The coming apocalypse. Awakening of the Dead Princesses

“Be careful your head here,” Surov warned, “bend down at the entrance to the carriage.”

“Yes,” she sighed, “this is for shorties..,” and almost hit her head on the handrails.

She looked around, but judging by her hands, how she held them, was fine.

— The dress is very beautiful, and perfume, — said the young man.

— All right. Now let’s do another thing.. But did your mother scape that she smells of asmin next to me anyway?

“It is.

— Everything has a price, and I pay all the time. Your mother helped me pick it up, “and she touched the hem,” They gave me a player today, “she boasted,” and you too, “and she put it in Sony’s hand. — I pumped up books and music. The children immediately taught me in the park. Now I’m digitally literate, “she proudly declared.

“Well, I tried too,” Ilya made excuses, looking at the beauty.

In the dress, she was unusually good, if only with such cold palms. Just an amazing girl “Look, but do not touch” Ilya said to himself, and laughed.

— What are you doing?

— Yes, so, I remembered how I rode with you, — Ilya dissuaded.

There was already a Taganskaya station and they went to the exit, carefully moving towards the doors. The young man saw that she was unaccustomed to such tightness, but she was not angry.

— To that exit, — and Ilya led Tsarevna along the platform.

But she couldn’t walk fast. These stone halls fascinated her, especially the bronze lamps near the walls. As, however, is the smooth marble finish.

— Taganskaya is even more beautiful.

— Then let’s see — and it was not a question of the Princess, but a statement.

We climbed the stairs, and they stood on the escalator, she examined everything, even touched the ceiling with her finger, stumbled the rubber handrail of the escalator, and was satisfied.

They climbed the steps, went through the turnstile, and ended up in a huge pedestrian crossing. We went to Ilyinka, known to all guests of Moscow. On the right was the famous building of the former English Club with a chic clock on its turret. They passed by the Ministry of Finance, a cafe, and passed the church of St. Elijah. GUM glistened in front of Ilda with his lights and cutting the path they went through the third drive. The girl only turned her head in all directions, and Chinese tourists, eating the famous Humovian ice cream, stared at her like a new exhibit, clicking with might and main with cameras. Ilya looked at the Princess, and saw how she changed, seeing the Chinese, how her fingers seemed to stick together, and she looked at the guests of the city like a hungry wolf on hares.

— We don’t fight, we go to the museum, — the young man reassured the lady.

Her left hand clung to his right so much that he looked inquiringly at the Princess.

— Sorry, — she whispered.

Looking at the Faberge showcase only swung her shoulders, you can see such gold jewelry did not impress the Dead Princess. But here is the red museum building, crowned with spires, so reminiscent of a fairy-tale tower. Already with tickets taken at the checkout, they went inside. The courtyard immediately attracted her attention, looked for a long time at the painting of the ceilings, and carved columns.

— Here is the era of the Stone Age — and he showed on the racks and the restored appearance of people of antiquity.

Ilda looked at the hanging mammoth tusks, wanted to stroke, but immediately pulled her hand away, as if remembering.

— I can’t touch that. I’ll sleep, and I won’t wake up anymore… she whispered softly.

And looking at Vasnetsov’s frescoes, she just uttered:

— Who is hunting the Indrik Beast?”

Sungir twins looked for a long time, especially their mammoth spears. And quietly said:

— Surely they put the first one to sleep?

But the Bronze Age hall simply deprived her of peace. Ilda looked at the exhibits for a long time, read each label, looked at the Andron vessel with the image of a chariot. A boat hollowed out of a whole tree trunk.

— We built differently. Lodi is long — and she counted fathoms in meters — fourteen meters. They were leather, whale ribs, and only the bottom bar was oak.

— And were they strong?

“We went to Alatyr and Grumant. And to me, to the Forbidden. But only I lead the way there, “she said proudly.

Things from the Borodino treasure impressed her, but when she saw the Silver Spears, she said, showing Ilya on them:

“It’s against my army. And do you know how much they cost? At the cost of every spear, like a whole herd of cows.

At the stand of the Seiminsko-Turbinskaya culture, she stopped for a long time, again seeing the Silver Spears, and curved knives, called sickles here. But she just shook her head, disagreeing:

— This — and she pointed her finger — shave her head. Razor.

— And what, all heads shaved? — Surov was surprised, — straight naked?

— No, why? a clump of hair, a pigtail was left on the back of the head on the right. The Chiefs didn’t shave.

Then came the epochs about which she did not know, and only silently looked at the antiquities of the Scythians, the Greeks, although she recognized this.

“How long did it take for me to sleep?”

— Where — then five thousand years, — answered the young man, — you are well preserved, — he tried to joke.

I also examined Slavic artifacts, and further, the culture of Russia from Kyiv to Moscow, studying everything thoroughly. We went up to the second floor, past the front carriage. The 18th and 19th century impressed her less.

She did not miss the Kremlin itself, so they returned home very late.

***

The night in the Surov family was restless, like a village paramedic. The princess was just a healer, but she was waiting and afraid of this.

They rang the doorbell, Ilda jumped up, and came up, asking how they taught:

— Who?

“Help, save,” she heard through tears.

The healer quickly dressed, left the apartment and slammed the door behind her, seeing a teenage girl smearing tears on her cheeks.

— Let’s go, — the child dragged the girl by the hand, — faster…

The elevator went down, they were not baggy, they left the entrance. Only the lights were on, casting four shadows on the sidewalk. The girl often turned around, as if she thought that Ilda, her last hope, would now run away.

“Where are we going?” Ilda asked.

The girl showed her hand, the Princess did not think, grabbed the girl in an armful, ran as fast as she could, and they were already in front of the right house. There was still an ambulance at the entrance, blinking blue lights. They also quickly flew to the floor, and entered the unlocked door.

— Where? Tsarevna simply asked, and then she saw everything herself.

On the sofa lay a middle-aged woman with a whitened face, and it seems that she was no longer breathing. Doctors took off their masks in the hallway and were about to leave.

— Mirror, — said Ilda, and having received what she asked, she brought to the lips of the dying.

The glass surface sweated, and the girl immediately put her hands to the head lying. It lasted a long time, more than usual. But now, the healer felt breathing, and saw how the woman’s face turned pink. Ilda got up, looked around, and beckoned a girl standing next to her with her finger. The child moved with difficulty, as if petrified of grief.

— What’s your name? — the healer asked.

— Zhenya.

— Zhenya, you don’t tell anyone how we ran down the street.

— And about mom? ‘she asked.

“What about me?” Can’t lie down for five minutes? — said the revived, rising.

— Mom! — the girl shouted, clutching the woman’s hands, — do not die anymore!

— Okay, I’ll go, — Ilda added, turning away and walking into the hallway.

Then there was an insistent doorbell, and on the threshold stood a polite young man in a neat suit and with a briefcase in his hand.

— I grieve with you — and made a very sad face — I am ready to help you with the trouble in connection with your grief. The ambulance is on its way, and Ritual is ready to help you with the burial.

— Not today baby, not today, — the girl told, having patted on a shoulder of the dumbfounded agent, and left a place of the won fight.

***

Thursday morning turned out to be good, calm. But not really. True, the breakfast turned out to be very festive, Ekaterina Alexandrovna started making cheesecakes before leaving for work, and Ilya woke up from delicious smells, milk and cinnamon. Ilda calmly got out of bed, hearing how everyone got up. To pretend that the hostess would not think what, she also went to the toilet and honestly sat there for three minutes, then wasted water. No, she also washed, washed her hands, but got used to the fact that she, like a porphyry statue, could not even hold on to dirt, she did not sweat at all. I walked at home now in a donated dressing gown, Japanese, with cranes, silk, my favorite blue color.

— Ilda sit down, your honey has ripened, — the woman joked.

Again they rang the doorbell, the Princess, not letting the honey out of her hand, opened the door, and there was a whole procession.

“Surely again? ‘she said with a spoon in her mouth.

— No, we came to thank you. Thank you, — said the woman, holding out a bouquet of flowers.

It was a beautiful, bright lady, about forty years old, yesterday’s girl Zhenya stood next to her, and behind her was a overweight man with a bag.

— You helped so much… Grabbed, and did not expect after all, — the guest made excuses.

“This is for you,” said the woman’s husband, placing the bag.

“I won’t take money,” Ilda said harshly, “I’ll throw it out the window. Better remove it right away.

— Where did we get the bag of money? “laughed the healed,” Gifts, “smiled sweetly as she opened her bag,” Indian shawls, summer clothes, straight from Delhi, and your favorite honey.

— Yeah, — said the Princess, immediately grabbing the can.

— We’ll go, — the visitors gathered, — thanks again.

Ilda closed the door behind them, and returned to the kitchen with honey now in both hands and a spoon in her mouth.

— What is it? — the hostess did not understand

— Gifts. So, helped, artificial respiration did. The woman was suffocating, they gave me honey, and she showed the can.

Ekaterina Alexandrovna just shook her head, and Ilya, seeing a bag in the hallway, took it to Ilda’s room so that her mother would not see it.

After breakfast, the girl curiously took out all the gifts and laid things out on her couch. She put one shawl aside, the second, woolen, hid it in a bag, and kept the third for herself. Women’s harem pants and a shirt with embroidery impressed her, and she began to change clothes, and went with a gift to Ilya’s mother.

— Ilda, thank you, — the impressed woman whispered, and threw up her hands, upset when she saw the guest’s new outfit, — what are you! Chest out! The bra is dressed, you can’t do that. Ilyusha, say something?

Ilya looked, but only shrugged. He, of course, liked this view without a bra more.

Maundy Thursday

Ilda went to do healing now in her car. And again, she sat in the heat, and did not complain that she was tired. By lunchtime, everyone was leaving, and the girl admired the swans gliding on the dark water of the Kuskovsky pond. Surov came to the girl, and stood near the stone, with a white vein. It was the Princess’s favorite place here. Nearby, mothers drove children in wheelchairs, greeting Ilda. Two volunteers distributed gifts, the girl chose who to give something to, and never made a mistake. The approaching Ilya raised his hand, and Ilda immediately turned to him, sparkling with icy eyes. Now she painted her lips all the time so as not to scare people, but she did not want to wear contact lenses.

“Let’s go and see the local beauty,” the young man suggested.

They entered the Kuskovo estate, and Ilya led the Princess along beautiful alleys, past the lindens, with round crowns. At first, the girl did not believe that this happens, then her companion explained that this is the fruit of the difficult work of gardeners, as well as flat walls of bushes.

She walked around the grotto from all sides, admiring the sculptures standing in the niches of the building. The mother-of-pearl shells impressed the girl, but she uttered a little jealously:

— Here you will see my Golden Hall in the Mountain Chambers…

She considered the Hermitage Pavilion charming, just a toy among the alleys. She walked around the Grand Palace without saying a word, but examined each masterpiece of the collection, impressed by Ghirlandaio Jr. They passed the Italian house quickly, and looked more at the painted ceilings of the building. She liked the Dutch house for its immediacy and liveliness, blue tiles, and wood decoration.

She drove home calmly, did not bother on the road, carefully parked without squeezing her neighbors.

Ilya, approaching the house, carefully looked at the balcony of his apartment. She and her mother agreed if suddenly strangers, uninvited people come, and not those whom they want to see, Ekaterina Alexandrovna will put two cacti on the window. It seems ridiculous, but clearly. But then there was a call to Surov’s phone from Veltishchev, his head of work:

— Everything is ok. Don’t run, I came with an old friend.

“I understand, grandfather,” Surov replied.

He sat down on the bench, and sat Ilda next to him, looked at the lantern, and his fingers clenched into fists with anger.

— Veltishchev, your adoptive grandfather, conceived something. And someone is waiting for us at home. Run away, or go?

“I’ve never run from anyone. If anything, I will tear the villains apart, let the skins go on my cloak, and hang their heads on my chest, — the Princess said without expression, — If necessary, I will show Myself.

— Okay, do not get hot only, — Ilya immediately cooled down, presenting the apartment covered in blood, — wait for now.

He too vividly imagined what this Phenomenon would be like, and What everyone would see.

— Let’s go and listen. — he suggested and ordered the Princess.

— Come on, there’s nothing to hesitate. If anything, we will immediately go to Digna in the Urals. She has been waiting for me for a long time.

Surov grinned wryly, and went to his apartment, the girl followed him.

They took the elevator, Ilya looked around, waiting for a catch, opened the door, and went first.

— Ilyusha, Ilda, come and visit you. Vadim Grigorievich with Vitaly Borisovich, — said the mother loudly, holding a tray with cups.

They took off their shoes and went into the hall. At the table, with a bottle of cognac, sat two old men, but very cheerful and dressed not without panache. Vadim Sergeevich in a suede jacket, polo shirt, corduroy trousers, a stranger in a corduroy jacket, plaid shirt, brown pants. Ilya entered, looked at Veltishchev stubbornly winking at him. and said:

— Mom, here is a conversation about work, we will close.

— Well, — the mother answered, waving her hand to Veltishchev, — your eye is twitching, — she added.

Surov locked the door and sat down opposite Veltishchev. Grandfather smiled, took out his passport, birth certificate and put it in front of Ilda. He also put tickets in front of them.

— It’s all done, Ilda. Everything as promised. And Vitaly, an old friend, we then in the Ural District, next to Usol, we have been looking for people like you for a long time. He then worked in the KGB then, as it turned out.

— I couldn’t tell you Vadim, I’m sorry, — answered the comrade.

“You ran into the woods for two days, didn’t you?” Arhip was looking for you? And you kissed Ilda first!

— Me??? — The princess is up.

— Yes, you see, did not wake up. So he has known you for a long time, granddaughter, — Veltishchev laughed, — well, that’s the past. And so, at work, Vitaly was able to reshoot the document. Will we show you, or will we go, otherwise you are looking at me so intensely, Ilyusha? — Vadim laughed, — Vitaly, flash drive.

A tall and large man, got up, took off his jacket. On the left side, armpit, hung a holster with a pistol. He took the device from the inside pocket of his jacket and gave it to Vadim. He began to tune the TV, quickly saying:

— Color photo, lucky us… The allies were filming, and the camera is good and the film! The lake is a noble apparatus. So it came out — the dream is simple.

He clicked the remote control, set up the player, and the first frame opened in front of them. One of the Americans with a Garand rifle, in a warm jacket and a registered woolen hat. The next shot showed a door with gold hinges. Then came the footage of the underground palace. White throne. And, vot- eight coffins, taken at the same time, and then each sarcophagus was separately filmed. Seven men, dignified and tall, and then the Princess… Eight completely different faces. It was evident that the girl fell asleep suddenly, jewelry remained on her, as if she was forced to lie in an ice bed, or, put to sleep.

— And how? — Vadim Sergeevich puffed out his cheeks enough, — is my friend good?

“Where were they filming?” Ilda asked quietly.

— Only the approximate place of events is known. The film was seized by our agent in 1946. An American, Denis Black, was filming or carrying the film and surrendered to our border guards on Novaya Zemlya. As written in the report, I was very happy to cooperate. But, oddly enough, even on the face there are no traces of frostbite. He had weapons and supplies with him. He was transported to the Americans at the embassy in Moscow.

— And here’s another thing… The KGB found two more sleeping… Vitaly says two golden coffins are stored in the center of nuclear medicine, in Lefortovo, on the river bank.

— Are there photos? Ilda asked quickly.

Vitaly Borisovich, slowly took out a purse, and took out another flash drive. Ilya put on view. White hall, in appearance a large room. The bodies are already placed in steel sarcophagi, but the growth of the Sleepers, and themselves, with Icy faces and white hair, was impossible to take for others.

— Also from them everything was removed, — Tsarevna clarified, — and clothes, and decorations.

Both elderly people only shrugged their shoulders, they say, we are not like that, fate is like that.

Ilda fell silent, got up and went to the window, pulling back the curtain, looking at the street lamps.

— I can’t get used to it… I see. I don’t know — and she went to the scout — what brought you to us. Ambition, thirst for knowledge or something else, if you try to betray us, I will lower your skin from a living skin, and I will wear your head on a belt. Or swear allegiance, or leave and forget about everything.

***

Vitaly Borisovich Prilukin was called up for service in the army, like everyone else, at the age of eighteen. Morphlot, service near Murmansk. Three years lasted a long time, after demobilization he returned to his place in Moscow, on Elektrozavodskaya Street. Letters from offices rained down, they called the police, firefighters and the KGB. I did not want to return to the plant, but he entered the Faculty of Biology at Moscow State University. The former soldier could pass on the troika and learn at the evening, which Vitaly did. And he served as an ensign. Six years later he received a diploma, and when he introduced it to his superiors, there was a slight scandal. The officers were hit mainly by the officers’ children, but, oddly enough, nothing happened. True, he went on business trips, and throughout the USSR especially took into account his diploma, but in a tough form — various gloomy things on the basis of biology. It happened, was in the group to combat the plague epidemic in Central Asia, vaccination in the mountain Badakhshan. And, here is a call to Usolye, where he met with the young Vadim Veltischev. Yes, he himself was young. But the week when Ilda was found… It was something he couldn’t forget all his life. Vadim is great, he flew away with a load before, but in the village it lasted two nights…

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