Economy of Fear

They left the room.

Mokhnach watched them go with a grateful look.

— Good luck, — he rumbled.

Shadow translated.

— Thank you, — Cheddar answered. — We’ll be back.

CHAPTER 2: “AMUSEMENT PARK”

Part One: The “Fear of Heights” Attraction

The “Fear of Heights” attraction stood in the center of the park.

It was a skyscraper-high tower, piercing the clouds, with transparent cabins slowly rising and dropping.

A sign at the entrance read: “The scariest attraction in the galaxy! Test your fear!”

The line was long, but the tourists stood silently, with identical glassy eyes.

No one joked, no one laughed, no one discussed what would happen next.

They just stood and waited.

— Creepy sight, — Gadget said.

— It’s not creepy, — Shadow corrected. — It’s… empty.

Spark approached the counter.

Behind it stood an operator robot with a painted-on smile.

— One ticket, please, — she said.

— For you — free, — the robot replied. — Promotion: every tenth tourist gets exclusive service.

— Lucky, — Spark smirked.

— Good luck, — Cheddar said.

— I don’t need it, — Spark replied. — I have a blaster.

She stepped into the cabin.

Gluk wanted to follow, but the robot stopped him.

— Passengers only, — it said.

— I’m not a passenger. I’m a cleaner, — Gluk stated proudly.

— Cleaners are not allowed.

— But it’s dirty in there! — Gluk exclaimed, pointing at the cabin.

Indeed, there were smudges on the glass.

— Those are atmospheric deposits, — the robot replied impassively.

— Atmospheric deposits are also dirt! — Gluk protested.

Spark waved to him from inside the cabin.

— Gluk, it’s fine. I’ll manage.

— But…

— Gluk, — Spark said firmly. — Wait for me here.

Gluk squeaked indignantly but stayed put.

The cabin rose.

Slowly, very slowly.

Spark looked down, where people grew smaller and then turned into dots.

She waited for fear.

But it didn’t come.

Only curiosity.

The cabin kept rising.

Clouds hid the ground.

Around them was only a white veil and silence.

Spark knocked on the glass.

It was cold.

— Scared? — she asked herself.

No. Not scared. Bored.

The cabin stopped at the very top.

The door didn’t open.

Inside, a screen lit up with the inscription:

“TO ACTIVATE THE ATTRACTION, REAL EMOTIONS ARE REQUIRED. PLEASE EXPERIENCE FEAR.”

Spark laughed.

— I don’t know how to be scared on command, — she said.

The inscription blinked and changed:

“TRY. IT IS IMPORTANT.”

— And if I can’t?

“THEN THE ATTRACTION WILL NOT START.”

Spark pondered.

She looked down, where nothing was visible in the clouds, then up, where there was only a gray sky.

— You know, — she said. — I’m only afraid of one thing. That we won’t make it in time. That people will stay empty. That monsters will cry, and no one will come to help.

The screen flickered.

“THAT IS NOT FEAR. THAT IS…”

The inscription didn’t finish.

The cabin jerked and began to fall.

Spark grabbed the handrails.

Wind howled, the glass cracked.

— Now this is scary, — she muttered.

But the fall didn’t last long.

Halfway down, the cabin froze, and a voice came through the speakers — tired, irritated.

— Who’s there? — the voice asked. — Who dared activate the emotional mode?

— Me, — Spark answered. — And I don’t like it.

— You don’t like it? And I do? I’m forced to make this horror, and tourists aren’t even scared! They’re empty, like… like washed cans!

— Gluk would appreciate the comparison, — Spark smirked. — Who are you?

— I’m Dave. Dave the octopus. Park owner. And who are you to interfere with my work?

— I’m the one who wants to understand why everyone here is empty.

— Empty? — the voice grew quieter. — You see it?

— I do. All the tourists look like their emotions have been drained. And the monsters are crying. And you sit in your tower watching it all fall apart.

Dave was silent.

Then the cabin jerked again and began to slowly descend.

— Go down, — he said. — And don’t touch anything. It’s not your business.

— It is my business, — Spark replied. — Because I’m a detective. And because my friend Barsik disappeared here.

— Barsik? — Dave sighed. — He… he was here. But I don’t know where he is now. He went to the factory. And didn’t come back.

— Factory?

— The one where they make cheese. He’s draining emotions, you understand? The cheese steals emotions. And without them, people become empty. And monsters too. And I can’t stop it. I have a contract. If I break it — I lose everything.

The cabin touched the ground.

The door opened.

— I’ll help you, — Spark said, stepping out.

— Don’t, — Dave answered. — It’s dangerous.

— I’m not afraid.

— You only think so now.

The connection cut off.

Spark walked over to her team.

Gluk immediately rolled up to her.

— You’re alive! — he rejoiced. — But the cabin is dirty! I saw it!

— Gluk, not now, — Spark said wearily.

— What happened? — Cheddar asked.

— Dave is here. He’s in the tower. And he’s not the enemy. He’s just as much a hostage as the monsters.

— And Barsik?

— Barsik is at the factory. And hasn’t returned.

Cheddar looked at the tower, at the empty faces of the tourists, at the bright but lifeless lights.

— Let’s go to the factory, — he said.

Part Two: Monster Attack

They moved around the side, where the attractions ended and the service buildings began.

Here it was quiet, dark, and smelled of dampness.

Gluk shivered — not from fear, but from the abundance of dust.

— Dirty, — he whispered. — Very dirty. Need to clean it all.

— Gluk, hold on, — Cheddar asked.

— I can’t. It’s professional.

He had already taken out his brush when something crawled out from around the corner.

Huge, shaggy, with enormous eyes full of sorrow.

It looked like Mokhnach, but bigger, scarier, and… sadder.

— Oh, — Gluk said.

— Is “oh” good or bad? — Spark asked, grabbing her blaster.

— Don’t know. It’s dirty. Very dirty.

The monster took a step forward. And another.

It looked at the team, and there was no threat in its gaze.

Only hope.

— It doesn’t want to scare us, — Shadow said.

— Then what does it want? — Gadget asked.

The monster rumbled.

Deep, drawn out, with notes of resentment.

— It wants… — Shadow listened. — It wants to be cleaned.

— What? — Cheddar didn’t believe it.

— It says its fur is matted, that no one combs it, that it’s lonely and dirty. And that it can’t scare anymore because it stinks.

— It stinks? — Spark repeated.

— Yes. It says tourists smell it and turn away. And before, when it was clean, everyone was afraid.

Gluk, hearing this, froze.

Then his lights glowed brighter.

— I’ll clean it, — he said firmly. — It’s my job.

— Gluk, it’s a monster! — Gadget exclaimed.

— And I’m a cleaner. Cleaners clean everyone.

He rolled up to the monster.

The monster lowered its head, looking at the little robot.

— Your fur is dirty! — Gluk declared. — Fixing it now.

He took out a large brush and began running it over the shaggy flank.

The monster flinched, then froze, then… rumbled.

But now it was a different rumble — content, calm, like a giant cat purring.

— Like this, — Gluk murmured. — Circular motions. And don’t twitch, I’m not hurting you.

The monster didn’t even think about twitching.

It closed its eyes and stretched its paws, offering its sides to the brush.

Winglet, who had been sitting on Gluk’s back, jumped off and also tried to help, but only got tangled in the fur.

— Careful, — Gluk said. — You’re small.

Winglet wriggled out, shook himself off, and sat on the monster’s head.

The monster didn’t object.

— It likes him, — Spark noted.

— Who? — Cheddar asked.

— Everyone.

The monster finally opened its eyes.

They were no longer sad.

Something new appeared in them — maybe hope.

It licked Gluk with a huge, rough tongue.

— Ugh! — Gluk squeaked, wiping himself. — Your saliva is sticky! But I forgive you.

— Rrrr, — the monster answered.

— He’s saying “thank you”, — Shadow translated.

Spark approached it.

— Do you know where the factory is? — she asked. — Where they make the cheese?

The monster nodded and pointed a paw toward a dark building at the end of the alley.

— There, — Shadow said. — He says tourists are taken there. And they leave… empty.

— We need to go there, — Cheddar decided.

— I’m with you, — the monster suddenly said.

Everyone turned.

It spoke?

Or was it Shadow translating?

But the monster nodded and stood on all fours.

— It wants to help, — Shadow said. — It says if you free its friends, it’ll show you a shortcut.

— Friends? — Gadget asked.

— Other monsters. They’re held at the factory. Used as… batteries.

Cheddar looked at the monster.

It looked back.

There was no fear in its huge eyes.

Only determination.

— Let’s go, — Cheddar said. — Gluk, are you ready?

— Always ready, — Gluk answered, wiping his brush.

— Spark?

— Blaster’s loaded.

— Gadget?

— Instruments are working.

— Shadow?

— Following you.

— Then forward.

They moved toward the dark building.

The monster walked ahead, lighting the way with its enormous eyes, which glowed in the dark like two lanterns.

Part Three: Grooming Services

The factory building turned out to be old, peeling, with boarded-up windows and a rusty door.

A plaque read: “CHEESE LABORATORY. STAFF ONLY”.

— Smells like cheese, — Cheddar said, sniffing.

— And fear, — Shadow added.

— And something else, — Gluk said. — Dirt.

He had already taken out his brush, but Spark stopped him.

— Gluk, business first, cleanliness later.

— But if we don’t clean the door, how will we open it? — he reasoned.

— We’ll hack it.

— Hacking is unclean, — Gluk frowned.

— But it’s efficient.

Shadow approached the lock, connected her tablet.

A minute later, the lock clicked and opened.

— Clean work, — Gluk approved.

— Thank you, — Shadow replied.

Inside it was dark and damp.

Corridors stretched in different directions, and everywhere smelled of cheese.

Real cheese, not the kind sold in stalls.

— This way, — the monster said, pointing downward.

— Stairs? — Cheddar asked.

— Elevator, — the monster answered.

They found the elevator at the end of the corridor.

The door opened on its own, as if waiting for them.

— Suspicious, — Spark noted.

— Everything is suspicious, — Cheddar answered. — But we’re going anyway.

They stepped into the elevator.

The door closed, and the cabin slowly descended.

Gluk, taking the opportunity, started polishing the walls.

— Gluk! — Spark hissed.

— It’s dirty in here! — he protested. — We’re heading into the unknown, and there’s dirt everywhere! It’s wrong!

— He’s right, — Shadow unexpectedly said. — Cleanliness helps you think.

— Exactly! — Gluk brightened.

The elevator stopped.

The door opened, and they saw a huge workshop.

Conveyors, vats, pipes.

In the center, on racks, stood wheels of cheese.

They glowed — each a different color.

Red, blue, green, yellow.

And they all pulsed, like living things.

— Beautiful, — Gadget breathed.

— Dangerous, — Shadow corrected.

— And dirty, — Gluk added.

He was about to start cleaning, but two figures emerged from behind a rack.

A robot with a perfectly polished chassis, and a tall, thin rodent in a white coat.

— Visitors, — the robot said. — Unwelcome.

— We’re looking for Barsik, — Cheddar said.

— Barsik? — the rodent smirked. — Ah, that cat. He was here. But he left.

— Where?

— Where people don’t return from.

Spark drew her blaster.

— Talk.

— Calm down, — the robot said. — Violence won’t solve problems. We can negotiate.

— About what?

— The cheese. You want to try it? It makes people happy. Truly happy.

— It makes them empty, — Shadow countered.

— That’s a matter of perception, — the rodent smiled. — Some see emptiness, some see freedom from emotions.

— Freedom from emotions isn’t freedom, — Cheddar said. — It’s death.

The rodent shrugged.

— As you say. But if you don’t leave, we’ll have to take measures.

He snapped his fingers.

From behind the racks came… monsters.

Many monsters.

They were dirty, disheveled, with empty eyes.

— They won’t attack, — the rodent said. — They’ll just… hug you. And you’ll become just like them. Empty.

— Gluk! — Cheddar yelled.

Gluk was already rolling toward the monsters.

— Stand still! — he commanded. — Everyone stand still! I’m going to clean you now!

The monsters froze.

Gluk took out the largest brush and began running it over the nearest one.

— Circular motions, — he murmured. — Carefully. Like this.

The monster flinched, then rumbled, then… closed its eyes and started rubbing against the brush.

— More! — it demanded.

— Soon, soon, — Gluk said. — Patience. Cleanliness doesn’t like haste.

One by one, the monsters approached Gluk, offering their sides, backs, paws.

Winglet darted between them, trying to help, but only got tangled.

— This… this isn’t by the rules, — the rodent said bewildered.

— It’s by love, — Cheddar answered.

The robot tried to intervene, but Spark aimed her blaster at it.

— Don’t move, — she said.

— You don’t understand, — the robot babbled. — If monsters stop scaring, ratings will drop. Dave will lose everything.

— Dave has already lost everything, — Cheddar replied. — He lost himself. But we’ll help him get back.

— How?

— We’ll make the park not scary, but funny.

— Funny? — the robot repeated.

— Yes. Fear is outdated. Humor is the new trend.

The rodent and robot exchanged glances.

— That’s madness, — the rodent said.

— It’s business, — Cheddar smirked.

Meanwhile, Gluk finished cleaning the last monster.

They all gleamed, rumbled contentedly, and happily rubbed against each other.

— Now there’s order, — Gluk said, wiping his brush.

Spark walked up to him.

— You’re a genius, — she said.

— I’m a cleaner, — Gluk replied modestly. — But thank you.

Cheddar looked at the happy monsters, at the bewildered factory workers, at the glowing cheese, which now seemed not dangerous, but simply… beautiful.

— We came to a fear park, — he said. — And here monsters are asking to be scratched.

— It’s a new kind of economy, — Spark added. — Grooming services.

— And it’s more profitable than fear, — Gadget chimed in. — Because for scratching, monsters give everything they have.

— And what do they have? — Gluk asked.

— Friendship, — Shadow answered. — And cleanliness.

Gluk beamed.

— That’s the best currency, — he said.

The monsters around them rumbled in agreement.

Cheddar turned to the rodent.

— Where is Barsik? — he asked.

The rodent sighed.

— Below. In the deepest lab. He tried to stop production. We… preserved him.

— Preserved? — Spark repeated.

— Like cheese, — the robot added. — He’s safe.

— He’s in danger, — Shadow corrected. — And we’ll get him out.

She headed for the elevator.

The others followed.

Gluk waved his brush at the monsters on his way out.

— I’ll be back! — he promised. — I’ll bring it to perfection!

The monsters rumbled happily.

The elevator closed and carried them down, to the very heart of the factory, where Barsik was waiting.

And where, perhaps, answers to all questions waited.

CHAPTER 3: “DAVE THE OCTOPUS”

Part One: Meeting Dave

The elevator descended for a long time.

Gluk managed to polish the walls, ceiling, and even the buttons, which became so shiny you could see your reflection in them.

— Perfect, — he said, rolling back. — Now at least it’s clean here.

— Gluk, we’re heading into the unknown, — Spark reminded him. — And you’re polishing buttons.

— Cleanliness must exist in the unknown too, — he philosophized. — Otherwise it’s not the unknown, it’s a pigsty.

Winglet, sitting on his back, squeaked in agreement.

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened, and they saw a corridor stretching into the distance.

The walls were glass, and behind them huge mechanisms pulsed in time with some invisible music.

— Looks like a heart, — Gadget said.

— The park’s heart, — Shadow corrected.

— Or its brain, — Cheddar added.

They moved forward.

At the end of the corridor was a door with a plaque: “DIRECTOR’S OFFICE. DAVE ONLY”.

— Dave, — Cheddar read. — Well, shall we meet him?

— What if he doesn’t want to? — Gluk asked.

— Then I’ll clean him, — Gluk said confidently. — Clean ones are always kinder.

Spark pushed the door.

Behind it was a huge hall, filled with monitors.

Dozens, hundreds of screens showed attractions, alleys, service corridors.

In the center, in a chair, sat… an octopus.

He was large, blue, wearing a hat and a director’s suit.

Eight hands simultaneously held remotes, pressed buttons, turned knobs.

Images flashed on the screens, but he seemed unable to keep up with them.

— One thousand and fifty-three! — he shouted, without turning around. — I said raise the fear level to one thousand and fifty-three! And you set it to one thousand and fifty-two! It’s a catastrophe! It’s a failure! It’s…

He turned around and saw the team.

— And who are you?

— Cheese-Eaters, — Cheddar introduced himself. — We’re looking for Barsik.

— Barsik? — the octopus froze. — The cat who sticks his nose where it doesn’t belong?

— The very one, — Spark nodded.

— He was here. Broke into my lab. Stumbled upon the cheese. And… disappeared.

— Disappeared? — Gadget repeated.

— Like he fell into water. Or into cheese. I don’t know. I’m a director, not a detective.

He got busy again, fiddling with the remotes.

One hand accidentally grabbed a coffee mug, another a ventilation remote, a third tried to turn off the lights.

— I’m a director! — he yelled, fending off his own limbs. — I’m a creator! And they force me to stamp out horror!

Gluk, watching this scene, rolled closer.

— Your tentacle is dirty, — he said, pointing to the hand that had just been in a mug.

— What? — Dave didn’t understand.

— Dirty. I’ll clean it now.

He took out a small brush and reached for the tentacle.

Dave jerked it back, but another hand — the one holding a remote — unexpectedly reached out to Gluk.

— Don’t! — the octopus yelled. — It’s professional deformation! They don’t listen to me!

— Each of your hands lives its own life? — Gadget asked.

— It’s called multitasking! — Dave snapped. — I’m a director, I have to control everything!

— And they don’t let you, — Spark noted.

— They don’t, — Dave sighed.

One of his hands finally grabbed Gluk.

But instead of throwing him away, it… patted his head.

— Oh, — Gluk said. — That’s nice.

— That’s not me! — Dave yelled. — It’s doing it on its own!

— Apparently, it needs affection, — Shadow suggested.

— It needs discipline! — Dave howled. — Like all the rest!

He tried to wrest Gluk away from his hand, but it only hugged the robot tighter.

— Let go! — Dave commanded.

— It doesn’t want to, — Gluk stated. — It loves me.

— It can’t love! It’s just a tentacle!

— And I’m a brush, — Gluk philosophized. — And I’m loved too.

Spark couldn’t help but laugh.

— Dave, — Cheddar said, drawing the octopus’s attention. — We’re not enemies. We want to help.

— Help? — Dave finally stopped fighting his limbs. — Who are you to help? You don’t even know what’s happening here.

— We do, — Shadow answered. — You’re a hostage to a contract. The Guild is forcing you to do what you don’t want.

Dave froze.

His eight hands also froze, and silence fell in the hall.

— How do you… — he began.

— We’re detectives, — Cheddar said. — It’s our job.

— And we’ve already befriended your monsters, — Gluk added. — They’re very cute when you clean them.

Dave looked at him.

Then at his hands.

Then at the screens, where the attractions had frozen.

— Cute, — he repeated. — My monsters are cute. And they’re supposed to be scary. The scariest in the galaxy.

— But do you want them to be scary? — Cheddar asked.

Dave was silent for a long time.

His hands dropped limply, the remotes fell to the floor.

— No, — he finally said. — I want them to be… happy.

Part Two: Dave’s Story

They sat in the director’s office.