked Sveta. He thought it was her lover, she answered in the negative. He hit her again, she cried quietly. He apologized and said he was lying.
The day before purchasing the tickets, he said that he would go to his father’s birthday in another city and would return only in a week. Then the idea came to her to leave.
III
The next morning, Sveta saw her friend off and rushed to look out the windows in fear. It seemed to her that he was about to come. There were still a few days left before the flight, but inner fear haunted her. All that day she continued to walk around the windows, in the evening she called the locksmith to change the locks, after which she felt calmer. I went uninvited to Elena Yuryevna for dinner.
- Lena, dear, hello! We haven’t seen each other for so long that I’ve already forgotten how we spent time together. I've already gotten bored during the day. Shall I come in?
Elena Yuryevna was so happy, she had not seen her friend for six months. Until yesterday, she thought that they were no longer friends, but then she was delighted with her guest.
- Indeed, I miss you too!
They laughed a lot and ate a lot. Lena was happy, Sveta too. Then they chatted a lot and had fun in every possible way, and by midnight they began dancing. She even forgot that time was passing so quickly, and by morning both friends fell asleep again while watching the movie.
Sveta woke up later, it was already almost evening. Lena managed to go to work, cook dinner and even take a nap. But she was glad that her friend woke up, because she really wanted to watch the “Get Married!” program with her. Svetlana was glad that she was not being chased, but she still looked at her windows and was glad that the light was not on.
Elena Yuryevna offered to stay the night, but Svetlana did not agree. There is a flight tomorrow and we will have to go to the airport early. But she asked her friend to go with her, under the pretext that she needed to give her something. Elena was flattered and went.
She entered her apartment strangely, with fear. Elena Yuryevna was surprised and went in first. She looked back at her friend, she had crazy eyes. Elena Yuryevna looked at her questioningly, Sveta came to her senses and smiled.
The house was clean and tidy. There was no one there. It seemed so empty, as if no one lived here. It's somehow uncomfortable. Svetlana came up with the idea of giving her friend a flower in a pot that was standing on her window. Lena had dreamed about him for a long time, so she was happy. The friends started talking again, but it was too late to come to their senses. There were only seven hours left to sleep.
After seeing her friend off, Sveta went to bed and lay motionless. We had a flight in the morning, and those seven hours seemed endless. She so wanted to get to that mysterious island. He was waiting for her, he attracted her to him. While thinking about the island, she lost track of time. Either forty minutes will pass, then an hour.
She couldn't stand it and decided to go to the airport earlier. Before leaving the house, she looked out all the windows again, he was gone. She sighed heavily, took all her things and tried to run as quickly as possible to the taxi waiting for her.
At the airport she almost calmed down, only almost imperceptibly fiddling with her fingers. My teeth chattered. One man offered her a jacket, but she recoiled in horror. She looked back, said thank you and ran. Not him. It became easier.
At the front desk she was yelled at again and she yelled back. They still took a bottle of water from her and threw it in the trash. She laughed.
On the plane, she looked at every man's face with suspicion. I was glad that he was gone, but I was very worried. An old woman sat down next to her.
- Hello, my dear, why are you decomposed here? One or what?
— Is it normal to ask to be removed?
- What do I have to do? Put away your clothes, come on, I’m sitting here.
Then Svetlana had a fight with her and was glad that she didn’t say hello. The old woman spoke again:
- When will we fly? How long can you wait?
Svetlana agreed with her and suddenly laughed. When they took off, her muscles were no longer so tense. She calmed down and even slept a little. Waking up, she looked out the window and looked for a familiar face, but there were only clouds. Sveta smiled and asked for tea. Finally she remembered about the island; they were soon landing. She was so glad that she would soon enter the mysterious island. There, exactly there, was her real ten-day happiness.