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And began to leave the store.
– Happy New Year, – the girl said cheerfully with a smile.
– Thank you and happy holidays to you! I replied.
With great difficulty, due to the strong wind, I opened the door and went outside.
The blizzard played out in earnest. But for me now the snow was the best gift of fate, because it means that I got back into my world.
– Did it really work out! I exclaimed joyfully and ran home waving the bag containing the bread.
Happy, I just flew up the stairs to my floor. And my joy knew no bounds.
Soon I went up to my floor, and saw a completely unfamiliar door, after a little hesitation I rang the bell.
My wife Lena opened the door, she was wearing a dress I didn’t recognize.
– Anton, you’ve finally come, otherwise I’ve been waiting for you. «I have an important conversation to have,» she said in a serious voice.
– What’s right for the New Year? And I thought we were going to rest. «And where is the mother – in-law?» – I asked, passing into the apartment.
The most interesting thing is that not only was the door unfamiliar, but all the furniture in the apartment too.
– Mom? I told you, she decided to stay with her neighbor to celebrate the New Year.
– How interesting, – I said with horror realizing that I was again not clear where, just not at home in my own world, – Honey, remind me, what year is it now?
– Are you kidding me? – she looked at me without understanding.
– Yes, what kind of jokes can there be, – I objected, – So what year is it?
– The outgoing two thousand and twelfth.
– That’s right, – I said.
– You surprised me, of course, that you don’t know a year, but I’m already used to your oddities. Let’s go to the kitchen, I’ve set the table, we’ll talk at the same time,» Lena said and pulled me by the hand.
– Let’s go, – I was very glad that food was waiting for me.
When I went into the kitchen, I was extremely surprised there were no festive salads on the table, there were no potatoes, traditional chicken baked in the oven. There were rolls, sushi and wasabi on my plate.
– You know I don’t like this kind of food.
– Since when did you stop loving them? Lena asked irritably and sat down at the table.
– And that there is definitely no other food? I asked, looking around.
– No, you let’s sit down and we’ll see off the old year.
I sat down and pulled a plate towards me, there were seven rolls and two sushi pieces in it.
– Economical,» I said, picked up a fork, stuck it on and dipped it in soy sauce.
– Well, what is delicious after all? she asked with a smile.
«Tolerable,» I replied, «So what did you want to talk to me about?»
– Yes, Anton, I wanted to. It’s like pulling out a bad tooth.
– Do you have a toothache?
– No, I’m speaking figuratively. Our relationship with you has reached an impasse. Do you understand?
– Well, go on.
– So here’s Anton. I want to file for divorce after the holidays.
– Have you thought about our son?
– What kind of son? Lena said in surprise, «We have a daughter, Natasha. And she knows it, she’s with Grandma now. Are you out of your mind at all? What’s the matter with you?
I decided not to continue the conversation anymore, left the table and went into the corridor.
– Wait, Anton, where are you going? Lena shouted after me.
«I’m sorry,» I said, «I have to leave now.
And without waiting for an answer, I abruptly opened the door and left the apartment.
A strong wind was blowing outside. I turned up my collar and went. There was nowhere to go, and I decided to go to the store to pull the door again, and to fully understand whether it was closed.
The door was locked. And that meant that the road to my world was closed to me. For a long time or not, I didn’t have an answer to this question at the moment.
– Happy New Year,“ a five – year-old girl shouted and ran up to me, „Uncle, happy New Year, I’m telling you.
– Happy New Year girl! – I smiled for the first time in a long time.
– And my name is Katyusha, here take a candy in honor of the holiday, – and the girl handed him a candy in a golden wrapper.
– Thank you, girl, you are so kind. Only here I have nothing to treat you with,» and I opened the package in front of her, in which the bread I had bought the day before lay alone.
«I don’t need anything from you,» the girl laughed.
Her mother came up to us, took her daughter by the hand, and they disappeared behind the house.
And I was walking down the street not knowing how to live and where to go now. I was tormented by a lack of understanding of the situation and not knowing how to get out of it.
Suddenly, my feet began to slide on something unstable and smooth, and at the last minute before falling, I realized that there was ice under my feet, which was lying unnoticed under the snow. My head started to hurt because I broke it and began to lose consciousness lying on the ice.
I woke up on the train. The man’s hand was on my shoulder, apparently he was waking me up.
«I’ve finally woken up,» he said in a pleased voice.
– Hello, I thought I was dreaming this whole nightmare, – I replied.
At first I took the man for a neighbor in the compartment.
– Will you wake up a cup of tea? He asked politely.
– Yes, you can. And where is my wife Lena?
– You wait with the questions, I’ll bring tea first, and then we’ll start the conversation.
And the man got out of the compartment.
The train suddenly rocked, and I decided to look out the window.
I opened the curtain a little, but to my great surprise, I saw nothing but white fog.
– You don’t have to look out the window, there’s nothing there, – said a fellow traveler who entered, he was holding two mugs of fragrant tea in his hands.
– And I already realized that there is only fog in the circle, – I replied.
– Alas, but we don’t have a beautiful landscape outside the window here, what can you do, dear friend, we are on the border of parallel worlds, – the man replied.
– So that’s how, and everything that happened to me means it’s not a dream, – and I even whistled from the information I received.
– Did you Anton want you to dream all this? The man asked with a grin.
– Well, yes. Yes, not one normal person would not want to be in my place!
– Maybe so. We call such people losers. But, fortunately, there are very few such cases, one in a million.
«What am I supposed to do now?» I asked sadly.
– To begin with, I will introduce myself to you, I am the border guard Kazimir. To get into your world, you will need to strain a little and remember everything down to the smallest detail. From A to Z, so to speak. Your fate will depend on your memories. You will have no more opportunity to return, you will stay in that world and you will live that life to the end. Remember about the presence of your double, too.
– And what do you need to remember right all your life? I asked in horror.
– No, just the last ten minutes. What they talked about, what they did, who was there…
We sat down comfortably, and I began to tell Kazimir my last moments that I spent in my world.
– I’m so sorry because my wife and I almost had a fight over bread. How could I start this pointless argument with her! I sighed, having finished my story.
– Perhaps you will have more time, and you will fix everything, – Kazimir said with a smile. – And now I will send you to your world, which you have described. Let’s say goodbye. Good luck to you Anton.
– Thank you, Casimir, – I said.
Everything that was around me disappeared, and instead I found myself in a hospital bed and my wife Lena was sitting right in front of me now, looking affectionately into my face.
– Anton, what a blessing that you woke up! And Vanka and I didn’t sleep all night long, we were on duty at your bed. Vanya was very worried, and now he was tired and went home to sleep.
– Lenochka, but how did he go? Probably not alone, but together with Grandma?
– No, Anton’s mom is at home with us, she cooks food. I’ve already warned her that you’ve woken up and maybe you’ll be discharged today. Why would they keep a healthy person in the hospital?
