Читать книгу The Secrets of the Two-Faced Maiden. Part 2 - - Страница 13

In 1999, after September 15, shortly after celebrating her mother’s birthday, Natalia, her sister Elena, and their mother went on vacation to Alushta in Crimea. By that time, Natalia had mostly recovered from the effects of the poisoning, although she weighed only 45 kg. They decided to go to the sea to restore their health. The vacation was going well. They rented an apartment near the sea. Since Natalia did not drink alcohol and was self-conscious about her thinness, she and her sister chose nearly empty beaches and hardly went out in the evenings. It was the end of the season, and there were very few tourists.The vacation went well, except for three incidents that left a very unpleasant impression.

The first incident occurred on the beach. Natalia and her sister did not enjoy extreme water activities offered by the local young men and consistently refused, even when offered free rides on a «banana boat» or jet ski. On one of the last days, they were persuaded to ride the banana boat, under the condition that it would be slow and careful along the shore, as Elena was very afraid of deep water. Natalia and her sister were fitted with life jackets and set off.

However, they were not taken along carefully. Instead of staying near the shore, they were taken far out, where the beach was barely visible, beyond the buoys. With no choice, they were whipped along at high speed (the sea was rough, with a small storm) for about half an hour or more, while the operators tried to throw them off the banana boat. Natalia and her sister initially reacted badly to the speed, with only one thought – to avoid capsizing. After a few minutes, however, they adapted to the extreme ride and even began to enjoy it.

The person driving the motorboat ahead would cut the engine, stop sharply, cross almost directly in front of the banana boat, and then suddenly accelerate. Natalia and her sister clung to the banana boat like pendulums to maintain balance. They leaned at a 90-degree angle to the water, barely grazing it with their shoulders, but the banana boat kept returning upright. They traveled at very high speed, water hitting their faces, barely able to hear each other. Natalia kept telling Elena how to tilt her body to prevent the banana from flipping.

After about 25 minutes, Natalia felt her arms were very tired, especially Elena’s, as she was physically weaker. Natalia alternated hands to hold on, letting one rest while the other held tight, and shouted for her sister to do the same. Had they continued for another 15 minutes, they would have been too exhausted to hold on any longer. Fortunately, the driver lacked the endurance – or perhaps did not want to spend more fuel – and headed toward the shore.

As they approached the shore, a man was lying and sunbathing on a mattress near a buoy. Natalia asked him if she should tow him, knowing that during calm periods, a mattress could drift out to sea. Years earlier, Elena and a friend had almost been carried out to sea on a pedal boat. The man refused. When they reached the shore, the second young man servicing the water sports equipment was extremely surprised that Natalia and her sister were completely dry, meaning they had not capsized even once. It is unclear what Natalia’s mother told him, but the young men quickly packed up and left, staring at Natalia and her sister with strange eyes.

Natalia was pleased that she and her sister had, in a sense, «outsmarted» them. Everything turned out well, although if someone asks to be taken carefully, it likely indicates a serious reason. At the time, Natalia thought the young men’s behavior was harmless mischief. Many years later, however, she learned that these were not ordinary water sports operators, but trained hitmen. Apparently, guardian angels had once again protected Natalia and her sister from death.