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The life paths of a too self-confident Quint with ants of a more domestic type, Ave and Rond, radically diverged immediately after leaving the boarding school. Few individuals decide, like Kint: to take, pack up and leave to go to study at distant lands in a nautical school, in a frightening distant distance, into the unknown. An enthusiastic sea romance, firmly settled in the heart of an ant about two years before the end of the boarding school, was born after swallowing one after another of art books about the fascinating travels that he took to read in the boarding library. Behind the brilliantly picturesque pictures of the majestic sea-ocean and composed by the victories of brave travelers, one could not see the hard and exhausting work of the real workers of the sea, no matter how pathetic it sounded. Plus, the most powerful impetus for choosing a life path was an excursion to the naval museum, organized for pupils in the year of graduation. At that time, ants carried out unusually many various trips and excursions in terms of professional self-determination, the ants fell into a “wave” when it was possible to choose a profession: the government of the country recommended that all educational institutions pay increased attention to the future of simple working ants. It seems that the excursions really worked on some individuals… For a year and a half, Kint graduated with honors and excellent performance from a specialized seaworthy school and from there went straight to work on a hefty fishing liner somewhere in the northern seas with a great, but still somewhat hazy, hope for universal romance. And, as it turned out in reality, enchanting and neatly combed enthusiastic tales of captivating travels around the world and the harsh, difficult realistic everyday life of “serfdom of the sea” – two opposite poles. Kint went into a harsh, inhospitable sea on a dull gray working shift for several killer exhausting weeks, and upon returning home he carefully described his sea voyages to old friends, not at all embarrassed, relying on the artistic experience of romantic writers. Three to four days of home rest, and then again on an exhausting, labor trip. But, despite all the endless difficulties, the unbending romantic ant never regretted his life choice.
Ave didn’t always succeed in answering Kint’s letter at once, often he put off the answer “to tomorrow”, which grew day after day into “the day after tomorrow,” and, at best, into a week-long delay. Ant did not really like to talk about his life. Yes, and what to write? Everything to perfect smoothness is monotonous and trivial, sloppy and monotonous, and it looks like this will be until the end of days. The life schedule of the movement is the only one: home-work, work-home. For everything else – there is simply no free time and energy. Sometimes time appears, but there really is already no strength… no strength and that’s it! There are none! Rare rainbow-colored magical days fall when it happens to color everyday life with the brightest colors, but this is very, very rare. Take, for example, the spring carnival, which has been held according to one scenario for years, decades, centuries…
The last electronic news from Kint arrived with the postman not a month ago, as usual, but much later – it took as long as three or four months. But Ave and Rond did not even notice the long silence of the old friend, and only now Ave remembered the navigator.
Chapter 7
WHITE
“New brand postman again? Silent of some kind. Earlier with Jerome it was possible to exchange news, chat for five minutes! And this one – immediately ran away, did not even meet. Unusually somehow. And the letter – I wonder from whom, from Kint? It seems like red capsules came from him, but here…”
Torill, an ant soldier from a neighboring apartment, appeared on the floor. In poisonous yellow running sneakers, in funny camouflage tight-fitting tights and a pale green T-shirt with a white star and engraved “AFS” inscription, he now more resembles a mischievous tall grasshopper than a sergeant of the active army. Torilla’s diligently inflated muscles bumped out from under his sports uniforms – real Hercules, and nothing more! In his right cast-iron foot, he strangled a seedy backpack, clumsily sewn on his own, into the narrow striped triangular karma-neck on the side of the backpack Torill tried to push the badge-key from the apartment, but it seemed that something was hooked somewhere, and he muttered nervously. At first, the ant headed toward the elevator, but, noticing Ave at the open door, headed toward it.
– Good morning, Ave!” I see you in good health, so to speak?! – Torill resolutely extended a foot for a welcome shake. – Is everything in your life good?
– Good, good morning, Torill! Yes, everything is fine, everything…
– Excellent, excellent!
– Yes! Everything seems to be fine, everything is in perfect order! – Ave also gladly extended his paw, and the neighbors greeted each other. Ave was glad to see his neighbor in great shape. – Health – in full order, thanks! Work – as always, we work continuously, so – everything is fine, nothing is changing in our world!
– That’s for sure! Right, yes! Work necessary, necessary! But, nevertheless, sometimes something changes in the world, and here I don’t quite agree with you…
– I’m not talking about that… We are the most ordinary working ants! Very, very glad that I met you! Something long ago you have not been seen? A long time ago… where have you been? Did you go somewhere again?
– It’s you who are in the top ten – for sure, you left, yes!
– That’s right, I look… and I tell the guys…
– I noticed, I noticed that there is no me, you are observant, as always! Well done! – The ant unexpectedly crouched to lace up the sneaker. – Yes, what are we, what are we? We, as always, are orders to us, and we went…
– I see. And I look – there is no and no you… I ask the guys, they say – they also have not seen for a long time…
– We constantly travel around the region. Yes, in principle, and not only in the region. We have such a job, you know yourself! Yes…
– Yes, everyone has his own job. And each profession has its pros and cons, so to speak…
From the rainbow-full of life, Torill was mortally smashed verstically with a specific mixture of cucumber cologne, midnight campfire and morning and evening physical activities, just mercilessly killing all living things in the immediate vicinity, and non-living – instantly turning into icy stone statues, as if after the lead piercing gaze of the Gorgon Medusa. Ave sensed this gorgeous amber, as soon as the infantryman appeared on the site, as if he had specially sprayed his unique vigorous army aroma before “going out into the people”.
“Is it so difficult to follow a few rules of life: take a shower more often and at least occasionally wash your clothes, don’t go in after morning jogging or after something else…” – Ave kept in mind the simmering emotions, because he always respected his neighbor.
Torill lived in the neighborhood for more than five years, and Av, meeting the soldier every time, noted to himself that he was in a new robe. Then he put on a chic military uniform resembling a full dress uniform: a frisky green cap with an openwork cockade on his huge head looked very solid, and the tendrils protruding along the edges of the headgear harmoniously complemented the image of a real army pro. Properly tailored to its size, a tunic with silver epaulettes and a dazzlingly white dandy accelerant, strict ironed trousers and polished classic shoes completed the image of a super warrior. Either he wore an Avent-garde sports sweater, originally painted in black and white squares, clearly gathering for the upcoming World Chess Championship, then elegant sand breeches and a delicate lilac silk short-sleeved T-shirt with the Didi sports society logo badge classic azure jeans with a motley trendy amber-brown jacket with a tucked-in handkerchief in a breast pocket, it was in perfectly black from head to lower legs and in a forage cap, and every time, despite being rather strange and sometimes a ridiculous combination of colors, the outfits on Torill looked great, emphasizing his slim athletic figure. This spectacular, irresistible, muscular ant was simply ideally created to work as a model, but did not serve in the regular army division, where for ten years it was famous for professional successes in the field of an ordinary signalman and, of course, was the first in all kinds of sports categories.
Ave already wanted to go further on his business, but then a small event occurred, which subsequently had a continuation…
– Ave, do you happen to know why a cat is dreaming? Is the white cat so big? – Torill asked suddenly and carefully looked at his neighbor, waiting for him to answer. – It’s just interesting to me…
– A cat?
– Yes, so big!
– Is that white?
– Well, yes, a big white cat! Today she has been dreaming all night. And now I want to understand – what would it be?
– Good! You dreamed of a white cat, and what do I have to do with it? I don’t remember my dreams well… – Ave stood and smiled.
– I’m asking you – do you know what big white cats dream of? Maybe there is some sign or…
– So I don’t do dream-solving… and something tells me, I already heard from you this question about a white cat… Have you ever asked?
– There wasn’t such a thing… the first time I ask… I wanted to find out…
– Ahh, in general, besides, it’s not enough to remember who you dreamed about, you need to know what you did yourself, what you did around you, in what atmosphere, what smells there were – you weren’t, you need to know something else… Ahhh! Feelings, which I felt in a dream – are you good, was it bad… how was it for you – light, warm, comfortable?..
– Something you are loading me… already too much, probably… I asked about the cat, but here you already really need subtleties… You complicate it, it seems to me. I asked you directly – about the white cat and that’s it. Here you are right now and answer just about cat-sh-shku! Come on, just about the cat! – Torill spoke quite seriously.
– Are you serious? Torill, it’s like you wanted to hear something about a feline, right? – Ave could not stand it and laughed.
– Of course, to me, who else? Since I asked you, then answer me…
– Oh, in general, seriously, then a lot of factors are necessary… That’s what you most remembered in your dream? This is also important! And now on the basis of all uh-this – you can say something specific in your sleep… that is, you need to tell as much as possible, then it will be more or less clear…
– Who can say? – grinned Torill.
– I think those who have dreams…
– Aah, you?
– Do you remember what else was? Or just a cat? Yes, good morning! – Ave greeted a neighbor from another apartment, who gently and almost silently sailed behind Torill to the elevator.
– Ave, you obviously can help me, tell me what this dream is for, since you know so much! You wait, do not rush me! Come on so… – the soldier looked hopefully at his neighbor and continued. – The cat is white – one unit, the sun is bright – also one unit, although there seems to be no options here, a large clearing and a forest – just one at a time…
– Wow, wildlife is a plus for you! After all, I remembered something! You see how… – Ave squinted in a smile.
– Yeah? Well, there was still a sea somewhere very far, far away, but I heard it. I heard how hissing, that is, the sea is rustling, like the surf of something there… how the waves are playing, right there are splashing like that… though, the sea was somewhere on the edge of the earth. But still it was heard, really! And the cat, this white cat, was walking around the meadow, all purring something under her breath…
– It’s funny! Okay, so she wasn’t just a cat either? – Ave kept trying to stir Torill in his memories and ironically succumbed to him.
– Yes, she was so… such a cat was… strange, or something like that, so to speak?” She danced a little in the clearing, swirled, gathered and gathered grass, and then she approached me, turned like that… – and he depicted a rather elegant 360-degree turn, – and extended a full armful of Ivan tea. Such beautiful delicate flowers, pinkish-lilac or something… here they are what I remember most of all, well, and the cat, as the main character, remained in my memory… by the way, you said that I remembered – the flowers of Ivan-tea. They wedged into my memory, so to speak!
– Clearly, Torill, but you can be mistaken about the one and only sun, – Ave liked the role of the interpreter of dreams more and more, and he got used to it more and more actively. – Things are clear with the cat, but about the bouquet of Ivan-tea, Torill, did you accept it as a present? I understood correctly – the cat handed it to you – to give ho-bodies? So? Correctly?
– You see, calmly step by step, now we’ll solve my whole dream!
– We’ll guess, for sure! Do not go to the grandmother!
– What kind of grandmother did not go? Yes, she wanted to give! But I didn’t give it, or rather, I didn’t take the bouquet. – Torill thought, vigorously scratched the propodeum with his paw, as if his brain was at the level of the abdomen. – No, listen, listen, she gave me all the same, yes, she gave a bouquet and said something like that… such… aah, well, she said with a smile and said: “This is for you, Torill!” Exactly, she said and presented a bouquet. And I took it, but I don’t remember exactly any further…
– That’s it, you just remember nothing?
– I don’t remember how I remember, I’ll say so.
– Yeah… – Ave sighed in relief.
– For now, all that is, all the information. Enough for analysis, so to speak? Or else it’s necessary – you said “details”, but you’ve remembered something, that’s it… Tell me, Ave, by what has already been gathered for solving my dream…
– In general, listen, dear Torill, – Ave began with a dark and mysterious look, who was not at all joking at the moment, although he was a foot in the mouth by the decision of mystical dream puzzles. – Your white cat is most likely one of your new little-known comrades. Do you have any?
– Yeah, who knows? Maybe there are some. One must think, remember…
– Well, here and remember!
– I do not remember…
– Well, it most likely should be a girl. Some ant. Everything should be transparent here…
– And why is that?
– Listen, Torill, here you need to make a strict distinction: who has a dream and who is involved in the interpretation of sleep?
– Come on. As you say – we will do it!
– So you have more questions than I have answers. I haven’t started telling anything yet, but you’re raining questions and raining questions… it won’t work, you listen calmly and listen!
– Yes, I… – the military began to make excuses.
– The turn will come – I’ll tell you everything! Well, I do not refuse to unravel, right? You asked me, and I, as a comrade, decided to help a comrade…
– Well, come on, come on, I calmly listen further. – Torill for a minute artistically stretched out, as if on command “quietly” and gave military honor. – Do not interrupt more!.. Everything, silence, silence!
– I continue… – said serious Ave with arrangement.
– I’m silent! – Repeated Torill.
– I continue… so, oh, this someone, that dancing white cat, wants to capture, so to speak, conquer your inner world, understand you, probably so… yes, and I’ll say right away: it’s not bad, and it’s not good, it’s just a statement of fact. Take it as it is and that’s it!
– What a horror! Horror-horror-horror! Horror, you tell me… – said Torill cheerfully…
– Indeed, and so thoroughly outlined on you! You see, no? Conquer the inner world, know you! And maybe even fall in love, what the hell is not joking! You have an ant – even where!
– Fun you scratch! Interesting to listen!
– Yes, as I can…
– All is well, come on. I like it so far…
– Comedian you! You say, too, where do you like it or not? Well this is not grandma’s tales to please, but a whole science!
– Ahhh…
– Here is the eee and “aaaa!” Do you understand? Even in our clinics there are doctors who deal with dreams! – It was already impossible to stop Ave, the course of wild fantasy and transformation turned his courageous boat into the open, boiling sea. With the air of an all-knowing Doctor of Science, he continued his neighbor’s sleep analysis.
– So, I want to focus on what you actively heard in your dream and what you received as a gift! Accent… understand? So, this is the sound of the sea, which is incomprehensible how far, and bright flowers. And these, by the way, are the two most active romantic principles, that is, what?..
– What? What is “that is what”? – Torill listened to Ave’s story as the most diligent first-grader in elementary school in the lesson concentratedly listens to the teacher and learns world truths. – “Romantic principles” – I think it’s excellent, it’s almost understandable to me, and then what?
– Old man, I ask you – what is it?
– What? I do not understand you!
– Oooh! And what’s next – it all depends on you yourself… here you yourself have to make a choice in the near future – accept a “bouquet”, that is, a gift of fate, or not accept it. Torill, just what will be behind this surprise is not entirely clear… not quite…
– Why is it unclear?
– Well, ooh, so… so, look, before you make any choice – think carefully and act, soldier! This is what I am telling you in a friendly way now!
– Thank you, Ave!
– And do not be offended if you said something wrong. The time will come – and everything will be clear.
– This is always so, it seems to me…
Life, of course, will tell you, but you, Torill, do not shit yourself!” You are smart and strong, strong, of course, more, but still… You certainly can overcome all the difficulties and obstacles that life will put in your way! And-and-and, true, forgive me for not saying so.
– Well, Ave, well, Ave! Thank you so much! – emotions overwhelmed Torill, at first he hugged brotherly ant tightly, then he took his tiny paw into his two huge paws and shook it with sincere gratitude. – Thank you, friend! He instilled a great joy in me, charged me with optimism! Thank! You’re very good at me with your… this… your dismantling of sleep. I promise, I promise you that I will be more attentive to life, and I will try, as you said here now – “think and act, soldier! That’s for sure about me! Thank!
The neighbors exchanged a couple of sensual phrases about life, passing and coming, and scattered about their important matters: sports Torill hurried to a morning run, although he trained in time much earlier in the week, but on this Sunday he could not find in himself strength to rise – tonight he returned from another business trip, and Ave, as always, plunged into household chores.
The ant slammed the door and hurried into the bathroom to start the washing machine. He put the cylinder received from the postman on a mirror bedside table in the hallway, hoping then to familiarize himself with the contents in a calm atmosphere. “A dying profession is a postman! Everyone is switching over to electronic messages, and soon the postal officers will not be needed at all! Here it is life – it moves on, here it is – progress, electronic substitutes are replacing living ants, what will happen next?”
At exactly nine o’clock, and not a minute later, the service technician arrived and immediately started repairing the dishwasher, “there are a lot of calls, and there isn’t quite any time,” he only answered in answer to his naive question: “What something serious?” Less than an hour later, the device rumbled regularly. Ave on duty, too, finished the manual laundry with work clothes, all that was left was to hang her to dry. A youthful fitter, casually rattling a tool in the kitchen, grumbled something and grumbled under his nose, and when Ave came up to him, burst out on him as if he were guilty of all mortal sins, but still pleased with the end result of his Before leaving, he stated that the landlord should not be offended by him.
Chapter 8
WHITE
After grumbling at all and all the mechanics left, Ave hastily hung up the washed laundry to dry in the bathroom: the ants did not have a balcony for such purposes, as in some others high-rise apartments, and in the room they did not like a chaotic mess, even if it was a “working mess”. Next important an active line in the schedule of the duty officer was a strict point – “a trip for juice”. After the divine nectar, I had to run for my two to a distant area of the city with ten liter cans, since the decent ration of each ant includes a decent the consumption of life-giving juice.
Hardworking ants were on duty in their apartment daily, in turn. Three times a week: on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday – there were complex, elongated shifts, from early morning until very late evening. The person responsible for all household chores was automatically released that day from work in the main place and worked only on the housework: he tried his best – cooked, washed, cleaned, ironed, went for groceries and juice for fontanel… On the other days of the week – there was also enough daily work, the goose bumps never sat idle, they didn’t even have a head came to take off from fulfilling labor obligations in front of your comrades. Ave somehow on the day of the next on duty, I caught myself thinking that “you spin all day, you have time to do a hundred different things from morning till night, but it’s as if they aren’t decreasing, the next day, new hundred are already planned projects, and when to keep up? At least work around the clock…”
In the room, the ant quickly changed clothes: he deftly picked up the common ones on the wide leather belt of jeans trousers instead of a “home” shirt, he pulled on a flannel electronic mini-watch, for a minute he lingered in the hallway, recalling – had he forgotten something. “Everything seems to be normal!” Ave threw a light black jacket-windbreaker, – and then, what good, it still rains, looked around and went out onto the landing, slamming the door shut with a sweep, and touched the elevator button, she winked with a green eye. The speed case, as if waiting for the owner, opened his arms with lightning speed, and when he entered the brightly-lit cabin, he cut off the outside world from him. And with a dull click the elevator doors Ave I suddenly remembered that I did not take the most important thing – cans for juice.
“Stunned! How did this please me?!” – ant grinned to himself, and immediately poked at “Stop!” and then – on the button of the home floor, jumped out of the opening doors.
“It’s funny!.. I forgot!.. Well, do I have to make that happen?”
In an instant, the front door opened, the benefit of the canister always stood in a hidden dresser in the hallway… Once again in the closed silence of the elevator, Ave is alive resurrected in memory an early meeting with a postman.
“The letter should be seen today!” What is there? Surely, there is a message from our Kint… Interesting, interesting read his romantic tales of the magical sea… And, in general, he hadn’t written something to us for a long time, no matter what happened to someone else…”
Suddenly, something clicked from below in the floor, unpleasantly with a heavy it stretched along the entire body of the elevator car with a drawn screech, the light blinked intensely, blinked again, it smelled of fetid dampness (or just so it seemed), and the rumbling elevator gave a startling murmur, suddenly there was a ringing to pain, the dead machine painfully “hung” for half a minute, which for a frightened Ave, it seemed like a centuries-old gray-haired eclipse, then a dangerous one the cabin slightly butted from one side to the other, as if seeking balance, sharply twice shook the whitened passenger and continued downward.
“What is it? What is going on here this morning?! Are the stars lined up?” – worried Ave.
Very soon, the aggressive cabin smoothly stopped on the first floor, the doors opened silently, and the ant, endlessly happy that the short was unpleasantly extreme the elevator journey ended without any consequences, scaredly jumped out onto the glossy floor, sparkling sparklingly multi-colored rainbow laminate, and joyfully greeting the friendly concierge as if he had not seen him for a couple of hundred years: