Читать книгу A Man from the Future. 1856 - Евгений Платонов - Страница 19

He looked away from the book and noticed that on the corner of the desk lay another object – old glasses in a thin wire frame. The lenses were an unusual color – not transparent, but slightly yellowish, as if covered with the patina of time.

Beside the glasses lay a small card – yellowed, with writing in an old typeface:

“Spectacles belonging to the learned gentleman E. von H., 1840s. The owner claimed that through these lenses one could see not only the present but also the past.”

Dmitry smirked.

Of course, he thought. A mystical story for tourists. Magical glasses that let you see the past. Next they’ll say they grant wishes.

But his hand reached for the glasses again. He picked them up. Held them to his eyes.

What am I doing? Dmitry thought. Why would I put on some old glasses? This is stupid, a children’s game.

But something inside – some incomprehensible feeling, a mixture of despair and hope, longing and curiosity – made him put on the glasses. The lenses were slightly fogged, as if someone had recently breathed on them. Dmitry wiped them with the edge of his shirt and put them back on.

And the world changed.