On the stone road

– And who previously owned this house?

– The man who saved my life – Anders quietly satisfied the curiosity of Eric.

– He died?

Eric somehow was convinced that it was true.

– Yes.

Once Anders confirmed his thoughts, Eric asked:

– How?

The man stopped and turned to Eric with a stern face. He regretted that he touched the wound, which he obviously was trying to forget.

– When a person stands in the way to achievement of one’s dream, that time dedicated to his life is significantly reduced. My advice to you, Eric – don’t destroy someone else’s dream, because you can lose your own.

– So, he was killed. – Eric didn’t ask, he commented the meaning of the words of Anders. He nodded.

Without saying a word, Anders turned and walked away, and Eric followed him.

Along the upper mezzanine were placed twelve doors in a circle. Each of them was decorated with a symbol of the zodiacal constellation.

– Oh, Yeah. Probably for your friend zodiac really played an important role in his life. If we consider, how many images are here.

– It was his faith – reiterated Anders.

– You mean religion? – Wondered Eric, when he finished examining one of the doors.

– There, where he was born, the stars – is the belief, art, life, and the law.

After Anders finished, he stopped at the door, where two babies were pictured. Eric was surprised, because he was born under the sign of Gemini, at the first day of summer.

– And where he came from, your friend?

– Already out of nowhere – briefly replied Anders. – This is your room – please! – He pulled the handle and opened the door. – You should put yourself in order, so I won’t interfere you.

Anders foisted to Eric the bags with clothes, he was already going to go, but he suddenly stopped.

– Sorry if I made a mistake with the size.

– Come on, – Eric closed the door, and then opened it. – Thank you, – he growled at last, and as soon as possible, shut the door behind him again.

In the room, which he was granted, easily could fit all the property of his family. Rough bronze statue glittered like foil from candies. Its arms and legs unnaturally bent, and the head rushed up and followed by eye into shrouded with clouds sky, which was flowing above the transparent ceiling. Curved humanlike creatures without a face and without gender were randomly leaning on the ghostly wall, which surrounded the dial, which was spreading out on the floor. The acute second hand was moving in the opposite direction around the marble stool, which enchanted by the presence of ideal simplicity.

– It’s funny.

It was the only thing that Eric was able to utter, thus expressing his perplexity to freak show atmosphere.

After a couple of tentative steps forward towards the reclined bronze statue, he saw glittering gold handle, the door of cream shade color was barely noticeable, hiding behind a bathroom. In the center of the white square was a huge granite boulder, turned out to be a real bath. Outside the reservoir for bathing looked clumsy, and even a little dangerous: sharp edges of the cleavage didn’t inspire confidence. But inside the bath was a continuous smooth surface.

Throwing his bags of clothes, Eric went to the mirror: for long time he carefully examined every bit of his face. Running his finger along the jaw, high cheekbones, lips – he couldn’t understand what has changed? Everything was as before, but the reflection looked different, not as usually.

As it turned out, he didn’t notice that his green eyes almost drowned in the cold colorless, which was surrounded by galvanized streams. Pupils also sparkled, like Ander’s eyes. Despite the beauty he acquired, Eric didn’t like it: it was neither his eyes. It was the eyes of monster, who had killed a man.

The guy with the gray hair washed and no longer tried to look at his reflection.

“Even it was different. Perhaps only here I remained the same "– Eric thought, clenching his fist over his heart. He didn’t believe that thought; because there is deep inside everything fell apart.

The guy immersed in the fresh water of rock bulk, Eric got rid of the remnants of a reminder of the hard day. However, the water has cleaned him only from the outside, it couldn’t penetrate in his soul and cool the accumulated there agonizing despair and fear. The pain was there the most, but Eric has denied its presence.

The size of clothes, which Anders selected, fitted to Eric, but to style it was in defiance with Eric’s preferences. He has resigned with narrow trousers, shirts and shoes, but he left to lie on the floor tie and the eccentric cylinder. Eric didn’t understand why Anders has bought all of them. In other packages with clothing it was exactly the same, except for the color and model.

The lights had lit up in the sky, through the glass ceiling Eric could admire the stars without going outside. Dropping to a marble seat, Eric lost in thought of a new life. He couldn’t understand – how such a thing could happen? How for such a tiny amount of time his life could abruptly turn around and give up all that was left behind? Almost everything that had previously at least some value, has ceased to exist, was relieved to second place, and even a third.

“So, what we have: I am an incomprehensible threat to others, and I’m not the only one. I can something, but I don’t know what exactly… the eccentric Anders didn’t explain to me everything yet. The strength inside me is my greatest danger; I should subdue it, but how? How can I subdue what is inside of me, to myself? I hope, Anders hasn’t lied to me, and he will really help me, or… I don’t even know what will happen to me if his help turns out useless.

How to live with it and not go mad? I don’t know, but I’ll ask Anders, he doesn’t seem crazy, but who knows? He lives on the edge of the world, in the bizarre, eerie mansion, sometimes secretly watches his descendants, but still chooses to himself in the care a stranger youngster – it doesn’t look like a normal person’s life!

But what is like a normal life? Every person understands the word “normally” in his own way, and it is his right. The main thing is that this right won’t harm to anyone. However, what for one person doesn’t mean anything for the other is a threat.

What can unite all the people? Nothing. Maybe, a common goal? Perhaps, but only till the moment, as will originate disagreements with the choice of a way to achieve it. So, it is inevitable, unity is impossible! "– starting with the one thought, Eric didn’t notice that he ran away from one thought to another.

He sat and attentively followed the movement of the second hand – the black arrow, as before, was moving in the opposite direction. He wanted this to happen not on the floor, but in reality.

It was quiet, he couldn’t hear anything: the second floor was empty. Eric went to the stairs, intending to talk to Anders: there was no one to talk with. He wanted to know when he will begin to teach him self-control, or even tell anything.

From the living room Eric could hear a crackling sound. Slowly, passing the shadow of the columns, Eric walked through the archway, and finally came to a crowded room. All the people, except one, were not real. Anders sat motionless by the fire, watching, how the bright embers were slowly fading into black gold of soot.

– You want to ask a question – what is going on here? – Without turning around, he asked.

– I’m tired of asking this question – Eric walked into the room, looking the lifeless visitors.

Across the living room were scattered black mannequins in dull robes, they looked like tired people, who didn’t withstand exhaustion. A woman in a dress was lying on the silk carpets; a scrawny man cowered in a corner, covering its face with its hands. Eric came mighty close to the piano, in order to get a better look to artificial little girl, which held tight by its tiny hands the leg of the tool: it seemed as if its glass legs will soon be destroyed.

– I won’t hide – I am not own – confessed Eric and stayed near another dummy, which was looking thoughtfully out of the window, holding a curtain. – By the way, I hope – you will give me a room with a bed. Because we sleep, sometimes for no reason, I want to lie down sometimes. Eric sat on an elegant settee, which was upholstered in dark green jacquard. On the edge of the sofa sat a woman, which was wrapped in saffron rebozo with a wide black hat on her head, covering the artificial face.

– There’s no time! – Anders snapped, remaining petrified, he continued sitting in front of almost extinct hearth.

– Okay, okay … – Eric muttered. – My eyes have changed, why? And why only they have changed?

– I don’t know the answer to this question. One thing I can say – our eyes are the reflection of our soul.

“It is not surprising that they have changed their warm color to a lifeless. After all, now I have such a soul "– Eric didn’t stop lamenting.

Exactly above the black table hung iron roots, they enmeshed angels with black and golden bowls. The saddened chandelier, which was fixed on a high ceiling, reflected in glossy round tabletop, which was kept on a sharp leg. The only support of the table pierced in polished anthracite floor. Its boundaries etched in dark rough walls, which were similar to the rock, mixing with the ceiling of a similar appearance.

There were only eternity and gloom around.

– How long have you lived here? All this luxury… sculptures – from which he was not himself, – its cumbersome and unclear. It’s snazzy, but, at the same time, it’s repulsive.

– Loneliness. There is nothing worse and more painful than loneliness, Eric. Tit was a single woman, the presence of silent statues somehow fill the void in her life.

Until that moment, Eric thought Tit was a man, not a woman.

– Tit had to leave her people; she went in search of a new home and family. Everything was not as easy as she thought. Admired people left her very quickly, because they were ordinary mortals, their life were short. Titus tired to experience the loss of loved ones, and ventured on spending her time in mire of loneliness. This house and everything in it is a reflection of crippled souls, of disappointment.

Despair and sadness overlapped each other by layers; it has been seen in every subject. From more luxury items came more suffering and sorrow.

– But she was not always alone, she met you? Didn’t she?

Let the whole story remained behind the curtain; Eric was very sorry Tit, even though he didn’t know her.

– We met when I was trying to get away from life. Having part of the power source of energy, I decided that I was turning into a demon. You know, in my lifetime obsession was at its peak, so I ran away. Abnormal fanatics kill anyone who they thought was the devil incarnate. In fact, they were themselves. And I needed to protect my family from these righteous geeks – a stern voice of Anders Eric could hear as if from far away, even though it was very close. – I remember this feeling, I remember the pain, the fear… and of course intolerable anguish. For over twenty years I had to spend on the margins of the world, hiding in the shadows, to ignore the existence of people, and indeed any life. In general, I had to learn how to get pleasure from the loneliness. Naturally it didn’t work out and then I went to the rocky shore. When despair overcame hope for the best, and the unwillingness to commit a mortal sin – I jumped, – the story briefly interrupted. – Then I was on the beach. I don’t remember how I was brought there. For a time, it seemed to me that I died – Anders was silent again.

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