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The ray of grain part II

The gate in the park part III

The ray of grain part IV

Micro-soil Part V

Bart's Condition Part VI

The Visitor's Artifact Part VII

Cold Leaves Part VIII

Unsunken Treasure Part IX

The Islands Part X

Part I: trolls, gnomes, forests, village, stones, people

Part II: wells, sea, flame, mirror, bridge, inn, village, people, fisherman

Part III: gate, park

Part IV: leaves, fields, meadows, horizon, sun

Part V: islands, Night, moon, houses, roads, stars, magical waters, people, color

The shock that occurred one sunny day of the year was so strong that no one knew if the Tree's branches would withstand such a strong impact. The Tree certainly gave no sign of it, but this time it was not an easy blow for it to take. It happened for a reason still unexplained, and it was unclear how long it would last, because at first the number of blows was so great that all the inhabitants were convinced it was definitely the end and the Tree's last day had arrived. Little did they know, however, that the worst was yet to come.

The Wild Lodge

– "Aaaah!" the voice could be heard from afar.

"Is anyone there?" asked the old man, observing the happenings below.

"Yes, we are here," the voice echoed off the wall, giving the impression of an echo. "There are hundreds of us," he added after a moment.

The old man didn't seem surprised. He went to the car for something and a moment later returned with a piece of ladder and a rope.

"I'll throw you a rope," he shouted, and did so.

Men and women began to slowly emerge. There were many of them. A great many. Men and women. Everyone maintained their poise and composure. None of them wanted to be forgotten forever again.

There was a long time left until the night was over. A little over two hours.

The number of people outside slowly began to outnumber those inside.

"How did you get here?" the older man finally asked, entrusting the work of extracting the people to someone else.

"It's a long story," replied the man who had been the first to escape from… certain death.

"We have time," the older man replied, and invited the man into his car. The man accepted the invitation, and as he got in, he said,

"It all started some time ago…

four years ago

." "Fruit, I sell fruit!" the Indian vendor shouted. "Fresh, you won't find anything tastier."

He moved his head from side to side, as if hoping to attract customers. All the tourists, however, were fascinated by something else. Namely, the Indian circus performers. They were very rare, so the chance to watch for a moment was a chance worth taking advantage of. Few people know of their existence, even among Indians, so when they appear, they generate huge interest.

"Humba, humba, humba!" the dancers shouted, surrounding an Indian man who was about to perform a spectacular number.

About thirty or forty visitors watched the whole thing. They were dressed in airy clothes, as the temperature sometimes exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. In the shade. One of the tourists glanced at his watch and it was clear there was still a long time left. No one seemed to notice that most of the local population was staying away from the commotion of the show. If anyone had paid attention, they would have seen their expressions betraying terror. The women, both large and small, clearly had reason to stay away. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but most of them seemed to be somewhere else at that moment. The man glanced at his watch. There was less than an hour left until the end of the night.

"And where were you then? Were you one of the tourists?

" "No," the man replied. "I wasn't one of the dancers either, if that's what you were asking."

"Not at all, but please continue.

" Our station was inside the bar, in front of which there were performances by dancers and men…

"I understand, or rather, not entirely," the older man said. "What were you doing there?" he asked.

The man sighed and looked ahead. More and more people were arriving.

"You know. I've tried my whole life to be a good person, to follow my code.

" "I understand, you wanted to be, let's call it, 'fine,' right?"

"Not entirely," the man replied, surprised that the older man could be so adept at such matters. "I wanted to be myself," he finally replied. "I think it's more than just being fine."

He shifted slightly in his chair.

"All my life, I thought I had to do good. I tried to make sure my loved ones never lacked for anything, that they would wake up and go to bed with a smile. But now I know that's not enough."

The man looked at the sky. The sun was slowly beginning to rise.

"My life is over," he said after a moment. "I lost the game I wanted to play so much and in which I was so invested."

As he spoke, he looked at the older man, who was unimpressed by these words.

"You see, even you seem indifferent to my words. But I'm not here to wallow in self-pity. Although sometimes it's refreshing, and sometimes it's necessary.

" "Yes, I agree with you," the older man replied. "We're on the same page on that.

" "But I'll tell you what happened next. Who knows, I still remember everything."

The older man moved closer to his companion and sat comfortably in his armchair.

We sat there, hidden, remembering what our lives had been like when we arrived, like those helpless tourists – refusing to believe that what we were seeing wasn't exactly what it seemed.

An unknown land

. There wasn't much time left until the eruption ended. Centimeter by centimeter, the island would sink, never to see the light of day again.

It was cold, and the wind made it impossible to put on a blanket. Everyone walked terrified and frozen. They didn't know what awaited them, but they expected the worst. There were about twenty men and a few women. No one spoke to anyone. They were a bit like African zombies, mindlessly moving in the direction they were shown. Sometimes it was fire, sometimes something far worse. The only certainty for them now was that their suffering would soon end. Their souls would be condemned to rebirth in some other way. Not a human one. They would have forty-two days to find the right path. If they fail, they'll return to the same spot. However, there's a small problem. In forty-two days, the island will be gone, and the people responsible for its destruction have exactly one soul, just as God himself planned.

5 km east of the island

, "Is everything ready?" asked the man in the hard hat.

"Yes," replied another.

"We start in three hours," he said. "I hope everyone understands the responsibility they bear?"

The man in the hard hat simply nodded. He hadn't heard what his colleague was saying, but he was certainly right. He climbed onto the top step of the yellow crane and began work. Three men watched all this. Only three, but oh so powerful. They were removing something that wasn't their own doing. In fact, it wasn't even man-made.

"Do I understand correctly that we've already been paid for everything?" asked the oldest of them.

"Yes," replied the second. "Everything's been taken care of down to the last detail..."

"Don't tell me nonsense," shouted the older one. "Whenever we have everything under control, something happens that ruins all our plans. "

As he spoke, he began to nervously tread on the carpet.

"In this case, it will be the other way around," the younger man said. "I'm sure of it. I took care of everything myself.

" "Exactly," said the older man, who was definitely not convinced by his friend's words.

"Do you know what happened to Atlantis?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," his friend replied, wondering where this discussion would lead.

Suddenly, a huge explosion toppled the enormous yellow crane, which seemed indestructible. The man in the hard hat perished in the flames, and his colleague was crushed by one of the concrete counterweights attached to the rear of the crane.

5 km west

The group of people moved hypnotically forward. All they could see was their own helplessness. The trance prevented them from behaving normally, but the end was so close that nothing would help them now. A huge cavern filled to the brim with blue liquid was the final stop on their journey. There was no turning back, and certainly nothing could be done. Two enormous cylinders on the sides of the island were supposed to end the entire ceremony immediately afterward…

The ships appeared out of nowhere. Their crews were visibly as disoriented as the people on the island, who suddenly seemed to regain consciousness and contact with reality. Three hours later, everything sank beneath the water. No one survived, and nothing. All except one of the three men who, it seemed, were watching over the island's sinking.

40 Days Later

The day promised to be wonderful. Everyone was enjoying the fresh, breezy breeze, which contained so much valuable iodine.

The beach stretched for miles. The sand, though not particularly clean, was pleasant, and the people there were incredibly polite and kind.

It was as if they were from another planet, the older man thought, observing everything from one of the hotel windows where he was staying.

Prologue

Himera

A pubic hair lay on his notepad. Masculine, black, and long. There was nothing else on the desk. It was empty. Just that one hair, and it revealed so much detail. The lovers made love on the bed, then moved to the desk. The stained sheets were undeniable evidence of this. They made love long and passionately. One leg of the desk was out of alignment. The man was in his early thirties, the woman a little younger. They were a perfect match. They were made of the same cloth. It's unclear whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but they certainly spent wonderful times here.

"There were many lovers before I met you," the woman said, looking straight into the thirty-year-old man's eyes. "Don't think I don't love you. I just don't see you in my life."

At least she was honest.

"I have a few things to do, and that's why I know you'd only be a hindrance. Besides, I'd be wasting your life, and I don't want that the most.

" "Why?

" "If I do that to you, it will definitely backfire on me, and someone in a few years will take revenge on me and do the same to me. And I wouldn't want that.

" "You think wrong.

" "You think I'm wrong, that I'm wrong, but you don't know some things I know. You'll never understand. Besides...

" "I know I might be selfish, but that's not entirely true. I have to do something in my life that you have no idea about

." "You don't have to do anything."

"I'm alone in this world, and nothing will ever change that. I've learned to live with it, and I don't want to change it. Not now, not ever. I feel so good, and if I stop, I can always return to the way I was before.

" "Yes?

" "Remember, as long as you can keep coming back, everything is fine. Never hurt anyone. Don't let them take over you. You'll lose control of your life, and then you'll look for help... Remember, you'll always find me here. I'll always be there to help you.

" "…

" "If you get lost, let me know, meet me. You know I'll be there to help you. Don't despair. Everything will work out. Everything will be as if none of this had happened. Didn't exist. Now sleep.