Back Home, Into The Sky!

DOWN

  The descent was very fast. As before, at the same time the space became even darker. I was falling down.

  Then I felt that passed some boundary. The world had changed - had become even denser. If I breathe, I would say that I started to choke.

  I looked around. Nothing and no one. Not a single creature. And my gnomes disappeared.

  The strange sound came. I listened, trying to understand what it resembled. In memory came the image of the city and human feet in shoes, going on the asphalt. That it was, exactly this. Many steps. And not a soul...

  Suddenly I felt that it was not the end, and the descent continued. I did not stay in this world. The funnel led in somewhere else. Below.

  I went down again. Again passed a barrier of changing in density.

  In front of me opened a new layer - even darker and denser. I felt a slowdown of falling. Then I stopped. I was standing on something tangible.

  The funnel was no more. I looked around. And here were my gnomes. They were sitting on the ground (or rather, on the fact that it can be considered). The same confused as I was. Male and female creatures huddled to one another. Saw me, ran, sat closer. I did not mind.

  On the surface now was a day, and here it was gloomier than nowhere. Here and there grew some vegetation like moss. It glowed with scarlet unkind light.

  Then I noticed strange structures like caves, randomly collected from the stones. Everywhere flashed silhouettes of beings. Looking closer, I found that it were the same dwarves from the upper world. Their clothing was more ragged and untidy. They were terrified, hiding in caves, quickly moving between them.

  So, but I was here on business. Where was my friend? Marina, answer...

  At the top of one of the piles of stones I saw a gray creature. Its view was unfamiliar me. It embraced by paws the stones and pressed its body to them. The most expressive in its image was its muzzle. Huge, indescribably sad eyes. It seemed that the creature was going to howl of anguish. It looked at us, and I involuntarily took a step forward. My gnomes in terror seized me by the arms and dragged off somewhere to the side. I did not resist. I was as if hypnotized.

  We headed to the cave. It glowed, and this light was not as gloomy as in everything else. I saw blue sparks. We dove there. The entrance was narrow, rather a manhole. But inside was spacious, and as it turned out, crowded. Hundreds two gnomes huddled here. When we entered, they first became agitated and recoiled. But then they realized that there was nothing to fear and calmed down.

  I made my way between them and read in their eyes a great desire to get out of here up. They talked quietly among themselves. Against this background of quietly mumbling it was more surprising to me to hear someone's loud speech, more precisely, powerful floods of energy impulses. They seemed very familiar me - the same rebellious tone. I rushed forward to the voice. Kids obediently parted. And finally, I saw the one, which I was looking for, the sake of which I descended here. The ghost girl - Marina...

  In the first few seconds of meeting we looked in shock at each other, and then started talking simultaneously.

  - How did you get here?!!

  This was the question posed by both of us at the same time.

  I answered first.

  - I saw you going down, and went after. And you?

  - I saw you too. You down, and I down.

  - But you were in Murmansk!

  - That's right, I was! But I'm free, do not forget. Wanted to travel and began to fly around the world. But at one point I was so drawn to the pyramids! And I flew to Giza. Sat down on the head of the Sphinx and began to get pleasure out of life - well, you know me! - Marina giggled.

  - You're distracted! - I tried to look at her with a shadow of reproach.

  - Yes, right, I'm sorry. So, I sat on the Sphinx, enjoyed the freedom and beauty of the night. Suddenly I saw you. You with some guy marched past me and dived into the nearest pyramid. And the red-haired guy with you – who is he, by the way?

  - The long history. But I’ll tell you, when you're done.

  - Almost finished. I rushed behind you. I had to look for you at first time. And then it seemed to me that you flashed and disappeared around the corner. I went behind you, you from me, I behind you, but you was there. And so I found myself in a room. Usual Pharaonic room, in one of corners was a tremendous mirror. And so I wanted to look in it!

  - And you looked.

  - Yes. And I saw in it you. You called me.

  - And you took my hand...

  - And fell into darkness.

  - You and I have the same story - I summed up. - We have been scammed.

  - And who cheated us?

  - Exactly this red-haired guy. Only it seems to me, he was not alone. There is a conspiracy - I added.

  - Yes, my friend, we're in trouble.

  - And how did you move from world to world? Did you follow the dwarfs?

  - Yes, I did - confirmed Marina - but first I wandered in the dark.

  - It is a pity that we have not encountered yet then!

  - Yes. Have you met black monsters?

  - I even tied one of them - I boasted.

  - No, I just ran away.

  - It’s easy to cope with them. Need to tie them with mental magic rope.

  - But I am not a magician - Marina smiled.

  - All ghosts are magicians. You need only to want. Well, more on that later. Now let's think how we get out.

  - Well, that's the most important thing. What do you think, where are we?

  - I think it's another materiality, more precisely, infernality.

  - More precisely, Hell.

  - Apparently so.

  - And what relation has all this to your Midnight Ride?

  - He is the main traitor of humanity. Concurrently, the demon.

  - I do not quite understand...

  - Does the name of Judas say you about something?

  - But this is a biblical character. Fiction.

  - Not really. He is as real as you and I - I looked at my transparent hand - even more than we are now.

  - Unbelievable - Marina whispered. - Maybe you've seen and the one whom he betrayed?

  - Jesus? – I so easy uttered this name as if it was my old friend, - Imagine yes. I met him thanks to Oleg. When they teleported our with mother bodies. They camp in Egypt, on the coast.

  Marina looked charmed. Then she pronounced.

  - I have not surprised yet anything. I died, but continue to live. You are walking in a dream without a body. And we both got into some incredibly strange world. After all it’s just stupid to doubt in something!

  I smiled and nodded.

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