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easier to walk. Marianne looked around. There are no trees in sight.

      Marianne went out onto a frozen pond or river. In such a blizzard, he could lose direction and go to the side or walk in circles, so he decided to walk along the left bank. In addition, Marianne was afraid to fall on fragile ice and fall into the water. But now the mood has improved. He left less noticeable traces, and the blizzard will quickly do its job. The chase must be deadlocked in the morning.

      Chapter 6. Ice Lake

      Marianne walked for a long time. The wind howled dejectedly in the forest, and it always seemed that someone was around. When dawn began, Marianne was completely exhausted. He could not go further, and besides, he wanted to sleep. The sleepless night completely wore him out physically and emotionally. Marianne looked out for a secluded spot under a tree, surrounded by tall snowdrifts.

      “A good place for temporary shelter – no wind.”

      He hastily made a depression in the snowdrift and lay down. Fearing a terrible night, a nightmare or something like that, Marianne remembered the medicine, but it was not in his pocket.

      Marianne prudently lay down on his right side, so as not to crush Mignis in his sleep, and opened the flap of his pocket. He remembered nothing else. Consciousness fell into the abyss of dreams.

      Snow and trees. This is the same forest. I think this place is familiar to me.

      I see a red rose in the snow. Nearby is a beautiful bud of a flower unknown to me. I look at them and feel a rush of blood and warmth in my chest, near my heart…

      I’ve seen them before. Am I dreaming all this?

      This is a dream? Realistic vivid, but still a dream?!

      And I can feel it… now, under my heart?..

      Weird dream. But I like.

      And where does all this come from in my brain?

      I bend over and take a closer look at the miracle.

      A plucked bud thrown in the middle of the snow. Its petals opened barely noticeably.

      Covered with thin white sparks of diamonds, a beautiful creation of nature. Flower. The symmetry of shape and curved lines conjures up a blooming garden of vibrant colors and scents. And here is white snow and cold, lifeless, frozen forest. There is silence in the air. Not a soul in the area.

      Where did the flower come from here? Who brought it? After all, someone cut it off, ripped it off. Why left here? Or maybe it’s not a rose next to him? Maybe it’s all the same…

      Through the enveloping cold in his legs, Marianne felt himself awakening.

      “This is a dream… just a dream.”

      Marianne woke up late in the afternoon. Birds shouted loudly somewhere. The sun was shining brightly on the frozen surface of the frozen lake, and the ice glittered with many small sparks.

      Marianne felt completely chilled. Besides, I was very hungry and thirsty. In his sleep, he never changed his body position and was now rubbing his numb legs. Mignis looked out of her pocket as soon as Marianne stirred and sat on his shoulder. The mouse’s whiskers looked crumpled, and she began to diligently rub her muzzle.

      – Bad dream? Mignis asked worriedly.

      – No. Very beautiful. It is a pity that it ended. I didn’t want to wake up, “Marianne admitted, closing his eyes and trying to keep in his memory even vivid images. – And yes. A little bit bad… Everything is as in reality, and I’m really worried.

      – Take it easy. It was a dream. There are no robbers here, “Mignis squeaked, taking a seat in front of Marianne’s face.

      “There were no robbers in it. Only… Flowers… In a dream I find a flower. Very beautiful. So much so that not goose bumps. Can you imagine?

      – And what is this flower? – asked Mignis, looking into the eyes of Marianne.

      – It’s hard to say so right away. Hmm… Both white and yellow. Sometimes it seems like purple and pink streaks and lines slip through. As if reflections on the surface of metal or silk, glass or mirror. Maybe it’s the sun’s rays that play on its velvety petals?.. Royal flower. I don’t know why I called it that, it’s just spinning on my tongue. This is the most appropriate name for him. It also gradually freezes, becomes covered with ice. I’m sure he’s still alive now. If you put it in water in a warm house, under the rays of the sun, it will thaw and… It will give roots, it will live.

      It should be so. And so it will be.

      – You like flowers. Maybe that’s why you dream about them.

      – It’s not just a flower. There is something attractive in him. There is something else in this dream that I cannot see. I feel someone. I don’t know why, but it worries me very much.

      Only then did Marianne feel how cold he was. Enough talking, it’s time to act.

      The first thing he did was gather some branches and build a fire. But no matter how I tried to kindle it, nothing came of it. The ignited light was immediately extinguished. The air was humid and so were the branches.

      “I’d better do it,” said Mignis. Marianne ran down her hand to the tinder laid in the center of the branches. Marianne froze in amazement. Mignis again managed to surprise him. A fire broke out. Not a small spark or tongue, but immediately a large and bright red flame. Marianne drew his hand with the lighter away from the fire. Mignis instantly jumped onto her sleeve.

      – Great! – Marianne sincerely admired. – Do you still know how?

      He hurried to put the branches in the fire, then sat down close to the fire and held out his palms.

      “Maybe I can,” Mignis said happily, and then added: “I love fire. I remember always lighting it up when I wanted to.

      Having warmed up a little, Marianne and Mignis had breakfast with cheese sandwiches, washed down with water from a plastic bottle. And Marianne ate the chocolate bar with great pleasure. The mouse has given up its share. She didn’t even smell him.

      Marianne’s mood rose, her strength increased. The pain in the muscles reminded of yesterday’s journey.

      Marianne took out his phone. As soon as I looked at him, against my will, I remembered Viator and his tragic death. Marianne unlocked the phone and looked at the screen. He made a zig-zag path, fixed on the map, and moved more east than north. Marianne tried to find Wolf Mountain or something similar. But here the card was powerless. The battery remained at thirty-three percent, and Marianne switched off the phone. The GPS application was constantly receiving signals from satellites, calculating coordinates and, therefore, consuming a lot of energy. And the charge must be saved, otherwise the phone will quickly become useless.

      Marianne decided to better explore the lake. From the open ice, you can see everything in the area further. In the north, the forest went up – there was a high hill. And to the northeast, the forest was barely visible at the very horizon. The smooth surface of the ice rushed there and hid behind the right bank, on which there were much fewer trees. The right, eastern bank was very close. Marianne walked on the ice and almost immediately not far from the shore on the flat surface of the ice he saw a blue spot – unfrozen wormwood.

      Coming closer, I noticed that the ice of the hole is uneven, knocked down by something hard at the edges. The ice is about thirty centimeters thick. And the polynya itself is a little less than a meter in diameter. Why such a large hole could be needed, Marianne did not know.

      The lake was deep. The water seemed black and motionless, beckoning to itself with a serene charm. For a moment, Marianne’s heart fluttered with magical peace.

      Marianne filled one bottle with water. Now you don’t have to melt the snow.

      The water was not as cold

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