(Only 400 more meters and the prize will be yours!)
They walked along the sidewalk down a street lit by yellow lamps. The dusk deepened with each passing minute, a cool breeze chasing away the last remnants of the day's heated air. Traffic on the main street slowly died down. It was almost ten.
They walked, laughing loudly, the alcohol flowing lazily through their veins giving them a boost. Another 550 meters and they would be home. After a hard day at school and a fun but tiring evening spent at a bar with friends, they dreamed only of drifting off into the sweet land of dreams.
"That internal driving test wasn't that difficult after all," the tall blond man tilted his head slightly and looked up at the stars winking at him flirtatiously. "It'll be worse in the city."
He felt dizzy. He veered slightly to the right, bumping into his friend.
"Oh, Daniel, Daniel," said the dark-haired man. "You're pretty drunk. Tomorrow you'll probably be hungover as if you'd guzzled a cow.
" "Well, you almost did," he replied, and as if to prove his point, he staggered slightly again, tripped, and almost fell. "Fuck! These fucking bumps in flat surfaces."
Kamil burst into loud laughter. The girl holding his hand smiled too, though less enthusiastically.
"Nothing like a good reason to celebrate," he choked out through his laughter.
"Dude, any reason is a good reason to celebrate. Even a fucking cat's birthday. "
Another burst of laughter ripped through the air.
(Keep it up! Only 300 meters left!)
"Dude, have you started studying for your final exams yet?" Daniel's voice took on a note of seriousness.
"And what brought you to this conversation now?" Kamil looked at him with obvious surprise in his eyes. "Don't you have any more serious problems right now, like how to get that little friend of your sister's to leave you alone?"
"Stop it! I'm asking seriously now. So how? Do you know anything yet?
" "I know something. Sometimes Ania and I sit down and study together, then it's easier," he replied. "But man, what are you worried about? You're good at both Polish and history. I don't think you even need to study that much.
" "Well, I wouldn't put it that way." There was a moment of silence. "But you're right, there's nothing to worry about right now. We still have three whole weeks. We'll figure something out. Besides, I think this final exam is making more of a fuss than it's worth.
" "And that approach is the right one. At least you're keeping the risk of a nervous heart attack at bay."
Daniel looked at his friend. He raised his left eyebrow, expressing irony. However, they both smiled.
The conversation was interrupted by the roar of a truck traveling at high speed. The truck's trailer, bouncing over the ruts, rocked dangerously, as if about to fall off. Nothing of the sort happened, of course, and a moment later the giant disappeared somewhere behind them.
(It's getting warmer! We still have 200 meters to go!)
"Have you heard what Darek and his friends are up to at night?" Kamil nudged Daniel.
"No, I haven't. But knowing him and his ideas, it's probably very interesting.
" "I guess. They come back from some party at night. So what? And of course, they're bored. And since they're bursting with energy, not to mention the alcohol levels going crazy, they decide to move a few garbage cans." He paused. "And what do you think the outcome was?"
"The garbage cans probably moved."
"That's right. And you know what else he said?" That they must have had a real hard time knocking them over, because those concrete scum—that's the term he used—are damn heavy. And the best part is that he was so pleased with himself that his face turned into a huge redhead. Interesting form of entertainment, eh?
A couple passed them. The girl was holding a red rose in her right hand.
"I know an even better story," Daniel began to tell. "We were once driving back from a party together. The night driver, of course, got away, so we were walking at a loss. We were just passing a 'no entry' sign. It referred to some one-way street, I don't remember which one. Anyway, Darek had another idea and we turned the sign the other way. It was difficult, but together we managed.
" "Not bad," Kamil laughed.
Ania looked at him and spoke for the first time in a while.
"That's not bad at all. If this is a one-way street and you moved the sign, someone could drive the wrong way and unknowingly cause an accident or get a ticket."
"Stop moralizing," Kamil said. She looked at him with a spark of anger in her eyes, but gave up.
"As you wish," she said, almost in a whisper.
"Dear Ania," Daniel said, his voice laced with irony and pity. "We wanted to have fun. We didn't think much about what we were doing or what the consequences would be. Those are the so-called rights of youth. We simply wanted a story we could reminisce about in thirty years, sipping a beer in some suburban bar. That's all it's about. Having fun. It's not complicated, is it?
" "But your stupid game could have ended very badly for someone," she said, her voice a little higher than it should have.
"Listen," he cut her off. "First of all, nothing happened. Secondly, it's none of your business. And thirdly, let's change the subject. I don't feel like talking about it.
" "As you wish," she repeated.
(The last 100 meters to the finish line! Hurry, or the prize will pass you by!)
"Oh, right, Daniel. What about vacation? Have you thought about that yet?" Kamil quickly changed the subject, trying to smooth things over. "Are we going camping or to cabins?"
"I don't know. I'm not thinking about it yet. For now, I have to pass my final exams, and then we'll think about it. Besides, I still have to finish my studies.
" "You don't have to worry about it. You'll knock them all out anyway."
"We'll see...
" Two twinkling lights appeared in the navy blue sky, dotted with stars, one red, the other green. The plane indifferently flew over them and headed north.
(70 meters)
Daniel's face lit up with a smile.
"I'll tell you a joke. I made it up myself.
" "This is definitely going to suck."
"As usual, Kamil, I can count on your friendly support.
" "I guess," he concluded. "Okay, shoot." I wonder what your fucked-up brain has come up with this time.
(50 meters)
- My stupid little brain, as you called that flawlessly functioning device in my brilliant, beautiful little head, has come up with the funniest joke in the world.
(40 meters)
- Person A: What did the beaver say to the oak tree? Person B: That was a nice chew.
Ania smiled, but it expressed more sympathy than genuine mirth at a good joke. Kamil roared so loudly that people walking across the street looked at him curiously.
- Cool, right? - Daniel waited for recognition.
(30 meters)
- Dude! Of course it's cool. Thanks to that joke, I only convinced myself that you really are fucked in the head.
- Piss off. I learned such creative thinking from you.
- That retort didn't work for you, Kamil concluded the conversation.
(20 meters)
They smiled at each other. After all, there's nothing like a bit of friendly teasing.
"And how's it going with Aneta?
" "Go ahead, albeit slowly. We're meeting tomorrow. We're going to the cinema and then for a beer."
"A standard date...
" "Then think of something better, fuck." I'll gladly take friendly advice.
(10 meters)
"Wait, I'll think of something soon." My head's racing, especially after the beers."
He waited for another rather foolish reply from Daniel. But he remained silent.
They approached a pedestrian crossing. They were supposed to cross the street straight ahead and continue on to get home, but a truck was blocking their path. It was turning right onto a street perpendicular to the one he'd been driving on.
"The prick had to stop at the crossing!" Daniel shouted. "Why the fuck do they always have to stop like that, you can't cross the street normally, you have to wait for Mr. Fat Ass to move?!"
"Daniel, don't get so upset," Ania tried to calm him down. "He'll pull away soon and we'll get through."
Daniel, however, completely ignored her.
(Bravo!!! You've reached the finish line!!! We'll give you your prize soon!!!)
"I know what I'll do! I'll get through under him!
" "Dude, are you crazy ?"
But Daniel was already on his knees, slowly pushing his long body under the giant's suspension.
"Dude, are you crazy?!!" Kamil screamed, but Daniel continued crawling. Only his legs were sticking out now. "Fuck, get back here!"
Breathing slightly, Daniel pushed forward bravely. Over the rumbling of the engine, a faint whisper from the radio broke through. Some unfamiliar band wailed numbly. And the thought played in Dawid's mind: "What if he starts?"
He could no longer feel the alcohol flowing through his veins. He could no longer hear the rumbling engine or the music. He could no longer hear Kamil's frantic scream. He saw nothing but the black asphalt stretching around him and the tires, huge as millstones, reeking of burnt rubber.
He stared determinedly ahead. His knees and elbows stung painfully, but he ignored it. His head was almost on the other side. He simply wanted to get out from under the truck as quickly as possible. As quickly as possible...
Lazily, as if waking from a dream, the wheels jerked and laboriously rolled forward.
A soft sound filled the air, like a hard nutcracker crushing a hard shell.
The truck picked up speed as it entered the curve. A moment later, he was on the main road. The sound of a sweet Latin song drifted from the windows.
A limp body lay on the road, only the left leg twitching timidly every now and then. Where the head had once been, lay a flattened, hairy shape that looked nothing like anything. The blond hair was completely covered in a reddish-grayish, sticky goo. A tire rolling down the street smeared the remains of a lazily steaming brain. A rare smell filled the air.
The smell of mortal stupidity.
(The award has been presented! Please give us a victory fanfare!)
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