About a cat who hatched a plot

Hello! This is how well-behaved kittens are said to greet each other, and I certainly am. For the unintelligent, I'll explain what a cat is: I am a cat. Me, a little furry creature who likes many things but hates the vacuum cleaner. Yes, yes! A vacuum cleaner is that red, disgusting thing with a pipe that goes "bwmmmmmmmmm." You're human, so you probably know what a vacuum cleaner looks like, and I won't explain it to you.

That day was Saturday, so the freaks (meaning you, humans) were pulling out the humming abominations. You might be wondering why I, a little furry creature, call you that. It's simple: you're just weird. You leave the house for no apparent reason, and on top of that, you almost never catch anything. And what's more, when someone tries to ask you why, you scream, "Stop meowing! Want to eat? Come on, I'll get you some. Come on, Snout." You always think I want to eat, but that's not true. We cats have different desires: we want to talk, we want to be petted, or I don't know what. But I was supposed to tell you about Saturday, not about your quirks.

Well, this is one of the few days when you stay home and have more time for me. You pet me behind the ears, under my neck, and on my belly, and I purr. First, you give me such pleasure, and then what?! You grab the vacuum cleaner and hum, and sometimes even, out of sheer spite, you bring the tube closer to me, so I run away, and you laugh! Do you know what I feel then? I'll tell you: great, great anger! I want to get back at you, so I scratch the furniture. And you rub against me, so I run away again—this time into the couch. There I sit, enveloped in darkness, peace, and bedding.

On that fateful Saturday, after the weekly routine of events, I fell asleep on the couch. This doesn't happen to me often because the awful buzzing distracts me and I can't sleep. But then I fell asleep and dreamed of wonderful things, you know: grass, trees, mice, and all that. In that dream, I was the lord of the neighborhood, and I felt good about it. When I woke up and heard that awful "bwmmmm," I got so angry that I dug my sharp claws into my pillow, and I think I made two holes in it. Right after I realized that, I heard, or rather stopped hearing, the buzzing. I was so happy that I fell asleep again...

The light woke me up, and my caregiver said, "Stefan, look! Ryju slept all Saturday," and I meowed back and got off the couch. I was very sleepy and dirty, so I sat down nearby and started washing myself. "Ryju! What are those holes?" my caregiver exclaimed, and I looked at her and didn't meow. "Oh, Snout... You're going to sleep on this now," I said with a wink and a meow. Why? I like that—it's always something new to sleep on.

Another week flew by like any other – people disappeared in the morning, then reappeared in the afternoon, feeding me and petting me as they passed. They played with me, laughed, and I jumped, purred, meowed, and above all, slept. And so the day passed, and in my head was one thought: Saturday and the vacuum cleaner – this couldn't go on like this. On Friday, I looked at the pillowcase my caregiver had given me and a brilliant idea came to me...

On Saturday, as every week, Stefan the freak took out the vacuum cleaner, and I... didn't run away! I went to my basket and climbed into the holey pillowcase. The holes I'd made appeared right in front of me. I felt like Zorro in a land of headless people. I proudly looked at the vacuum cleaner, at Stefek, and thought, "Now you can boo! I don't care." With my tail raised, I slowly walked across the room, and when Stefek brought the pipe closer to me, I didn't speed up at all. I was invisible then! I was a ghost! I was a terror! I was the best! As always.

And that's how I tamed the vacuum cleaner.

***

"Marta? Did you write that?" Stefan asked, with the cat on his lap.

"Mrał!" the cat replied.

"Snout, that's not for you. What did I write?

" "Well then," Stefan showed his wife a story about how the cat had hatched a plot.

"No, it wasn't me. But let me read it.

" "So, what do you think? How did that get into our printer?" he asked after a moment

. "Uh... I have no idea. A cat couldn't have written that!"

Then they both looked at Snout, and he replied in the true cat language of meows and purrs. His family, of course, understood nothing of his speech, but you, the readers, will understand everything: "I hypnotized Marta and murmured to her what to write. Why don't you ever believe in me! I really know a lot. If you would just listen to me sometimes..." he concluded regretfully. Then he looked at Stefek with his round eyes and nuzzled his soft sweater.

"And take this cat here, understand," Marta said, smiling at her husband and Snout.

Suicide District Parts III and IV

At first, he couldn't identify the object in the corner of the room, barely visible in the lighter's glare. The flame quivered, sucking oxygen from the stifling air. The stench in the room was unbearable. Dorian felt disgust at whatever might be waiting for him in the darkness. The stench of decay, penetrating his nostrils, made him dizzy.

As he tried to turn around, the lighter went out. He felt a cold sweat on his back, a shocking feeling of being trapped. However

, the lighter fired again on his second attempt to light it. He approached the object he'd noticed at first glance. It was several meters away, but as the object took on a regular shape as he approached, Dorian realized that the body before him was in an advanced state of decomposition. The corpse's arms were twisted unnaturally, and he lay on his back with his legs drawn up. The face resembled one large, dried scab, until a large spider hurriedly moved from his eye socket to his mouth. The corpse's position gave the impression that it had died of cold sometime, probably several months ago. But now the temperature was high, and its body had begun to rot, as had the entire room.

He glanced around, spotting other corpses. Then another. More loomed on the edge of the dim light. In the trembling light, the lighters seemed to be starting to move. Dorian turned sharply. Then again. He couldn't bear the thought of someone, or something, something alive, behind him.

The lighter went out again, falling from his hands. He searched frantically for it, his hands moving nervously across the cold floor, terrified of encountering anything other than the familiar, elongated shape.

Finally, he found it. Click. Nothing. Click. A spark appeared and disappeared, like the glaring flash of a camera flash. On the third snap, it appeared for good.

He was now sitting against a wall stretching into darkness, covered in huge, fetid patches of mold. The damp and leaking roof had turned the room into one vast, rotting garden. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another spider, leisurely parading in the glow of the lighter. Its legs lengthened unnaturally in the flickering light, its torso seemed thicker, its leisurely gait reminiscent of a death throes. Dorian stared at the spider with unseeing eyes, terrified and lost like never before. What he seemed to discover within himself was now disappearing, hidden somewhere beyond the fluid edge of light. The spider, stalking the vast tomb, symbolized everything that might yet befall the boy in the building. From the perspective of what he had already seen, death by bullet seemed the best solution. Death by his own hand.

His hand touched the bulge in his pants, the place where the gun lay. However, he couldn't decide on anything at that moment.

Perhaps I would have done better to shoot myself in the head, not them…

He saw the female in his mind, the sight of her beautiful, young body shattered on the asphalt. Then he saw the bloodshot eyes of the three males, the image of fury directed solely at him.

My delay made me responsible for this girl's death… The thought sounded more like a statement than a question in his mind.

Yet he felt no remorse. Still, despite his fear, bordering on panic, he felt a surge of excitement at what had happened in the past hour. He sensed a change, within himself and in the world he had created with his life. He wanted to taste the forbidden, to pervert all laws, and for a moment he thought he might be able to get used to living in the dark.

The spider vanished from sight.

He extinguished the lighter, not wanting to risk running out of gas.

After a few minutes in the stuffy, moldy room, his sense of smell had partially acclimated to the atmosphere inside. He could breathe normally.

What now…?

Just as he was about to decide to move on, he heard footsteps on the roof, somewhere above him. They were irregular and overlapping.

There were many of them. He guessed around ten.

The decision had to be made immediately. If the New Ones found the entrance to the building, he wouldn't stand a chance.

He stood and drew his weapon. His hand stopped trembling, tightening around the cool hilt of the handle. He was about to act again, and once again he felt his confidence returning. It was as if the darkness surrounding him were giving him an undefined, previously unattainable strength.

He had to find a way out. Lighter in hand, he moved along the wall, first one, then another. The lighter served as his sight, holding the weapon just above the line of light, aiming into the darkness.

Two walls proved empty. The footsteps on the roof grew louder, then quieter. He seemed to gather around where he had calculated the hatch to be. But these suspicions could just as easily have been driven by fear of that possibility.

On the third wall, he found a door.

The exit was as moldy as the rest of the room. The handle was covered in soft fluff that, under his hand's pressure, turned to a cool, sticky mess. To open it, he had to extinguish his lighter or holster his weapon.

He opted for the former.

Above him, he heard the creak of a hatch being lifted. A little light had already entered the room, illuminating dozens of decomposing bodies. The hatch fell with a bang. But he knew they would keep trying.

He turned the handle, his hand slipping on the damp grip. It took considerable effort, but the ancient mechanism finally gave way.

He yanked the door open. It threw him back, and he realized the tug hadn't required as much effort as he'd put into it.

The hatch began to rise again. He heard the howls and heavy breathing of the New Ones crowded on the roof, previously muffled by the thick ceiling.

He felt a renewed sense of terror. He wanted to escape as quickly as possible, anywhere.

"Do you think that boy is still alive?

" "I have no idea. It doesn't really make any difference...

" "...Yes, but you yourself said he could be useful.

" "You know how the District is... You can only count on yourself until the end.

" "If we don't help him, then what are we even doing here..."

"We deal with corpses, not the living. We operate in the gap between the world of the District and the rest of the City... That's our entire reality. You know very well...

" "There's another world outside the City.

" "Even worse than this... Don't think about it. It's no use..."

He entered another layer of darkness, as impenetrable as the last. But the atmosphere here was different. The air he breathed seemed pure, untainted. It was infinitely better here than in the tomb he'd just emerged from. He closed the door. He knew the New Ones would eventually find their way out, but he hoped their surprise at what they found in the first room would be greater than his. That would buy him time.

He lit a lighter. He was in a corridor, and by the light of the faint flame, he couldn't tell how far the space stretched before him.

But he heard movement. Ahead. Something stirred in the darkness, but it was impossible to judge the distance of a potential enemy. Dorian desperately waited for the next sound, but all he could do was aim at the darkness surrounding him.

He walked to the wall and began moving along it, forward. Each step took an incredible amount of strength; he didn't want to go there, didn't want to get close to another monster. His body desperately wanted to get as far away as possible, but on the edge of his hearing, he could hear the murmurs from the next room. Fleeing would bring him back to them. Continuing, he found himself within range of another beast. "

Cornered," flashed through his mind. "I'm cornered."

He felt tears welling in his eyes, his legs buckling beneath him. Somewhere ahead, or perhaps just in his own head, he heard the rustle of shifting feet. He tried not to think about the darkness surrounding him, but the darkness itself attacked him from all sides, choking the flame of his lighter. He passed several doors along the way, but he didn't try to enter them. He waited for what lay ahead. He had to find a way down. Get out of this damn building.

The light flickered in the darkness. It went out. Once, twice. Each time, he lit it as if it would keep him alive. Maybe it did.

The New Ones were wandering around the next room. He could hear them behind him, afraid that at any moment he would hear the door slam open. He barely resisted the urge to look back. He continued walking, dragging his feet across the corridor. On the floor, he found broken glass, some dried blood, a tuft of hair. All this fueled his imagination, fueling his fear, assaulting him with images of the carnage that must have taken place in this place. He didn't know if the blood came from the people killed here, or if the New Ones were killing each other in the dark corridors of the now-deserted building.

He felt he was already halfway down the corridor. That was when he saw the elevator. Two doors, and above them an arrow with numbers, indicating the floors. To the right of the scale was the number eighteen. That was how many floors there were. That was how many circles of hell he still had to traverse to reach the very bottom, to find a way out. He could wait, then climb out through the roof again. But he knew they'd sense his presence. And then he wouldn't stand a chance. He'd kill three, maybe four. Then they'd tear him apart with a fury he'd never experienced before. His body would rot here, turning into a crust of mold and a vermin paradise...

The elevator. Fuck, focus on the elevator!

You can't take it; it probably doesn't work anyway. There must be stairs at the end of the corridor. Why always at the other end...? Go, don't think about it. Prepare to shoot and keep moving forward.

The lighter went out again.

Then he heard footsteps, somewhere ahead of him. Faster and faster, turning into a run. The sound of feet thumping on the floor echoed through the corridor with a terrible echo, intensifying the panic that was gripping him.

He lit the lighter, almost dropping the gun.

It was over, he thought.

The running attacker was getting closer.

It went out again. He lit it again.

The flame illuminated a fragment of darkness, but the beast wasn't yet visible. It was only a few meters away now, however.

A sudden thought struck Dorian. He, too, could become invisible.

When the shadow of the attacker, the crouching figure running towards him, appeared at the edge of the light, the boy waved his hand through the air, directing it across the corridor. It looked as if he himself were dodging, leaping to the side. But he stood his ground.

The idea proved a good one. The attacker brushed past him, leaping into the darkness. The stench of unwashed flesh filled Dorian's nostrils. Then he heard the crack of shattering glass. He realized the beast had fallen into the shards he himself had just passed. But the New One made no sound; for a moment, all sounds ceased.

The boy revived his lifesaving lighter, which had proven more useful than any weapon so far. He saw a naked figure with a massive back, kneeling backwards two meters from him. Numerous scars marked its shoulders, some seemingly fresh, dancing in the flames of the lighter. The beast turned its head.

Dorian understood why it hadn't made a sound. The new creature had no mouth. Its deformed nose extended into its never-developed right eye. Only the left eye, the only healthy part of its face, glared at the boy with hatred. The figure had almost no hair on its head, only its shoulders and lower back were covered in tufts of matted fur. The enormous male appeared deformed from birth. Its gaze was dull; it seemed to be unaware of what was happening around it. But instinct didn't need reason. And the strongest instinct of this species was survival. Unnatural aggression, blind rage, was the result of mutation. This mixture spawned murderers, planet-dwelling monsters.

Dorian was unable to move. He stared in silent horror at the shadows dancing across the animal's deformed face. The boy's gaze was fixed on the hideous shell that formed the male's visage. "

He's so close to me," the boy thought. "He's from my species, this animal is almost me. Am I really so close to this beast?"

Footsteps echoed from somewhere behind the wall. The newcomers still couldn't find the exit, but they could stumble upon it at any moment.

Gun aimed, Dorian studied the deformed "corpse" as if viewing a beautiful, deadly animal in a zoo. Disgust mingled with fascination in his mind. A sincere fascination with the disfigurement, darkness, and depravity of everything he represented. The thirty years that separated them both from the plague were too short a distance to mentally distance the two species. Dorian's relative now knelt before him, wanting to kill him. To restore nature to its order, its pristine ruthlessness. So who was the greater freak of nature?

All the thoughts that had assaulted Dorian's exhausted mind vanished with the flame of the lighter. They were replaced by terror and the awareness of what was about to happen next. The beast wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Before he could pull the trigger, his fear was confirmed. A heavy impact knocked the boy off his feet. The lighter slipped from his hand, disappearing into the darkness. He still held the gun, but before he could aim, he felt another blow, this time in his chest. The darkness was illuminated by thousands of flashing lights, a devastating dizziness shook him, and he began to choke.

Another blow shattered his eyebrow, and the animal's claws slashed his forehead. But he didn't even feel the blood that spurted onto his face, only the taste of it in his mouth. He tried to draw in huge gulps of air, but only a dull snarl escaped his lungs.

The beast struck without a sound, silently. The blows came as if from nowhere; Dorian no longer felt the attacker, neither its scent nor its weight. He felt only the pain that split his lungs and skull.

Yet he, too, had an instinct for self-preservation. The last reflex of a victim defending itself against oblivion.

Instinctively, he pulled the trigger. He missed, but the flash of the gunshot momentarily illuminated the darkness.

The attacks ceased for a moment.

In the split second the bullet offered him, the boy saw a terrifying face, the muzzle of an animal, somewhere to his right.

Despite the searing pain in his chest, he managed to move his left arm toward the point of darkness surrounding him where the deformed face seemed to reside. He encountered something solid, the body of a beast. He fired.

The flame ripped into the animal's chest, ripping it apart and throwing the Newcomer backward onto the cold corridor. Another wave of warm liquid flooded Dorian's face and torso.

The Newcomers, wandering in the adjacent room, must have heard the shot.

The boy, with the roar of a wounded animal, rose to his feet. The pain in his chest seemed unbearable. Something was tearing him apart from the inside; each breath crushed his lungs as if cubic meters of compressed air were being forced into them. Dorian moved forward, not knowing exactly which way to go. Each step echoed loudly in his head, which was pounding with pain. Blood streamed down his face—mixed with that of the slain animal. Suddenly, a wave of thick vomit spewed from his mouth, splashing loudly against the floor. But he kept running. Before he could take a few more steps, another one arrived.

Finally, he hit the wall. His face pressed against the cold surface, and his hands desperately searched for any recognizable shape.

He thought he heard the sound of a doorknob falling somewhere in the distance.

Then he lost his footing. He felt himself bumping against countless hard edges.

He found the stairs.

Then darkness replaced unconsciousness.

Trees surrounded her. She stood among them in the tall grass. The intense, warm rays of the summer sun filtered through the thick branches. Several kilometers away, as if through a mist, the mighty buildings of the City loomed. In the summer sun, they looked like Roman warriors lined up, awaiting the signal to fight barbarians somewhere in the fields of Gaul.

She wore a knee-length skirt and a light red blouse. Her sandy hair gleamed in the August air, and the strands that had escaped from her short ponytail teased her forehead, quivering in the breeze. Her high forehead whipped around. She wasn't beautiful, but she was appealing. Her face was shapely, her nose perhaps a bit too large, but her full lips and deep-set, penetrating eyes made up for it. If she didn't attract men with her beauty, she did so with her gaze—the sincere, intelligent, devastating gaze of a strong, confident woman. She was uncompromising, she was herself, conquering each day according to her own rules.

She no longer wanted to hide her vulnerability. She had to do this for many years, during the dark times she spent in a place called the Suicide Quarter. Yet she always believed that beyond its walls lay another world, a place where one could not only die but also live.

Finally, they arrived there. Anya and Ona.

She looked down at her feet. Her feet were wrapped in the delicate straps of burgundy sandals, accentuating the graceful shape of her feet. Everyone always admired her feet. Back then, during long nights in the Quarter, when they made love to her one after another, she had loved it when they kissed them. The memory fueled a flame growing somewhere beneath the surface of her summer dress.

She brushed her hair back from her forehead. Standing in the grass, she touched the inside of her thigh. It was slender and warm. Its smoothness blended seamlessly with the silk of her dress. A warm breeze gently caressed her hips, enveloping her shapely, petite body, playing with her.

A smile appeared on Magenta's face. Lips that had for years pressed against those of those men's lips now regained their luster and the fullness of ripe fruit.

She plucked a large, red apple from the tree, sinking her teeth into it. The juice ran down her lip, then down her chin, forming a winding stream that continued along her slender neck. Just like then, all those years ago…

Someone was waving at her. Anya.

She stood a little way off, tall grass obscuring her legs. Her light blue dress ended below the edge of the ever-present greenery. The woman's dark skin absorbed the sun's rays like a black hole swallowing light. Every movement recreated reality. It fractured space, cutting through the August air. Her body moved gracefully as she walked confidently but lightly toward Magenta.

The girl couldn't tear her gaze away. An inner fire burned through her clenched thighs, unfazed by any wind.

The trees above her screeched with a thousand birds hidden among the branches, their long wings cutting the air.

Their dog ran toward Anya. Magenta had always wanted a dog. He disappeared into the grass for a moment.

Then he reappeared.

But it wasn't the same animal anymore. The hunched figure had no grace in its movements. It ran toward Anya, naked, filthy, like the representatives of the Indian tribes Magenta had seen on television as a child.

The wind began to blow harder, and the sky darkened. The clouds, initially gray, now held a sinister blackness.

She realized that They had returned. So they hadn't managed to escape. They hadn't managed to fight the plague.

She couldn't move, couldn't scream a warning. More figures rose as if from the ground, and the beast's eyes contradicted everything around them. Rage, unfounded resentment, destroyed the greenery, which now rotted before Magenta's eyes, transforming into a palette of repulsive colors of decay.

They were everywhere now. Hundreds, thousands of corpses swarmed in the endless meadows beyond the city.

The city. She looked in its direction.

The buildings burned with red fire. Its heat reached all the way here.

Someone had turned her over. She lay on her stomach, knowing exactly what would happen next. Her skirt suddenly vanished. She realized she was naked, yet she felt no shame or fear. She tried to get as comfortable as possible on the decaying green grass. The wind died down. The flame consuming the girl's body waited to escape. She felt a knee pushing her thighs apart.

She wondered if the New One would notice her slender, delicate feet. She wanted him to see them, though she knew it was impossible.

She felt something entering her, calming the flame that had been raging throughout her body.

She already understood that there would be no Anya, no pure world, no vast spaces beyond the City.

But she felt good.

She felt a soft pillow beneath her head. Her head rested on her left cheek. She opened her eyes. In the room was an old table with two chairs. Behind him, a window, through which a pale glow streamed – a cloudless night in the Suicide Quarter.

She felt the bitterness of disappointment, as she did every time that all-too-familiar dream ended. Every time it ended, she felt anger. Self-reproach – for constantly believing in what she saw in her mind's eye. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. But it didn't last long – her body was telling her he was doing well, getting better and better.

She wondered only one thing:

which of the boys was inside her? Caligari, Klaatu, or Gort. It didn't hurt, so it couldn't be Gort. Klaatu was very tired today; he'd gone to bed early.

"Caligari…?

" "Hi, Little One…"

She felt another wave of heat course through her veins like gasoline searching for a stray spark.

"Cali…?"

She heard his deep, rapid breathing above her. He touched her face with one hand, holding her waist with the other.

"What, Little One?"

- Harder.

3

XXX

Magda and I had already had our last lesson, but our homeroom teacher's request made us nervous. The math teacher, Mr. Kowalski, had invited us to his room.

We both showed up at his last break. Upon entering the office, we saw two police officers sitting next to the teacher.

"Kiempińska, Grzywocz, sit down," the teacher pointed to our chairs. "Gentlemen, I have a case for you."

We both sat down; I was surprised, Magda very nervous.

I suspected the worst. Maybe by some miracle the police had found out we were looking around the computer room. But the principal should have been there. "

We heard you were snooping about the break-in at the computer room.

" "That's not true

," I denied. "Kiempińska, weren't you taught not to interrupt seniors?"

"Nothing happened. We just want to let you know that if this happens again," the policeman said, "and we get any more information about snooping, we'll have to charge you with obstructing an investigation."

"Did you get it?" the teacher added.

"Yes, of course."

"Great, now get back, the bell rings in a minute," he said, glancing at his watch. "

Goodbye."

XXX

Magda and I were going to see Aleks and Tomek.

"Do you think," Magda began, "that we shouldn't leave this case alone? You heard what those policemen said.

" "Apparently, but that's precisely why this case intrigued me even more. What are those policemen so afraid of?"

"Maybe they found out we were in the computer room that day?"

"No, I'm sure not. Mr. Wiesiek wouldn't have done that; he has something to hide, that he fell asleep at work. But it had to be someone else.

" "But who?

" "For example, Mr. Opiński. We talked to him about the burglary. He could have told those cops about our conversation. But that's the most interesting thing. Why aren't those policemen doing anything about it? Have you seen the report? And why are they so keen to make sure no one snoops on this burglary?"

"I don't know."

"Me neither, but if we find something on those policemen, Aleks, and Tomek, the mystery will be solved."

XXX

Aleks turned on the computer. All four of us sat in chairs.

"So what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" Aleks asked, curious.

"It's about those police officers."

I briefly mentioned the police report, the inspection of the computer room, and today's conversation.

"Man, you're pretty good. I wouldn't dare," Tomek commented.

"True, but let's get to the point. What are these officers' names?" Aleks asked.

"Henryk Konieczny and Paweł Skowronek," I said, reading the names from the photocopied police report. "We have to find something on them. And the target of hacking into the main computer.

" "That's simple," Aleks said, entering data into the computer. "There's a lot of data being entered into that computer."

"For example, what?" I didn't fully understand. "

For example, all grades in all subjects."

"And I thought grades were posted in a gradebook," Magda asked. "

That's how it is in most schools, but not in ours. We have a computer system, which personally makes no sense to me.

" "Well, at least now the matter has taken on a completely different dimension. Do you think someone hacked into this database?

" "It's not that simple; it could take several days," Alex explained. "But someone could quickly reprogram the computer so that they could read the data on their own computer and change it without anyone noticing."

"So now we could even hack into our school database?" Magda asked.

"Well, not exactly. We'd have to reprogram the data on the school computer first," Alex replied. "Wait, let me see a few files."

"So we just need to check who suddenly raised their grades?"

"Well, yes, but that won't be enough evidence," I said. "But there's also a hair.

" "What hair?"

"A hair we found on the computer keyboard. It most likely belongs to the burglar.

" "That's right.

" "There's nothing about them. They're not particularly distinguished," said Aleks.

"Gee, we have to find another way..." suggested Tomek. "Maybe we could access the Warsaw Police Headquarters website?

" "That's a good idea, but we have to crack the password," Aleks pointed out.

"Can you do that?" I asked, curious.

"Yes, but..." Tomek began.

"Of course, we hope it stays between us. You realize it's illegal.

" "Of course, we'll be as silent as the grave," I assured him. I understood the gravity of the situation.

"Okay, so let's go in," Aleks said.

Aleks typed in the website address.

"Now we need to enter the name of the first one... Henryk Konieczny," he said, typing in the username. "Now all that's left is the password."

"This will take a while," Tomek explained.

Aleks got to work. A moment later, the password was cracked, and we all saw a detailed description of the policeman. The boy immediately clicked on his professional experience.

"You have to read this," Magda said. "

I have something, look at this—two years ago, this policeman investigated the case of a murdered woman. The woman's family filed charges. Konieczny mishandled the investigation. Later, the case against him was dismissed," I read, clearly intrigued. "I bet it's exactly the same with the second one." "

Let's check it out, because I don't see anything suspicious here anymore," Aleks suggested.

A moment later, the boy clicked on the description of the second policeman.

"That's right, exactly the same," Tomek said.

"Well, I think we have the answer to the mystery," Magda said. "

Are you suggesting they're not putting much effort into solving this case?" Alex asked.

"Not exactly. Surely they wouldn't want us to keep snooping around," I explained. "

Right."

"I think the burglar must also have known something about the police officers' past and blackmailed them into taking the case and then dropping the investigation. Otherwise, they'll reveal something against them in that case from two years ago," I said. "

Clever. I think that's it."

"So all that's left is finding this burglar.

" "It won't be easy. We'd have to look through the database," I said.

"We have to access the school's website," Tomek said.

"How so? You said it was impossible." "

Accessing the database is possible, but any improvements are not. Of course, after breaking the appropriate security measures."

"Well, let's get to work."

XXX

Magda and I were walking home. After nearly two hours of work, everyone had found several names of people whose grades could be changed.

"Who do you think could have changed those grades?" Magda asked me. "

I don't know, I personally suspect Krzysiek and Kamil from our class; they were never very good at math.

" "Well, they were, but they don't have very high grades. Only Cs and Bs. "

"Cs and Bs at Kowalski's, they're world-class!"

"You're right, actually. It's good that Aleks and Tomek helped us so much.

" "They're really cool, I like them.

" "Me too."

Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Oh, hi, Mom.... Now, okay... I'll be with you soon.

" "Is that your mom?"

"Yes, she's got the results of that hair test. Come with me to the hospital."

"It's late."

"Oh, come on, tell her you did the work with me."

"Okay."

We both headed towards the hospital. We hadn't noticed anyone following us since we left Alex and Tomek's.

XXX

Magda and I left the hospital. We already had the test results.

"We need to go to the police as soon as possible," Magda replied.

We had both walked a little way from the hospital.

"I think that should be enough," I said.

"So, let's go to the police station."

We both quickened our pace.

"You're not going anywhere." Two people approached us.

"Kamil, Krzysiek? What are you doing here?" I was surprised to see them. "

We came to warn you." Krzysiek pulled out a knife, which terrified us.

"Stay away from this matter, and nothing will happen to you," Kamil said.

"You're not needlessly poking your noses into other people's business," Krzysiek pointed out.

"Okay, come on, Magda..." We both started to walk away.

"Not so fast," Kamil shouted. "First, give us back what you got at the hospital.

" "And don't be so clever, Anka," Krzysiek said. "

We didn't get anything at the hospital," I lied.

"We heard your conversation," Kamil said. "Do you think we're that stupid?"

"Okay."

I quickly pulled something out of my pocket and threw it a few meters away.

"Gas," I said to Magda.

We both started running.

Kamil and Krzysiek quickly glanced at the item I'd thrown. However, it wasn't the item we were looking for, but the lip gloss I had in my purse.

"That's not it, after them!" they both shouted and gave chase.

Magda and I ran as fast as we could. Kamil and Krzysiek ran after us as fast as they could.

We both ran out of the alley and passed various shop windows.

"It's a shame there's no bus coming," Magda said, running. "

We have to get to the police station, it's not far from here. About a kilometer..." I shouted. "We have to run through the park, it'll be faster..."

"Then straight ahead and to the right!" Magda shouted.

Krzysiek and Kamil were running right behind me and Magda. The distance was only about five meters.

A moment later, we ran past all the shop windows and turned into the park.

Krzysiek and Kamil also bypassed the shops and followed us into the park.

Magda and I were running very fast and had a head start.

"I'm having colic, I can't do it anymore," Magda said.

"You can do it!" I shouted. "Please.

" "I can't..." Magda was slowing down.

"We have to lose them, let's turn," I suggested.

I turned and ran left, but Magda didn't notice and ran in the opposite direction.

"Come on, run left after Anka, I'll run after Magda," Krzysiek ordered.

The two split in the indicated directions.

XXX

Krzysiek ran after me, never letting go or losing me. I headed for the nearby playground.

"Give me back, and I'll leave you alone," Krzysiek shouted.

I didn't respond, still running towards the playground without stopping. I reached the sandbox and grabbed a handful of sand. As soon as Krzysiek ran up, I threw sand in his eyes, which made him wince and cringe involuntarily.

I ran away. The boy couldn't open his eyes, he took an unfortunate step forward, hitting his knee on the sandbox wall and landing in it.

I ran back and dialed the police.

XXX

Magda ran. The only thing she could think of was stretching the branches and releasing them so they would hit Kamil. Finally, after making up some time, the girl hid behind the bushes. Kamil started looking for her. He walked very slowly, trying not to make any noise.

Crouching, Magda found a mirror in her purse and threw it a short distance away.

Kamil quickly ran to the spot. At the same time, Magda ran out from behind the bushes and ran towards the path as fast as she could. It took a moment for the boy to see her and run after her.

I

headed for the knife that had fallen from Krzysiek's hand when he fell into the sandbox, but at the last moment he got up and grabbed it himself. I got scared and started running. The boy was chasing me, running right behind me.

I jumped over the fence, but I slipped on the sidewalk, where I landed, losing my balance.

Krzysiek also jumped over the fence and found himself right next to me.

XXX

Magda reached the path. But she kept running towards the playground. Kamil kept running after her.

The girl saw me from a distance and saw Krzysiek putting the knife to my throat.

Magda ran up to us both.

"Leave her alone!" Magda screamed.

Kamil ran up to Magda and grabbed her. Magda tried to pull away, but the boy was stronger.

"Give me what you have, and I'll leave you alone," Krzysiek said.

"Then take this and hide the knife," I begged.

Krzysiek lowered the knife from my throat, but kept it in his hand. The boy slowly started taking things out of my pocket. Finally, he saw a hair in the clear plastic wrap. He grabbed it. They both got up and started running.

"Stop, police!" shouted the policemen who had arrived at the scene.

XXX

Magda and I were sitting in the house. I was trying on an outfit for this afternoon, the date I had with Piotrek.

"You look nice," Magda commented.

"Thanks," I replied. "

It's lucky that burglary case ended yesterday, otherwise you'd be thinking about it all the time. If you hadn't called the police..."

"You're right, actually. Fortunately, everything ended well. The police took Krzysiek and Kamil away. I'm curious to see how this turns out.

" "Me too. What time is your appointment?"

"5:00 PM. I have to leave soon.

" "I have to go now. I have lunch. We'll call you.

" "Okay."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed."

Shortly after Magda left, my mother called me into the living room.

"Good morning, my name is Michał Pieczarka, I'm from the police investigation department," the young man greeted, shaking my hand.

"Good morning," I replied.

"I wanted to thank you very much for your help with the burglary. The case has been solved. Yesterday, after the two boys were arrested, they both pleaded guilty. Furthermore, that hair in the plastic bag you found greatly aided our investigation.

" "I understand the database has been secured?"

"Of course. After a thorough search, we found the changes they made.

" "And what about those police officers?"

"They've been suspended." Those two boys presented evidence they supposedly found online against them in a case from two years ago. They told me how they stole a key from your school's groundskeeper and the IT specialist and made it up, and how they slipped a sedative into the boy's coffee. And, of course, how they blackmailed the police officers by finding the evidence. It turned out the murdered woman was the aunt of one of them, which is why they knew so much about it and were able to blackmail those officers later.

" "Great."

"Thank you again for your help. Weren't you serious about such matters?

" "I don't understand."

"This isn't your first solved case, is it? I heard about the case in France. Haven't you ever considered solving mysteries professionally?"

XXX

Magda couldn't hide her satisfaction. Her investigation and mine were over. However, the matter of her parents still tormented her. True, since the last argument at home, peace and a positive attitude towards each other had prevailed, but the girl was still tormented by the question of whether they would reconcile for good.

The girl returned home. After undressing, she went into the living room. She saw her mother crying.

"Mom, what happened?" Magda asked.

"Is it about the father..." the girl's mother said, crying. "

Did something happen to him?

" "No, he's moving out. He's just packing in our room.

" XXX

I arrived at the agreed-upon place. I dressed in a very nice skirt and an elegant blouse. I had a small white handbag on my shoulder. Piotrek hadn't shown up yet. He'll definitely be here soon, I said to myself.

A moment later, I saw a boy walking towards me. He put on jeans and a long Nike T-shirt.

"Hi Ania," Piotrek greeted.

"Well, hi." "

We're heading that way," Piotrek pointed.

We started walking.

Suddenly, we both noticed a black car driving right past us. The car stopped right next to us, and to my utter surprise, two guys got out and grabbed Piotrek. Despite struggling, the boy was put in the car.

"Her too, there can't be any witnesses," someone sitting in the front said.

Two guys grabbed me too and dragged me into the backseat next to Piotrek.

"What's going on, what's going on?" I screamed. I didn't know what was happening. It happened so fast.

One of them also got into the back near the right door, the other into the front passenger seat. The driver started the engine and drove away with a screech of tires. TO

2

XXX

Meanwhile, Magda and I entered the school. We went straight to Mr. Wiesiek.

"Good evening," we said.

"Oh, hello, girls. But I don't think you have Polish classes today?" Mr. Wiesiek asked, surprised.

"That's right, we have another matter.

" "Namely..."

"Namely, we wanted you to let us into the computer lab for a moment. We need to see a few things," I said immediately. I didn't want to beat around the bush. I also knew that if we convinced him well enough, he'd let us in.

"That's out of the question. I can't let anyone in.

" "But no one will find out; it will only take about ten minutes.

" "But why do you want to get in there?" the surprised host finally asked. "

We want to look for clues." We know the police have already been looking around, but nothing will happen if we take a look too.

"Well, I don't know, if anyone saw you...

" "Yes, but Mr. Wiesek, it'll only be a moment, no one's at school.

" "Okay, but you'll owe me a favor.

" "What?

" "I don't know yet, maybe I'll need something someday."

"Okay, agreed, but first you have to answer a few questions."

"Okay, come in." The host let them into his room.

"How did the burglars get in?" I began immediately.

"I don't know, this is the only door; it's only open until 8 or 9 p.m., no longer.

" "Didn't you forget to lock it?"

"Certainly not, and even if they did, I would have seen them if they had walked past me here." He pointed to the hallway where Magda and I had just been standing. "Although there's something else..."

"Yes? What's the matter?"

"Something I haven't told the police."

"Please tell me."

"I simply fell asleep yesterday, it's the first time it's really happened to me. I was afraid that if I told the police, they'd kick me out of school. I've been working here for so many years...

" "Well, the burglars must have been exceptionally lucky, something stinks here...

" "Maybe my raspberry tea..."

"I'm not talking about why you fell asleep the first time and that's when the burglars broke into the school?"

"Honestly, I don't know, it's never happened before, I always watch TV"—he pointed at his small TV—"or read a book."

"There's no sign of a break-in on the door; it looks like they had a key."

"Only I and the principal have keys."

"Strange, but what did the police ask about?"

"The two policemen asked me just a few questions – had anything unusual happened before that night, and did I have any idea who might have broken in?

" "Strange, exactly. Did anything unusual happen?"

"No, the day went by as usual."

"Okay, so can we get into the computer lab for a moment?"

"But the girls didn't say a word to anyone."

"Okay, we'll be as silent as the grave."

A moment later, we were standing in front of the computer lab, and Mr. Wiesiek was opening the door for us. I was very excited, but Magda still had the feeling someone would see us.

After opening the door, we all went inside, and the teacher locked the door.

"Let's search quickly," Magda said.

"Take a look at all the computers, and I'll get to the main computer." I headed for the device on the teacher's desk.

A moment later, after carefully examining the computer, I found a red hair stuck to the keyboard.

"I think the police didn't search thoroughly. From what I know, Mr. Opiński"—I mentioned the computer science teacher's name—"has gray hair. No teacher has red hair either. I don't like it," I said, placing the hair in a small plastic bag. "Let's keep looking, maybe we'll find something else."

Suddenly, we all heard a door being unlocked.

"Quick, under the desk," I said quietly, and we both ducked under the teacher's desk.

Mr. Wiesiek, at the last moment before the door opened, managed to grab a broom and start pretending to sweep the floor.

"Mr. Wiesiek, what are you doing here?" asked the indignant principal, who had just entered the classroom.

"I'm sweeping. Mr. Opiński asked me to do it.

" "And who's guarding the school entrance now?"

"Relax, it's only ten minutes, I've locked the school," Mr. Wiesiek explained.

"Please go back to the reception desk. Did you come here yesterday too, when they broke into the classroom?" the director pestered.

"No, I spent the whole night at the reception desk."

"At least that's good, go away, the cleaners are there to sweep."

"And you?" he said as he left.

"I'm leaving too, I just came for the diskette I left." He headed for the main computer.

Magda and I felt our hearts leap into our throats. The director reached for the computer and pulled out the diskette. His foot was right next to Magda's hand.

"And that's it, we're leaving, Mr. Wiesiek," he said, heading back to the door.

They both left, locked the door, and left.

Magda and I emerged from under the desk.

"Good, now we're locked in," Magda commented.

"Relax, Mr. Wiesiek will be back soon," I replied with much more calm.

"How do you know?"

"Well, he won't leave us like that. Keep looking."

A moment later, the door opened again, and Magda and I jumped under the teacher's desk again.

"Fish to the aquarium, this is a whale," Mr. Wiesiek said.

Magda and I emerged from under the desk.

"Quick, we're out of here," Magda said.

"Good code, Mr. Wiesiek," I commented.

"It's readable. Unfortunately, the principal is still at school, in his office, so we have to leave secretly.

Fortunately, everything has worked out for us now. We calmly went downstairs, thanked Mr. Wiesiek for his help, and left the school as quickly as possible. "

It's almost 11:00 PM," Magda said when we were halfway there. "

We're late. But that's okay, the important thing is we have some clue."

"Are you talking about that hair?"

"Yes, I'll give it to Mom; she has access to the lab."

"And what do you say, it's the burglar's hair?"

"Come on, I'll say it's for a biology experiment. That's a bummer; I'm wondering what's going on with the police."

"I don't understand."

"Something's wrong. They only asked Mr. Wiesiek a few questions and didn't thoroughly search the burglary scene. Hmm... I have an idea.

I knew this case would interest me. Now I simply couldn't tear myself away from it.

XXX

I returned home. I rarely went out at this hour, and when I did, my mother never held it against me. I had a wonderful mother, and I was happy about that.

"Mom," I said to her in the kitchen, taking out a small plastic bag. "Will you check this for me at work?

" "What is this?

" "Speaking of that biology experiment. It's a friend's hair. And get the results; then we'll get a better grade."

"Okay, but you can only determine DNA from that hair, not a person's full name."

"Relax, Mom, that's exactly what I mean."

"Okay, but go to bed. It's late."

"Okay, thanks."

I headed for my room. Before going to bed, I made one more call.

"Hello. Uncle Marek?" I said.

"Oh, hi, Ania. " "

How are you doing?

" "Oh, everything's alright. And how's school?"

"Okay, I'm not complaining. Listen, Uncle, I have a case. Does that detective still work for you?

" "Yes, did something happen?"

"I'm talking about the police report from a certain case. Could you photocopy it for me? I'd be very grateful."

"Okay, that's no problem. And what about the other case you've snooped on?

" "Something like that."

"Okay, so what case is it?"

I briefly explained to my uncle.

"Okay, maybe I can make it tomorrow. See you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight.

XXX

Math was the biggest pain for me and my class. "

We're taking out our papers," the teacher announced at the very beginning of class.

Groans and dissatisfaction could be heard throughout the class.

"Please, let's write down the questions."

A moment later, the class began writing. Magda and I looked at each other and involuntarily smiled, noticing the completely blank sheets of paper.

"I can't do anything," I said quietly to Magda.

"Me neither." Magda couldn't hide her satisfaction.

We both looked around the classroom. The teacher was looking out the window; some were cheating, others were silent, only Paulina—the class nerd—sat right in front of me and Magda, furiously writing a quiz.

"Pull the paper a little to the side," I whispered.

The girl shifted, and the paper with the solution became visible to me. This was my only chance. Maybe it would work out, after all, I knew absolutely nothing about math. Especially when yesterday, instead of studying, I'd been conducting an "investigation."

I began carefully copying the work, of course, glancing at the teacher every now and then.

After ten minutes, Kowalski collected the quizzes.

"Well, we managed to screw around a bit," Magda commented quietly.

The class was silent as the teacher reviewed the papers. Suddenly, he spoke up:

"Kiempińska, I see that math has finally found its way into your daily routine...

" "Yes, Professor," I said, standing up. "Math has always been important to me."

"Ha ha, strange, you did the entire first assignment. On rational functions. After all, that was the bottom of your math hole," the teacher nagged.

"Yes, I did the entire assignment, Professor."

"So you probably did the homework without the slightest problem too?"

"You could say that," I said in a whisper.

"Excuse me? "

"I did," I ventured. "

In that case, please come to the board with your notebook. Yours," he added, as if to explain.

I slowly approached the board. The classroom was completely silent.

"Well, please do it."

I started working on the problem, but I couldn't seem to get it to work. Finally, after a few minutes, the teacher stood up and approached me. He grabbed my notebook and saw it.

"Well, it's empty. You could have said it right away, but..." He took my notebook and sat down at his desk. "

FAIL for missing homework. Second F for classwork," the mathematician said.

"What do you mean? For classwork?" I rebelled.

"Well, you did the problem for a few minutes and got... a complete zero. You're not a mathematician.

" "May I sit down, Professor?" I asked, irritated.

"Are you in such a hurry? Wait a minute. And a third F..."

This response brought grim faces and head-scratching from the students.

"For the quiz. Do you think I'm that stupid? You copied from your notebook or from Miss Paulina!"

The teacher wrote down all the grades in the gradebook, and then in my notebook.

"Tomorrow, Kiempińska, with your mother's signature. Sit down."

I slowly walked to my seat. Jesus, how I hated him. The worst teacher in the history of the school. I'd love to take revenge on him.

"Lesson topic...

XXX"

"Don't worry, your mom will understand," Magda consoled me. "

But I'm not worried, Kowalski is like that. He's just mad at me, that's all. He's never given anyone an A. Even if I hadn't copied from Paulina, he would have thought of something anyway," I rambled on. I was still furious. "

You're right, actually .

" "You'd better go to Opiński's," I suggested.

"Why?" Magda asked. "So

what? I need to ask him a few questions about the break-in.

" "Okay, fine."

We both went to the computer room. We knocked, and when we heard "come in," we entered. "

Good morning, professor," we said.

"Hi, what's going on?" the teacher asked, looking through various files.

"It's about the break-in."

"The computer room will be open from tomorrow.

" "It's not about that. Do we know what the main computer was hacked for?" Magda asked.

"I don't know, it's all in the hands of the police. I'm not getting involved, and neither should you. But wait, how do you know the main computer was hacked?

" "Because..." Magda said.

"Because, of course, it's the main computer. After all, it has a lot of important things on it, and there's nothing special on regular computers," I said, saving the day. "

Maybe it's true. I don't know anything. I advise you to leave this matter alone, too.

" "Okay, thank you." We left.

XXX

Magda and I were walking home from school.

"Do you think he really didn't know anything about the purpose of breaking into the computer lab?" Magda asked. "

I don't think so. Why would I tell us? So the whole school would find out? "

"We wouldn't tell anyone."

"I know that, but Mr. Opiński wasn't absolutely certain. But don't worry, we'll find out the purpose of the break-in today.

" "Where exactly?"

"I'll get a copy of the police report tonight.

" XXX

I was sitting at home, waiting for a call from Uncle Marek. Finally, the dial tone rang.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hi, it's Piotrek.

" "Ah... it's you... hello."

"Listen, I'm calling because I've chosen a place where we can meet on Saturday.

" "That's good. Listen, Piotrek, I'm waiting for an important call."

"Okay, let's just plan it. What time should I pick you up?"

"Piotrek, no need. I'll find it myself. Just tell me where."

"Be at the theater—the one next to the opera. Let's say, at 5 p.m..

" "Okay, see you."

"For now."

Piotrek hung up, not hiding his pride. "On Saturday at 5 p.m., I'll prove I love her. I'll apologize again for everything. Not only will we meet, but I'll also give up the drugs." Suddenly the phone rang.

"Hey, it's Przemek.

" "Hi." "

Listen, in a few days, these guys want to make an appointment. We have to give them the money and take more plots."

"Przemo, I told you already. I'm not interested. Seriously. Give them my plot and tell them I won't sell anymore."

"Piotrek, they won't leave you alone. You know..." "

I'll manage."

"If you want, if anything, we'll meet at..."

"Przemo," Piotrek interrupted. "For now.

" "Bye."

Piotrek knew he wouldn't get away with these dealers that easily, but he promised me and he wanted to keep his word. He's done with drugs, and this time he has to succeed.

XXX

Meanwhile, I finally got a call from Uncle Marek. I went to him, got a photocopy of the police report, and read the document. Now I was going to share it with Magda.

We were both on our way to school.

"Listen, these police officers suck," I started to say.

"Why do you think that?" "

I'll summarize the police report for you. They write that someone broke into the computer lab for some unknown reason. There are no traces. That's impossible. "

"Maybe they really don't know anything?"

"Magda, don't be naive. They could have found even that hair. Besides, the way they talked to Mr. Wiesek earlier speaks for itself.

"They could get fired.

" "I'd be more worried about the reason these officers acted like that."

"What do you mean?

" "Then why are they so imprecise?" And I even have an idea. But we have to ask someone for help again.

"Who?"

"Alex and Tomek. They're great computer geeks. We'll ask them to find as much information as possible about these policemen."

Soon after, during one of our breaks, Magda and I stopped our friends in the hallway.

"Aleks, Tomek, we have a big favor to ask.

" "What is it? "

"We need you to find something for us on the computer.

" "Okay, what is it?"

"We'd have to meet; it's confidential.

" "Okay, but it's nothing illegal?"

"No, no way."

"Okay, then come over to my place around 4 p.m.," Aleks suggested.

"Okay, cool, see you. Thanks a lot.

French Adventure Part 3 - Break-in

PART 3:

BURGLARY

He was sleepy; he hadn't felt this tired on duty in a long time. I need to take a nap, just for a moment. Just for a few minutes, wait out the crisis, and then everything will be alright.

Mr. Wiesiek, the school's groundskeeper at the local school, slowly closed his eyes.

After a few minutes, two hooded boys appeared at the school's main doors.

One of them bent down and quietly opened the door with a key. They carefully climbed the stairs. They only glanced at the school's groundskeeper, who was already sound asleep, then opened another door and entered the school hallway. They walked briskly toward the stairs. A moment later, they found themselves on the third floor.

They didn't speak to each other, didn't turn on the lights, and there was complete silence.

Finally, they made their way to room 310.

They entered by unlocking the door. The computer room was silent and pitch black. One of them carefully closed the door, locking it twice, and then both headed for the computer on the teacher's desk. One of them pressed the "Power" button. The computer fired up, and they eagerly waited for the device to fully power on. The taller one sat down in a chair, the other switched on a flashlight.

After about half a minute, the computer booted up. The seated boy immediately knew where he would find the folder he was looking for.

The other one said quietly, satisfied,

"Math.

"

I finally reached the park. I saw Magda sitting on a bench. Did something happen? I'd been wondering since I left the house.

I was sitting quietly at home, suffering through math; the clock was almost 10 p.m., when my closest friend called me and asked me to come to the park. After all, Magda never had any major problems.

"Magda, I'm here, what happened?" I ran to my friend and sat next to her on the bench.

"My parents..." she said, wiping away her tears and squeezing out more.

"What about your parents, did something happen?"

"No... I mean, yes. They had another fight. It's my fault."

"Oh, stop crying, tell me calmly and slowly what's going on. Everything in order." "

I was sitting in my room at the computer when I heard them shouting again... They were arguing about me again, my father was yelling that my mother let me do too much, she said he didn't take care of me at all... I couldn't stand it anymore, so I ran out of the house and came here. I wanted to talk to you, so I called you.

" "Calm down, Madzia, it's okay. Don't cry, everything will be okay.

" "It won't be okay!!! It's like this all the time, you don't understand, one fight stops, and another starts."

"You need to talk to them. Ask them to behave normally, not to shout, not to argue.

" "It won't work. I'm sure of it.

" "Have you tried talking yet?

" "No..." "

Then try it, I guarantee that after we talk, everything will change, for the better, of course. Now come on, it's cold already—it's not summer. I'll walk you home."

"Thank you, I'm glad you're here. "

XXX

Piotrek was sitting in his room, playing Icy Tower on his computer. He was trying to vent. Why can't Ania forgive him, and above all, how did she know he was on the exchange?

I have to end this, once and for all. Ania is more important to me. Much more important. I've already betrayed her trust twice. I'm afraid I'll never get another chance. But... I love her. I know that now. I'll do everything to make her forgive me and never let me down again.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang; Piotrek had lost the game.

"Hello," the boy said.

"Hey, it's Przemek. You have to be with me at the factory tomorrow at 5 p.m.," Piotrek's friend said with a slight edge to his voice.

"No, Przemo, that's out of the question. This time I'm sure I'm done with it." "

I'm sorry, man, but they just called me."

"Who called you?

" "Well, they were the dealers. They said the two of us should show up at the factory tomorrow at 5 p.m. to get the plots and sell them like before, despite those guys being locked up."

"But don't you understand? I'm getting out of this business. No more drugs and drug dealing!

" "Piotrek, I wanted to quit too, but it's impossible. If you start working with them, you'll never quit. There's no escaping this job. A few months ago, when I wanted to quit, I got such a beating that I still can't forget it. They threatened my girlfriend too."

"Przemo, listen, I don't care." I'm done with this, and you can tell your friends tomorrow at the phone booth.

"As you wish, bye.

" "Bye.

" XXX

I got home. I looked at my cell phone. I saw several missed calls from Piotrek and one text message asking me to answer.

I had no intention of talking to Piotrek. I was disappointed in him once again. Just when I thought we had to work it out, I was met with another painful disappointment. I didn't want to suffer again.

I gave up. Yes, I liked Piotrek, I had feelings for him, but I definitely wouldn't seduce him, and above all, I wouldn't forgive him for anything.

The phone rang again.

But I gave up and answered. Let him say what he wanted, so he wouldn't call me again.

"Hello," I said coldly. I knew exactly what I was about to hear from the other person.

"It's me, Piotrek."

"I know."

"I'm sorry, Ania. Please meet with me again, I'll explain everything."

"I don't see the need. I've lost trust in you once and for all," I said honestly. "

Ania, please. I can't deal with this. I had to go there then, but it will never happen again. I promise."

"Piotrek, no! Leave me alone." I hung up.

XXX

Magda and I entered the school. We were about to head to the locker room when we saw a terrible crowd and several policemen.

"What happened?" we asked.

"Oh, hi." Aleks and Tomek saw us.

"Boys, what happened here?" I was terribly curious. "

Don't you know? They broke into the computer lab tonight.

" "Oh, gosh," Magda couldn't hide her surprise, and I was immediately intrigued. "

Let's go over there, maybe we'll find out more," I suggested. I was immediately intrigued.

"The bell's about to ring, and besides, the police aren't saying anything and aren't letting anyone in. The computer lab is locked, so there probably won't be any computer lab either."

"Oh well, we're going to class," Magda said, turning into the locker room. But I stood frozen. Only a moment later did I turn toward my friend. "

I'll see you later, for now," I said to the guys. "Magda, if we change quickly, we can take a closer look at all this. After the first lesson, the police might be gone, and the computer lab will simply be locked," I persuaded my friend. "

Anka, math is first. We can't be late, we'll go to the answers." "

Okay, then go, I can run at least." My curiosity got the better of me.

I quickly changed in the locker room, said, "See you later," to my friend, and then ran up to the third floor.

Two policemen stood in front of the computer lab, and a group of curious students gathered nearby.

I approached.

"You're not going in anyway," commented Paulina, one of my classmates.

"I know that, but maybe I'll learn something."

I headed straight for the lab.

"Please don't come in," one of the policemen said.

"When will the computer lab be open?" I asked immediately.

"Nothing is known.

" "Have any traces been found yet?" I persisted. I wanted to know everything.

"No. Nothing is known.

" XXX

The whole class was copying the problem from the board. Magda and I sat in the last desk. Neither of us were mathematically gifted, and since our new teacher, and also our new homeroom teacher—Mr. Kowalski—wasn't exactly a teacher by vocation, we chose the lesser evil, which was sitting in the last desk and chatting for a while.

"I didn't learn anything," I said quietly, noticing my friend's gaze on me. "

I told you, forget it, the police probably already had a lead.

" "But it annoys me, who broke in and why?" That's just how I was. When a case caught my interest, I could forget everything else just to solve it.

"Kiempińska, what are you rambling on about again? Probably about rational functions.

" "No, Professor," I stood up. "I'm sorry."

"I understand you've already solved the problem."

"No, I'm copying it."

"In my day, you copied it silently, but I'm old, now you have to chatter."

"No, you don't have to. I'll be quiet," I assured the teacher. I didn't like him. He was always picking on me. I'd practically done nothing to him, and yet he treated me like that. He was a strange character.

"Great, Kiempińska, I advise you to be careful," the teacher concluded.

XXX

Magda and I were walking home from school.

"Damn, this math is killing me," Magda commented tiredly.

"Oh, Magda, we have more important things to worry about than just math. I have an idea," I said, sounding inspired. Nothing else interested me at the time.

"What idea?

" "We have to go to the school later and check out the classroom and this whole break-in!" I'd already come up with a plan. "

Anka, how are we going to get in there? We won't fly in through the chimney or the window. And besides, if anyone sees us..."

"We'll get in through the door," I said, already having the scenario for this evening in mind.

"And how are you supposed to go unnoticed next to Mr. Wiesiek? We don't have an invisibility cloak.

" "Who said we have to hide?" I smiled at my friend. "We'll ask Mr. Wiesiek to let us in. He's the one who has all the keys, after all, and he's the only one who guards the school in the evenings and at night," I finished stoically.

"Okay, let's assume that even Mr. Wiesiek lets us into the computer lab, what next?"

"Well, we'll look around and see all the clues."

"You think the police haven't already done this?"

"What harm will an extra pair of eyes do? Besides, this mystery's already got me. So, will you come with me?

" "What if someone notices us?

" "Who's going to notice us?

" "Well, maybe a teacher. Then we'll be screwed.

" "Nobody's going to notice us, you'll see.

" "So, all that's left is how do we convince Mr. Wiesiek to let us in?"

"Leave me alone, what about 7 p.m.?

" "Okay, then, see you then.

" "Bye."

I turned into an alley. Suddenly, Piotrek ran up to me. He was the only one I was missing. He took the opportunity to have me listen to him again.

"Ania, hi," Piotrek said. "These are for you." He handed me a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi, thanks, but I can't accept this."

"Why? I apologize again for everything.

" "Piotrek, stop, are you following me?" I said, outraged.

"I'm not following you at all, I just wanted to talk to you.

" "But about what? I already told you to leave me alone!" I shouted.

"But I can't stop thinking about you. Please, give me this one last chance," Piotrek pleaded.

"What good will it do? I've known you for a while now and I know what you're like. You can't be trusted.

" "Ania, I'll do anything for you, I promise."

"Stop, Piotrek, I'm not forcing you to make any sacrifices."

"I know, but I'm forcing myself.

" "What do you expect from me, because I'm already lost in all this?"

"Meet me, just once, and I'll prove to you that I'm worthy of your trust after all.

" "Fine," I agreed to his proposal. "Let's meet on Saturday.

" "Saturday?"

"Yes, but until then, please don't pester me, I have a lot on my mind."

"Thank you, but take these flowers."

"Okay, for now."

I accepted the gift and quickly headed home.

XXX

Happy Piotrek was returning home. He was already thinking about Saturday's date. This time I'll succeed. Now I can't ruin anything, everything has to be perfect.

His euphoria was interrupted by an unusual sight.

Two guys were standing in front of the staircase, one of them holding Przemek, Piotrek's friend.

The boy ran up to them.

"Let him go!" Piotrek shouted.

"What manners!" one said, releasing Przemek. "Not only didn't you say hello, you're late.

" "What do you want?

" "You missed the meeting." One guy started approaching Piotrek, took a small bag from his pocket, and put it in Piotrek's jacket. "Here, you know what to do with this." The money and the next plot of land are for sale in a few days. We'll contact you. And next time we won't look for you, you have to come. Understand?" They both started to walk away.

"No, I'm leaving this business!"

"I think I misheard." The men stopped and turned around. "Dude, don't piss me off.

" "Are you that stupid? I don't want to work anymore."

"You sulks, you can shoot, but not us. You have two options: either sell the plots nicely and we'll forget about it, or you'll have to deal with us. Goodbye!"

They both walked away, and Piotrek and Przemek stood still. Their hearts were beating very fast.

After a moment, Piotrek took out a bag of drugs and handed it to Przemek.

"Here. Give it to them on your way out. I'm done with this," Piotrek said with stoic calm in his voice. "

Piter, calm down."

"I'm calm, bye."

"But wait, you don't want to leave me with this?"

"You don't have to sell it, you just have to give it to them."

Piotrek walked over to the staircase and went home.

condemned to loneliness

I'm biting my nails again. Every time I do it, I don't think about anything, I just stare at one spot, I don't even seem to blink, and I bite my nails until it hurts. I don't even know when I stop or why I stop. If I tried to stop halfway through, I wouldn't be able to, and if I did, it would only be for a short time. I should start treating myself. I even started once. I bought some bitter-tasting nail polish. At first, it actually helped. I was happy like a child, but the damn thing was so bitter that the bitterness lingered long after I even tried to bite off a single nail. Later, I somehow got used to it, and it stopped bothering me.

The worst part of the day is this state of stupor, where I think of nothing, wandering around like some sick soul. I even catch myself going into the bathroom and looking at my reflection. I don't know how many people experience this, or if it's normal; I've only seen it in weird movies where the characters have some strange problems. Except I'm not in any movie, and my problems... What are my problems? I'm finishing school, I have a job, a family, a place to live, food to eat, money, a girlfriend, I have everything... so why am I rambling like this? Why aren't I laughing, making phone calls, or taking care of something? I'm 26 years old, am I old already? If so, when was I young? When did I have those carefree years? I think I missed it when I looked in the mirror.

I'm standing there looking at myself.

I have a child's face. Not long ago, when buying a beer, the bartender asked me for my ID. I blushed, as I usually do in such situations. Besides, I've never seen anyone my age blush so much. It's strange, because I think I'm ashamed of being ashamed, or maybe I'm only 17, someone got the age wrong by nine years, that would be correct... but to stare in the mirror for nine years? Maybe staring doesn't make people age, and that's why I look like this...

I always flush the toilet when I go out so my parents don't think who knows what.

Has anyone ever wondered where thoughts come from? Such thoughts, so strange. There's a lot of blood in your head, veins, nothing there, you can't hear anything... and yet something happens, we think, we understand, we get scared, we cry, we feel, we fall in love. Biologists all over the world are trying to figure out how it is that we think. I once read an article about how we fall in love. Someone even called it a chemical reaction in which a substance called phenylethylamine affects us – good, right? But how is it that we fall in love with beauty and not ugliness? Why with a woman and not with Fran's washing machine? Nobody told us it was good. Why do some people think differently from others? After all, we're all the same, we're built the same way.

I often examine my conscience. I sit down at the computer and write something. I used to have a notebook where I jotted down various things. Over time, the notebook turned into a diary with marked days and times. The first date written there is Saturday, August 10, 1996, at 12:20 PM. I remember returning from the city, from the market, and writing it immediately. I was still 17 years old at the time. These were entries, accounts of the day, and I always smile at them. The problems of a seventeen-year-old, still so pure, trusting, and believing in what he'd read in Polish class. I was serving at Mass then, an altar boy, and I was proud of it. Our parish church was old, larch, dating from 1772. It was situated in an amazing location, surrounded by trees, sculptures, a bell tower, a cemetery nearby, and a manor-style rectory. And everywhere, that scent of such noble old age. No one will know what I mean until they smell it themselves. Maybe that's where I got so carried away; it was always so gloomy, so nostalgic, so sad. I even went to Mass there recently, still sitting in the car because I still had time, and it was Holy Saturday, so according to our priest, the evening Mass was supposed to start "at sunset," so people were arriving at different times. So I sat and watched them. My attention was drawn to the old bell tower, black as larch after years, and on it a clock, carved from wood, still light, fresh, not yet blackened. Around the dial was a large gold inscription: "Maybe this is your last." And so it was everywhere, next to the monuments, inscriptions like "you know neither the day nor the hour," fragments of poetry. I stood and stared at the clock. Of course, I didn't go to church. I often do that. I don't know why. I plan something, and then cancel it for no reason. I saw people gathering around a tree that an altar boy was about to light. This used to be my favorite Mass.

I always felt respect for our priest. He was an old-fashioned man, with a sincere demeanor etched on his face. He smiled rarely, and only outside the church; in church, it was always an ironic, dismissive smile. It took me a long time to dare to climb the altar; all those people were staring at us as if we were possessed. But we had a better view than they did; we could examine everyone, especially the girls going to communion, and of course, there was always room for us; we didn't have to crowd together and stand far away.

I have a girlfriend.

I've had her for two years. She's young, 20. Blonde. Blue eyes. And she's with me. She's my first girlfriend for so long. My first one was when I was 19. I went to church then, I was well-behaved, I knew what I'd be doing the next day, and I remembered what I'd done the week before. I didn't have a phone. I fell in love. That's what my diary says, by the way. I met her at my sister's party. Then I didn't sleep for two days, until I finally asked her out and asked... (I stammered) if we could meet. That was probably some kind of turning point in my life. Our relationship lasted six months. I didn't even kiss her. But I remember her fondly. Then my big life change began. Leather, a car, and a cell phone. Some discos, fleeting acquaintances. Nothing lasted.

Today I'm with Justyna. She's 20.

*************

The phone rings.

It has this sound, seemingly quiet but persistent. It rings. For a moment, I still hope it's a dream. No, it's not a dream. Now I have to find it. It is. It's a private one. I'm answering.

- Good morning. Małgorzata Jagielska, Idea mobile network. May I speak with Mr. Marcin Chojnacki?

There was a rather long silence. I'm still asleep, and I thought I was dreaming this too. I always forget to turn off my phone's ringtones in the evening.

- Hello? - A woman's voice comes on the line again;

- Yes, it's me, I'm listening, what's going on; I'm examining my conscience. I canceled my contract phone some time ago, so there are no outstanding bills.

- I'm pleased to inform you that you're our best customer, and we have a proposition for you.

Best customer means that I've been overspending on my phone bills lately and spending too much on calls.

- What do you mean exactly?

I'm trying to be polite; I'd love to hang up and go back to sleep.

- We're offering you a program where you'll receive points for the number of minutes you call. However, you have to register.

"How can I register?" he continues, trying to be nice

. "You have to provide your address, and we'll send you a form to fill out with a return envelope, which you should return to us."

I provided the address and could finally go back to sleep. It's so easy to snatch someone's address; that girl could have been a fake.

It's spring.

I don't know if everyone feels the same way in spring. It's an amazing time; all decisions should probably be made in spring. I always see things differently."

It's so fresh, so pleasant. I get on my bike and ride into the forest, it's not far, about 500 meters, and I'm alone. There's no one there. It's a bit damp from the night's rain, and sometimes a wet branch hits me in the face. It's good to forget yourself and ride somewhere, not saying a word. It's also nice to have a radio on; then I feel like I'm dreaming it all...

************

I'm 24 years old and I haven't had sex with a girl yet. I don't know what it's like; maybe I'm abnormal. Maybe it's my upbringing. I'm definitely not gay. So what? All my friends and colleagues tell me about new girls, girls I've hit on, discos, and one-night stands. And me? I don't know if there's anyone else who's my age, isn't in a seminary, and is a virgin. As for that seminary... well, so many people have so many opinions on the subject. I'll be honest, I think I'm even ashamed of it. I can't say I'm not successful with women. But it gets to me when a woman tries harder than a man. I lose respect and end the relationship.

I remember once my sister's friend invited me to a wedding. I agreed, I liked her, and I like to have fun. I had a neutral attitude towards her. I drove her home, and as I was leaving, she asked me when I was coming over. I don't remember what I said, but to this day there's a certain numbness between us, and I think we avoid each other. I can't even imagine how a girl feels when a guy rejects her.

I remember my first kiss with a girl. She was a colleague from work. Also at a wedding. It was actually quite nice. And, as is typical at weddings, vodka, the atmosphere. We went outside. And she started kissing me. I don't remember how old I was at the time. 19 or maybe 20, something like that. I still remember the place, her, and the feeling. She was a year older than me. And definitely more experienced. I didn't know it could be so pleasant. But once we started, I think I kissed her half the night. The next day I had such a moral hangover that I was afraid to go to work, where, of course, my colleague and kissing teacher were – all in one. I remember finally going. I went in, and she said to me – "Hi, dragon..." I don't know what that meant...

I was so upset that I still feel sick to this day. She worked for about another month and then quit. I don't know if it was because of me or if it was a coincidence. In any case, I felt like I'd turned down some girl again. I don't know how they perceive me; I guess normally, no guy would waste such opportunities and take whatever comes his way. I guess I'm different after all. And I guess fate was after me too, because I'm single... my father, at my age, already had a wife, a house, children... and I...

After those first kisses, I think I started to like her, because it changed me a bit. I started to become more interested in girls. There was also Magda. 17 years old, blue eyes, red hair, tall... a teenager. I was with her for about six months. But she was the one who introduced me to all these secrets, I got a foretaste of sex. Maybe it's more accurate to say that we introduced each other to these secrets. I pretended to be an experienced guy in these matters, and she still got dizzy during longer kisses. Such a pure, innocent girl. Back then, all this purity didn't mean anything to me. It was the first time I touched a girl's bare breasts, I touched her all over. I slept with her. I remember it was an incredible feeling. I remember my first ejaculation and how ashamed I was at the time, not knowing what to do with it. But we didn't have sex. And why I broke up...? I don't quite remember. I think it was on vacation in Władysławowo. We slept in a tent, and from the start, it was strange. I don't think I have a good personality; I often don't know what I'm thinking; I just feel something and I don't know what's happening to me. I only know I did the right thing; she started dating my friend that same day. I don't think anyone here has hurt anyone. We met a few more times, once at her sister's wedding. I sensed a subtle sentiment in her voice during our conversation. I think I was her first serious boyfriend.

I think every guy has his own ideal woman; he imagines himself with her in various situations, how they meet, how they touch, how they kiss... that's how I do. I see my woman. She's blonde, tall, but a little shorter than me. She has long, slightly curly hair, long bangs swept behind her ear, and her hair gently falls over her shoulders. Her eyes are green, so gentle and polite, and most importantly – a smile. Red lips and a sincere, gentle smile. Her breasts are small. But she's dressed so well that you can see them. She's wearing a short, checkered skirt, just below the knee, pumps, and thin black stockings. A jacket, and under the jacket, a T-shirt with some lace. Long, delicate fingers... In terms of appearance, she reminds me most of the actress in the movie "Convict Flight" with Nicholas Cage. She appears briefly and at the very end of the film. She's the main character's wife. She has a daughter, about four years old. I'd like to have a daughter too... anyone who's seen that movie knows my taste.

I think I'm getting to the age where it's time to get married and start building my life. I can already feel the impatient breath of time on my back. I hate pressure, something that forces me to act quickly. Something that isn't entirely my decision. I often have to think about, analyze, and revise important matters. Often, after all this thought, I make a decision, and it's as if I'd made it before I even started thinking about it... I think I'm wasting my time, and that's probably why I'll actually be alone.

I have a girlfriend. Justyna. She's young. There's a five-year age difference between us. How are we doing? We're like most people, I guess. That is, okay, fine, fine, it's going well. That's how you answer questions when something's not right. We also ask such questions when we see or feel something's off. So when I ask myself how things are with Justyna, I answer, fine. What does "fine" mean? It means we meet, kiss, sleep, watch TV, learn English... Justyna is studying English; she studied in high school and has now started studying English. We see each other often. I like seeing her because I like the way she touches me, the way I kiss her, the way she sits on my lap and I smell her. She's blonde, has long, slightly curly hair, blue eyes, and thin fingers, but not too long. I like her most about five days after my period. I don't know how much it matters, but it does. She looks so feminine then. She's generally pretty. She's a bit shorter than me. I think that's why I became interested in her. It was New Year's Eve. My brother and I were at a party with his friends. I think I was the oldest there. I noticed her right away. I even remember what she was wearing. We didn't dance once. And our conversations were just brief quips. Anyway, I later learned from my brother's friends that she was genuinely interested in me. I texted her a few months later; I was working at the time and didn't have time. I wrote something like congratulations on passing my final exams. She replied with something I don't remember what... anyway, we're a couple. I remember our first kiss. It's funny how a girl acts. I drove her home once, sometime when we first started dating. I turned off the car. We talked. I remember it was so hard to talk to her, like she wasn't connecting. She looked at me like she was seeing something for the first time. She'd tilt her head, lean back against the headrest, and keep looking. A few days later, I learned from her best friend's boyfriend that all she was thinking about was me kissing her. I didn't know what to think. I think less than a week later, we were driving through the forest, probably late in the evening. It was dark anyway. I stopped the car. In a meadow. We talked for a while. I think she was a little afraid of what would happen. And I simply turned to her, wanted to say something, I think I did, but I guess I didn't understand myself. And I kissed her. We kissed until we got used to each other. I have very fond memories of that moment. I don't remember how long we sat there, but I remember how she was dressed, how she smelled, the place. We went back there a few more times after that. It was one of our favorite places. To get there, you had to drive through a dense, dark forest, usually at night, then you'd come out into an uncultivated meadow and drive down a dirt road that was hard to find.After a while, you were in the middle of nowhere. Far from the forest and far from everything. I don't remember anyone ever going that way.