Читать книгу The Choice Era. Part 1 - Nata Kay - Страница 4

Mona was waiting for Harry at home.

She was looking awesome, as always. She didn’t allow herself any «relaxation», including in her own apartment. Her hair was always gently done, her outfit was picked out with such style, as if each day Mona was waiting for guests. Her innate sense of style had been polished over the years. She used to say that the most important thing in a person was the inner world, but why wouldn’t one frame it with something visually attractive? In her opinion, most people had no real reason to look bad.

Now that her belly was about to grow, Mona was trying to get used to the thought that she had to forget about fitted clothes for a while.

In fact, women accept a lot of changes in themselves during motherhood. Someone accepts them as if there were no changes at all, others find it difficult to accept everything. For now, Mona had no idea how motherhood would affect her, but she did everything she could to ensure that no one would accuse her of losing herself after childbirth. Modern manuals were glad to help with it. All Mona had to do was to follow the instructions correctly.

Luckily, the Nelsons had a lot of time until an addition to the family, and today Mona went out into the hall wearing light trousers and a shirt that was hinting at a half-open neckline. It seemed like she was glad to meet Harry in such clothes.

Harry considered Mona an embodiment of femininity, that made him feel like a gentleman with her. Sometimes he was afraid if he stopped being attentive to her as on the first date, he would have lost his wife and would have watched with horror her leaving for another man. At the same time, Harry was absolutely confident that Mona and he were made for each other. He woke up and went to bed thinking about this immutable truth every day.

«Are you all right?» Mona asked with a faint note of anxiety and interest. «Did everything settle at work? You were gone so long. I was worried and missed you.»

They went into the kitchen where they could smell deliciously cooked dinner and hear the sound of boiling water in the kettle.

«I missed you too,» Harry replied. At home he connected to some kind of invisible source of energy. Even if he was terribly exhausted, when he crossed the threshold, he began to feel better. «Everything is all right at work, everything has settled. I couldn’t finish one project for a long time, literally felt stupor because of it, but in the end everything worked out for the best. I think next week we are going to win an important tender. And after work I met Ivy. We walked in the park for a while.»

«Oh!» Mona let herself show surprise for just a second. «I haven’t seen her for ages. I hope she’s doing well.»

Harry decided not to share all the news about his sister yet. He still hoped Ivy would change her mind, and no one else would know about her crazy ideas. Perhaps later, in the future, when Ivy receives an award for her great contribution to astrophysics, she and Harry would meet at an event on this occasion and laugh at how one day the star academic decided to go into another area, but in time came to her senses.

Harry sat down on the chair, but instantly got up and walked over to the stove to help set the table. Mona laughed and sat him back down with her hand gesture. She was dealing with domestic chores perfectly well on her own.

«Ivy’s okay,» Harry nodded sitting down comfortably. He wanted to ease up as soon as possible. «She is chirpy and cheerful, as usual. Her exams are coming soon. I think she’s going to pass them.»

«If everything is good,» Mona reasonably remarked, opening drawers and taking out dishes. She could do all this with her eyes closed. «Then, why are you so thoughtful?»

«I don’t know…» Harry said. «It just turned out to be a strange and some kind of endless day. It seems like a lifetime ago since last weekend. Well… It’s no big deal… After dinner I’ll be fine. This isn’t the time to be dull. So many things happen.»

He paused.

«By the way, you won’t believe…» Harry chuckled and continued. «Bob brought me books, after all. A lot. I even started reading one.»

The aroma of rosehip tea spread all over the kitchen. According to the short text on all its packages, it had a calming effect. Mona put two cups down, came to Harry and carefully sat down on his lap. He immediately hugged her. It was amazing to think that a loved one was growing and developing inside another loved one. This awareness inspired Harry to more love and tenderness.

«Even started reading one? What for?» Mona screwed up her nose. She did it in a childish naive way.

«To lay him off of me…»

«Well,» Mona smiled. «This is a reasonable and acceptable explanation. But be careful with that, okay? I don’t really want to see my beloved husband immersing himself in reading. I’m sure there is something charming in this performance from the outside, but we may handle it without this charm.»

«I’m not going to immerse in it,» Harry protested and stretched out his hands. Mona was about to stand up, and Harry wanted to stop her, but Mona was already standing.

«Dinner won’t put itself on a plate,» she said in half whisper and winked.

At dinner the topic of books and everything relevant didn’t come up anymore. Harry and Mona were fond of talking, but they also learned to keep quiet with each other long ago, when they just started living together. As did many other people, they believed that keeping quiet from time to time was a sign of true compatibility.

Now the Nelsons were hardly speakingю They were just eating dinner, and the most frequent sound was the tap of forks and knives.

There was a lot going on the day, and Harry was doubly pleased with it. He finally could take a rest. Tomorrow would be a new day, and it’s hard to imagine what Bob would do again. Maybe he would stop stuffing his colleagues with books or maybe he would be inspired by the idea of fostering everyone’s love of literature.

Harry wouldn’t resort to the latter option in Bob’s place. Such an option could lead to losing job accidentally. As well as friends, relatives, personal beliefs, life position and, sadly, mind. The internet was giving articles about people who decided to dive headlong into literature. As a rule, there were nothing good for those people lately.

After dinner Harry reminded himself it was time to stop thinking about books and tomorrow, as well as about Bob and his eccentricity.

People can’t help thinking about anything at all. They lost this skill during the evolution. It may be said that they gave it as part of the price for a complex functioning brain. For some people the price was too high.

Harry failed at getting rid of his thoughts, but he didn’t give up. He started thinking about his earlier memories not to remember the events of the day. Now he focused on one, which could challenge many events in terms of importance.

It happened two days after the doctor confirmed Mona’s pregnancy.

As it should be, Mona immediately started receiving medical care, scheduled check-ups, vitamins and got recommendations about trainings devoted to healthy eating, breathing, psychological development and all other important things.

However, apart from the checkups and virtual information processes, Mona had to do something that would excite any pregnant woman – visiting a kindergarten. Mona wasn’t supposed to go there alone. Harry’s presence was also required.

All future parents visited kindergartens. The authorities made it clear that such an experience gave couples clear understanding of what they would have to face after childbirth, and when kindergartens would come to the rescue.

After this visit the couples took tests, according to the result of which they were authorized or not to raise a child. These tests were carried out on a regular basis in the future. Any problems with them could lead to consequences ranging from modest visits to specialists to deprivation of parental rights. Of course, the latter took place only in the most extreme cases.

Kindergartens admitted children from six months. There was no shortage of places. If the statistics showed a significant increase, new kindergartens were opened immediately.

Many mothers couldn’t wait to return to work as soon as possible, and state and commercial kindergartens took good care of their children and prepared them well for a big life. Educational games and programs, communication with peers, studying of social norms and principles of morality were instilled in every single kindergarten, and in the evenings parents took their child home, and families were reunited.

On the appointed day, Mona and Harry drove up to one of the exemplary kindergartens. A narrow six-story building with a yellow facade was surrounded by a lovely and well-maintained green garden, and there was a playground behind a fence.

From somewhere on the second or the third floor there came a child’s laughter. Mona, who was getting out of the car, froze for a moment. She started listening and smiling, slammed the car door and nodded toward the front door inviting Harry to hurry into the building.

There were some couches in the bright room, which served as a lobby. Every working morning parents left their children here in care of the staff and took them home in the evening.

Light carpets covered the floor, and there were numerous pillows in different colors on the sofas. These pillows were the only vivid accents in the room. The rest of the interior was never motley. Beige walls with a soft painting attracted the attention of only those who used to peer into details. The rest of the walls were left unnoticed.

«I heard,» Mona said softly. «That a few decades ago there were tables that looked like reception desks, but then they were forbidden not to let children see only office attributes around them from an early age. What if they would like to become someone who would work outside business centers? Now everything looks like this… It’s so great, isn’t it, Harry?»

Harry nodded.

In fact, there was a reception desk that looked like an ordinary coffee table with a small screen on it. A young woman was sitting in a chair near the desk. She was wearing a name tag on her blouse, but Mona and Harry couldn’t see the name from a distance.

Seeing the guests, the woman distracted from the screen, got up and headed for the visitors with the most friendly appearance.

«Nelsons, right?» she asked and shook their hands. She reminded Harry of Ivy to some extent. The same blonde locks, the same radiant smile.

«Right,» Mona confirmed and took Harry’s hand. A facilities tour had not begun yet, but Mona was already enjoying the situation. She clearly loved being in the kindergarten. «I haven’t been to kindergartens since I went to school. But I really loved it… Such incredible memories. You can’t even imagine how great it is to be here again.»

«Did you visit our kindergarten as a child?» the sunny girl didn’t hide her joy when she heard such a reaction from the guests.

«No, no,» Mona shook her head. «It was a different one. Much smaller and more modest. And in another district. But there is something here that reminds me of my childhood.»

«I’m very glad to hear that,» said the girl and her face got more serious. «Then, if you’re ready, we’ll start the tour. My name is Emma and I will show you the building. We will walk through the rooms where children of several age groups get a break, play and receive primary education. Then we will look at the common and service premises. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions. Even if you think the questions are ridiculous, ask them anyway. There are no ridiculous questions.»

There were several doors in the lobby. Emma pointed to one of them. At the same time another employee of the kindergarten came out of another door. She took Emma’s place at the coffee table. Unlike her previous colleague, the woman, who came to replace her, was more like a businesswoman than a person who was working with children.

Before heading out on the tour Mona glanced over at the second woman. It seemed to Harry that Mona was involuntarily glad it was Emma, who was taking them on the tour.

«You have different people working here,» Mona couldn’t sustain her thoughts and expressed them, after all.

«That’s how it should be,» Emma replied without any sign of surprise. She opened the door letting the visitors go first. «Children have the right to see different people around them. Homogeneous environment rapidly increases the likelihood that children will copy adults. This is unacceptable, the kid’s personality should be formed regardless of external factors.»

Such serious words contradicted with the girl’s appearance. However, everyone knew that prospective recruits were trained thoroughly before employment. By the end of their specialized courses they knew exactly how to work with children, how to improve their childhood, how to prepare them for school and adulthood. Employees were also trained to work with parents.

There was a small staircase and an elevator behind the door, for which the Nelsons and Emma were headed. The elevator door opened quickly and silently, Harry and Mona followed Emma.

«We’ll start with the top floor,» Emma said and pressed the button. «There is a room with the youngest. From six months to two years. Then we will visit the middle group and the older kids.»

«That makes sense,» said Harry.

It didn’t take long to get to the top floor.

The first room wasn’t really a room. There was a space with plain walls behind the door, guarded by a magnetic lock. Plain, except for a huge glass along one of the walls.

Obviously, that was a «bedroom» behind the glass. About ten babies were sleeping peacefully in their cribs. Some of them were hugging toys, others were alone. The cribs protected the sleeping kids from falling, but at the same time allowed to freely observe them.

Despite the fact that nothing was actually happening in the room, that was really fascinating. Peaceful atmosphere was kind of addictive, anyone couldn’t help looking at these cute kids again, again and again. Mona and Harry were not an exception.

«Their peers are playing nearby,» Emma said by shifting her gaze from Mona to Harry. «We take into account their biorhythms. If there is a time when a child is active, he is awake. We do not put anyone to bed unless biological imperative needs it. The sleep schedule is drawn up immediately after the examination.»

Emma didn’t deceive them, the other kids were right there, beyond the wall. Another room with light walls and neutral floor was literally filled with children’s laughter. Children were playing with all kinds of toys – cars, tiny trains, dolls, stuffed bears, kittens, giraffes and other animals. Some children were playing with each other or trying to build something with colorful blocks.

There were two adult tutors in the room, a man and a woman. They hardly interfered in kid’s activities. They didn’t offer any toys. They only kept order and showed their attention when kids demanded it.

The children weren’t almost interested in the appearance of three other adults in the room. A few of them looked at the strangers with a bit of curiosity, but they quickly got back to their toys.

«As you see,» said Emma. «We do not impose the tutor’s community on kids in order not to make them more important than parents. Moreover, children are free to choose what to play with. Many researchers believe that namely toys may form a child’s consciousness of a boy or a girl, but we do not take part in it.»

Harry tried to listen, but the kids hypnotized him and made him smile. So tiny, so pure, so sincere. In adult life he missed this childish clumsiness and impartiality. He missed kind eyes free from everyday problems. He missed such a simple humanity, after all. But all this was more than enough there in the room.

Mona was even more hypnotized. She heard only a few words from Emma, but she stood there smiling and sighing softly from time to time.

«There is no strict uniform in the kindergarten,» Emma continued in a calm tone. «We only provide parents with official recommendations for kids’ clothes. Unfortunately, we have to prohibit dresses and skirts. Trousers and pants don’t push to choose a sex at an early age, so we ask parents to purchase them.»

Harry wasn’t embarrassed about the ban on skirts at all. He believed Emma and all those who developed all the requirements for parents did the right thing. If a child chooses female in future, she will have time to enjoy dresses at a later age.

«Now, if you’re ready, let’s go to the floor down,» Emma said and continued the tour.

On the floor down kids over two years old were divided into groups. Some were engaged in intensive physical activity, something in between aerobics and dancing. Others were completing childish puzzles on large monitors. Some of them were sitting in a circle and communicating with each other as clear as it was possible for their age.

Their clothes were mostly comfortable and seemed as cute pajamas of different colors, and although the children’s short hair looked the same, it didn’t diminish the adorable sight.

«At this age we educate children mentally, physically and socially,» Emma continued the explanation. Then she briefly and concisely described the developmental characteristics of each party.

Harry barely had time to memorize information. He was afraid he would miss something since he had to raise his own child. Of course, one day his kid will go to kindergarten, but the educational and teaching process should be maintained at home in the evenings and on weekends.

Emma noticed a little fear on Harry’s face.

«Do not worry,» she smiled. «So that you don’t forget anything, we will definitely give you electronic manuals and video trainings specially designed for parents. In addition, we regularly hold meetings for parents, including for future ones, answer any questions and provide with the fullest support. We will not leave you behind.»

Emma sounded strong. Harry exhaled a breath in relief, and after the tour of this floor Emma led Harry and Mona down.

The floor dedicated to preschool children encouraged the Nelsons even more that kids were in good hands in kindergartens. Numerous studies, well-defined programs… What could be better?

Here children weren’t allowed to show any gender characteristics too. Surely, a few already had some distant thoughts about who they would like to be, but society suggested children to think a little longer and better, because the choice of gender was to become one of the most important in their lives.

«Tell me,» Mona asked. «Do you still call children with the same names as they are called at home? I heard about the option of number assignment…»

Harry stirred up right after Mona. This question worried him too. When Harry first heard about this on the news, he was a little bewildered.

Children were given names at birth. These names kids could change after sex identification surgery. The majority used to change names, because the original seemed too average, not suitable for men and women. Names given at birth were never asked in adulthood. They existed only within the framework of the documentation, nothing more. No wonder Harry didn’t know Mona’s original name. And Mona didn’t know his. It didn’t bother them at all.

«We call children the same names they are called at home,» Emma assured. «The replacement for numbers wasn’t supported and approved. The authorities decided that people cannot be left without names, it would be inhumane. We’re not robots. Who kids will grow up if, for example, they are called 532-TP most of the time? This question worries a lot of parents, but believe me, such changes are unlikely to ever come.»

«I’m glad to hear that,» this time a sigh of relief was heard from Mona. «I also think the replacement for numbers is madness. How did anyone even come up with such an idea?..»

The tour continued. Emma, as promised, showed the guests the common and service premises. In the kindergarten everything was kept as neutral as possible with the addition of bright accents.

In addition, everyone followed all security levels. Accidents and incidents were almost excluded. At the same time cameras installed everywhere were controlled not by people, but by computers. It was forbidden to observe the wards, of course, apart from emergency and controversial situations, and it should be noted, that and they were extremely rare.

«So,» Emma led the Nelsons out into the courtyard to the outdoor playground. «Children are guaranteed safety and privacy at the same time. Children and parents have nothing to worry about.»

The playground was a real paradise for children of all ages. Swings, a trampoline, slides, horizontal bars, rope ladders, a small carousel… there was everything for a wonderful playtime and physical activity.

The soft cover of the playground prevented injuries from the fall, the bumpers on the slides and the trampoline, as well as the seat belts on the swing, excluded other dangerous situations. And the playground was a delight for eyes like icing on the cake. It was clean, bright, with many interesting details. It attracted attention of not only children, but also adults. It was some kind of separate world with elements of fairy tales.

Playgrounds returned to the cities relatively recent. For a long time children and adolescents had been ignoring physical activity, primarily facilitated by electronic devices and virtual reality, which had consumed the world.

Actually devices didn’t disappear, their development continued, but the interaction of the younger generation with technology was limited to insure physiological health and vitality. Harry, Mona and many others were totally up for it.

The kindergarten tour was intense and made a strong impression on Harry and Mona. They have been talking about it for a long time, recalled it again and again, discussed global issues and various little things, after which they agreed that the kindergartens were superbly organized.

Despite it had been a while since the tour, Harry found himself remembering it still vividly and distinctly. That was there, in the kindergarten, where Harry realized how much he and Mona would need to raise a truly happy child.

Special institutions, of course, helped parents to cope with many difficulties, but Harry didn’t want to accept the fact that his child would receive the comprehensive development in the kindergarten and poor at home. Harry had to learn to meet the high standards created by society. Fortunately for him, he passed an excellent psychological test that was held the day after the excursion.

The night was about to come. The windows across the street were slowly going down, quietly reminding that many citizens had gone to bed, which meant that the rest of them should do the same. In this district the nightlife wasn’t as active as in the central part of the city. If Harry and Mona wanted to go dancing or visit some noisy bar, they would have to drive several blocks.

Tonight Harry and Mona didn’t have such a desire. Sometimes they felt like spending an evening outside, perhaps in a large company, but now both of them needed comfort and silence, so they were sitting quietly on the sofa in their living room and watching a new episode of the sixth season of the sensational science fiction series.

Mona found the series fascinating, literally «addictive», but at the same time too violent. Nevertheless, she continued watching it to find out how it would end. At least, that was her official statement of why she kept watching it.

Harry wasn’t looking at the TV screen, but rather through it. He lifted his head as if he was trying to focus on a large monitor built right in the wall opposite the sofa. However, he couldn’t get focused on it.

Every time Mona commented something or asked a question, Harry suddenly started blinking and trying to figure out what was happening and what he had missed. This reaction made Mona laugh. Cinema didn’t allow to follow the fast-moving plot inattentively. One had to fully immerse in viewing to capture all the details.

Harry didn’t immerse in anywhere. In fact, he had completely lost an ability not to think about the past day by nightfall. And if he could design a plan concerning Ivy and her daring desires, get used to it and calm down a little bit, it was still hard to loosen up because of the book he had started. And it flatly refused to get out of his mind.

Finally the routine leisure was disrupted for the most common reason. When something important in the series was about to happen, the episode ended. Credits ruthlessly filled the entire screen, unequivocally hinting that viewers wouldn’t understand the story totally and completely again.

Mona waved her hands.

«As usual!» she was outraged. Before the end of the episode she put forward a hypothesis suggesting what would happen next, but now she had to wait for the whole day, because there was only one new episode daily. At such cases a day was no less than eternity. «Why are they doing this to us?»

Mona got up and switched over to her household chores. She was dealing with dirty dishes for a while and then announced she was going to bed. Harry wished her good night and said that he would stay in the living room for a while. He didn’t want to sleep yet and lying in bed and wandering at the ceiling was useless, so he decided to keep watching a sports channel, for example.

«Oh, it’s that sports channel again!» Mona rolled her eyes playfully. She didn’t enjoy such channels and didn’t watch them herself, but she never refused to watch it for the company. «I wish you did sports more often instead of watching it.»

Mona left to get ready for bed and a few minutes later walked down the hallway wearing her favorite lace nightgown. She waited till Harry turned away from the TV and noticed her, then she smiled winking at him and went into the bathroom. After a while she went out, gave her husband a tender kiss and went to bed quietly closing the door behind her.

Harry turned on a tennis match. During adolescent and student years, he wouldn’t mind holding a racket in his hand. Now he wasn’t involved in any particular sport, he limited himself only to some planned trips to gym once or twice a week. With the correct training intensity, this was enough to keep a grown man in good shape.

Harry spent his spare time watching replays of memorable matches. Sometimes he got on live broadcasts, but they didn’t attach him because of his inattention to the standings and to the worthiest athletes.

And now, Harry was watching the court without interest. He wasn’t keeping track and couldn’t even say which teams play which. He only noticed that some of the strikes were very spectacular and effective. Moreover, he was noticing it rather because of the cheering and applauding loud audience, and because of the commentators, who started talking faster and more emotional.

What about Harry, then? Harry remembered that the book was still in the case and he felt almost physical need to reach it and read it to the very end.

He could hardly explain such an unexpected desire to read. Curiosity? A thirst for knowledge and new experience? Or it was sort of charm that impressed most of humanity in ancient times? Harry leaned towards the first two ideas, since he considered the style not successful and therefore not particularly attractive.

When it became quiet in the bedroom, Harry waited a few minutes, got up silently, walked to the door and listened. Mona always fell asleep quickly, and Harry had no doubt she was already plunged into her sweet dreams.

Harry tiptoed into the hallway. He left his briefcase on a couch. After a glance towards the bedroom again, he took out a book and stared at it. It was exactly the same, unless it became a few hours older. Harry curled his fingers along the spine and opened the book in the middle. He opened and closed it immediately.

«No,» he whispered and shook his head. He thought how ridiculous it was to be a man, who was unable to cope with such a trifle as simple sheets of paper decorated with simple letters.

Harry was standing with indecision for about a minute. He couldn’t find the strength to put the book back in the case, so he walked with it into the living room to the sofa. On the way to it he promised himself that he would read a few pages, just to make sure he got involved in it and worried in vain. And then he, Harry, would return the book to the case and forget about it.

In the living room Harry sat down on the sofa and quickly found where he left off at the office. Then, one thing led to another. Harry was looking tensely over the lines, stopping and rereading some of them all the time. Why was this woman doing this? This was illogical. Why did she say that? What a strange woman…

When Harry managed to look up from the book and checked at his watch, he winced. An hour and a half… He was sitting with a book for an hour and a half. He didn’t even notice how time flew by. Maybe the watch was lying? No, that was really unlikely.

Harry was still annoyed by the plot and some of the characters in the book, but their emotions made him think, made him feel his own emotions. Sometimes it happened when he was watching a movie, but now Nelson noticed that reading a book launched some mechanism in his mind, and the whole work of human fantasy started.

Harry didn’t finish the book till the end. It seemed that there was enough food for thought today. Another portion of his own untested emotions could lead to unforeseen consequences that frightened Harry like ghosts, whose existence had never been proven.

The book was back in the case. Harry didn’t want Mona to found out that her husband, despite her wishes and common sense, continued reading. It’s unpleasant to keep secrets from a wife, but it wasn’t a big secret, and Mona’s calmness was much more important than such insignificant little things.

Harry took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, cleaned himself up, undressed and tiptoed into the bedroom.

Mona was sleeping peacefully. All Harry’s confusion, anguish and worries didn’t touch her at all, and Harry was infinitely happy about it. He married Mona not to get her involved in dubious life situations.

Harry got under the blanket and laid down facing the window.

Harry wished he could fall asleep as quickly as Mona. As a rule, it took him half an hour to fall asleep.

In his dreams Harry often found himself in unexpected and difficult situations at work or in the thick of strange events in shops, restaurants and other public places. When he woke up, Harry realized how awkward the situations were, but in his dreams they looked serious and he had no idea he was sleeping.

This time Harry fell asleep surprisingly quick, though a whole bunch of thoughts in his head didn’t end up. He only looked out the window for a few minutes, and then his eyes closed themselves. Harry was rapidly plunging into another reality.

Now he was dreaming not of his work or an absurd situation. The dream was remarkably beautiful and rather picturesque. It could easily be an inspiration for photographers and artists, or a backdrop for a film about country life.

Harry was on a large field overgrown with long grass and flowers. Nobody took care of it, the grass was wild. One might feel the blades of grass and its tickling under trousers.

No paths, no beaten tracks, the grass was growing up and bending a little because of a gentle breeze. This ordinary and at the same time incredible place seemed to never be touched by a man.

Far away across the field there was a cliff, beyond which the blue sea was spreading out at the very horizon. The sound of the oncoming waves calmed an ear. The glare of the sun, peeking out of the passing clouds every now and then, mirrored in sea surface and made it shining and glittering.

Harry walked calmly towards the cliff. Not alone. He followed a woman. Why? He had no idea. He was just walking without asking her, and he had no idea who this woman was. He didn’t see her face. She didn’t turn around and Harry himself didn’t try to surpass her. He was fine with it.

The wind played with the stranger’s dark wavy hair tousling it. The woman didn’t try to fix her hair, leaving it to the wind. She didn’t look back or look around, as Harry did. Her walk embodied the tranquility that city people often lacked.

Even the stranger’s dress showed her moral distance from big cities. No, she wasn’t wearing a complicated ancient Greek toga or one of the magical dresses from the cartoons with princesses. All her clothes were the simplest jeans and a white T-shirt. There was nothing unnecessary in this girl, there wasn’t a drop of fuss in her.

She was barefoot. Even in a dream Harry thought that walking in bare feet on such a ground must be painful, but the woman walked confidently.

Harry and the stranger didn’t reach the cliff. Space in the dream was distorted, and absence of time made the field huge like almost infinity. No matter how much Harry followed ahead, there were still dozens of meters to the cliff and the horizon was out of his reach.

Like many other dreams, this dream was interrupted by an alarm clock. A sudden call, though it was one of Harry’s favorite tunes, was completely out of turn in that serene atmosphere reigned in the field.

Harry didn’t want to wake up and return to reality. He could have walked across the field for a very, very long time, and perhaps finally he could have reached the cliff.

When Harry woke up and realized where he was, and that he was no longer sleeping, he was still seeing the images from his dream.