Читать книгу Остров Харона. The Island of Charon. Премия им. А. де Сент-Экзюпери / A. de Saint-Exupery Award (Билингва: Rus / Eng) - Александра Андреевна Крючкова, Александра Крючкова - Страница 32

That evening, instead of going back to the hotel, I went far along the path that started immediately after Yanis’ cafe and, apparently, led to the village of local residents.

The lights of candles and torches flickered in the darkness, children were rushing back and forth, people in the houses were talking loudly and even singing something. I noticed that many of the natives I met along the path were walking with baskets full of all sorts of things, as if they were returning home from the market. And indeed, behind the village, some market rows were placed…

I was glad to have change in my pocket and decided to treat myself buying something delicious.

However, in the first shop, to which the queue lined up, I found only water.

«Do you want to try?» the seller asked me kindly.

«Is it from your Island? Mineral? Sparkling water?»

«From our Lake!» the salesman clarified with pride. «But it’s neither mineral nor sparkling. It is just dead! Pure dead water without gaz!»

«Dead water?!» I recoiled with a thought in my mind, «One more joker?»

«Have a try!» insisted the seller and handed me a glass.

«Oh, no, thank you! Next time!» I smiled for the sake of decency and proceeded further.

Having passed bats, snakes, cockroaches, spiders, and other creatures cooked in different ways, I stood in line for a man, who was selling coconut cocktails and fresh pomegranate juice. Almost reaching the counter, I suddenly heard exclamations from the crowd.

«Deceiver! The seller is a liar! Don’t trust him!!! It expired yesterday!!!»

An enraged, half-naked woman flew up to the seller with a bottle in her hand and doused the unfortunate man from head to toe with a burgundy-colored liquid.

«It’s not fresh! It’s yesterday’s!!!» she shouted.

The people in the line roared indignantly and instantly evaporated, leaving me tet-a-tet with the seller. As if hypnotized by my own lack of understanding of what was happening there, I approached the counter even closer.

The seller, after wiping his face, gave me an appraising look and…

«It is fresh!» he said, as if nothing had happened. «Fresh blood! The freshest one! I swear by my mom! Smell it! How many liters do you need? With milk or without?»

I recoiled in disbelief, and stars twinkled in my eyes. I began to lose consciousness, but, fortunately, someone caught my arm in time. I opened my eyes.

«Yanis…»

«Drink it!»

He handed me a wooden mug. I took a sip and immediately came to my senses.

«Dead water?» I joked.

Yanis leaned in to my ear.

«There is no other water here…» he whispered.