LITMIR.BIZ

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darkness, mercilessly sucking him into his womb.

      …Armand woke up in his bed. It was already late in the morning and he was completely late for work and now he will have to come up with excuses to justify himself to the authorities. He worked in a carriage depot, as a simple worker, although he had a higher education.

      There is no work, I took on any work that just turned up.

      Armand quickly pulled on his pants, and, having somehow washed himself, jumped out into the entrance. On the way, he noticed that his right hand was itching desperately and ached a little. Coming out of the ride, he casually looked at her and noticed a red, thin furrow, similar to a scratch, which he had already combed.

      Chapter 3 Wagon Depot

      Work was in full swing on the territory of the depot. Thousands of people in red vests swarmed like ants, tapping around the carriages. Arman noticed his boss from afar, standing right in his path. He was looking somewhere to the side and shouting something to someone, trying to shout down the noise that reigned here.

      As soon as Armand thought about how to slip past his superiors imperceptibly, he had already made a couple of steps when he heard a stern, withdrawing voice behind his back:

      – Urumbaev! Why are we late? Do you even know what time it is?!

      – I AM…. Hmmm … – Armand hesitated, tearing his cap. He could not come up with anything worthwhile to justify himself and now did not know how to be and just stared blankly at the floor, looking at the curves, small crevices.

      – Eh-eh… Youth… youth … – the chief sighed and, smiling, added – Over the weekend I had a great walk, I suppose, eh? – With malice he looked at Armand, screwing up his left eye.

      – Well… there was a case … – Arman hesitated, blushing, feeling like a schoolboy, having played a trick on the break and caught red-handed.

      – Eh.. youth.. youth … – the chief smiled, still looking at him with some malice, but already kindly, somehow in a fatherly way. The good-natured boss was a pensioner without a week. There were only a couple of months left, and he would go on a well-deserved rest. The fat good-natured person already imagined himself with a fishing rod in his hands somewhere on the river bank. It was rumored that near the reservoir there is a very good bite and you can catch a big fish that you can’t even grasp with your hands. It’s so big! – Okay, go … – the boss nodded approvingly.

      Armand sighed with relief, realizing that this time he was carried away, passed by. Taking his tools, he set to work.

      For lunch he went to the canteen at the depot. The dining room was on the first floor of a two-story building. It was housed in a large, spacious room. There were always a lot of people here. The sweet, fresh smells of freshly cooked food wafted far beyond. Going inside, Armand even swallowed saliva. Having made an order, he sat down on an empty table and looked around. People discussed and argued about something, and it gave, it almost came to a fight, but the two-meter big man stopped the fighters in time, scattering them like toys in different corners. On the opposite side of the entrance, just under the ceiling, hung a small one. Black TV. Local news was broadcast.

      It was about the fact that during the construction of the road, which was supposed to connect the west and east of the country, when taking soil from the hills near the local cemetery, three numb, blackened corpses were discovered at once.

      The hall became silent. Armand listened to the news out of the corner of his ear, without turning to the screen.

      A young waitress brought the order, and he eagerly began to devour the food. Then his tenacious ear caught the following, which attracted his attention so much that he turned and looked at the screen:

      – If you know anything about this girl – a photo appeared on the screen, by which Arman recognized the girl who was found under the bridge – please inform us or call «02». The photo flashed on the screen for another three minutes before the announcer replaced it.

      «They are still looking for…» Armand said quietly and sighed.

      – ABOUT! – suddenly came a lively, fervent, tipsy voice. – Yes, this Christinka!

      Armand looked back at the voice and saw a boy in a robe standing at the window and propping up the wall. He had not been here before, it looks like he just entered.

      The boy looked closely at the photo again, squinting strongly, and then gave out in the affirmative:

      – Well yes! Exactly, she! Brush! – taking a bottle of milk, he sat down at the table at which Armand was already sitting, since it was the only free table.

      – What did you study together? – asked Armand the boy.

      – AND? – asked the boy, not understanding what it was about.

      – I’m talking about a girl who was just shown on TV…

      – Uh-huh.. – the boy said after drinking a little. – We are classmates. This is Kristinka, Degtyareva. Wow, beauty! Until the 8th we studied together, and then I dropped out of school.

      – Looks like not a local, since they are looking for…

      – Of course! – the boy grinned. – From Kyzalkum.

      – Where is it? Far away from here?

      – Why do you need it?

      – Maybe I’ll go and look around. They say the places there are beautiful…

      – AND! Well yes. Dunes, they are beautiful at dawn.

      – You tell the police, tell them, they say, so and so, I know her. – Arman started

      – Nah! – he flatly refused. – I don’t betray mine!

      – Yes, you ate a lot in the morning, as I see…

      – She… The heat has done its job, and I just sipped a little beer and that’s it.

      – Well, come on. … Think. … And I went, work is in full swing. – Armand has already finished his lunch and got up from the table. After patting him on the shoulder, he left the dining room.

      The next weekend Arman left for Kyzylkum.

      Chapter 4 Kyzylkum

      Kyzyl Kum is a desert in the Kyzylorda region.

      When they drove up, it was dawn and the sands shone in the sun, changing their shades from white to pinkish-gray to almost purple and blue. Beauty! It takes your breath away! It was cold. Rare islands of white saxaul and sandy sedge were visible here and there. And not a gram of water, not a seedy stream in the area, nothing.

      Having traveled enough kilometers, the bus on which Arman was traveling entered the nearest village.

      «We’ve arrived. – thought Armand. He looked again at the address given to him by the same boy and nodded in the affirmative. – It is the most!»

      The bus stopped and Armand, taking his backpack, got out, the bus swaying along the bumpy, bumpy road, drove on.

      The aul was small. Life was in full swing here.

      Near the aul there was a small reservoir overgrown with reeds and cattails. The wind fiddled with the panicles of the reed and, picking up the light, airy fluff of the cattail, cheerfully carried away upward. Armana looked up at the sky. There, in the heights, birds flew high overhead. Beauty!

      Chapter 5 Abandoned House

      – Here are the ones. I didn’t even have time to ask. – Armand scratched his head when he saw three cyclists passing by, and, putting his cap on his forehead, taking his backpack, went about his business. The backpack was lightweight and did not stretch the shoulders at all. I could even do without it, but I didn’t know why, so, just in case, threw

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