Chapter 15. Keys
Two men and a woman entered the cafe. They had coffee in silence and headed for the railway. The Soldier was still wearing the wig, but took off his spectacles. The Medium was sighing all the time. She seemed to have difficulty walking. The Stranger was thoughtful and sometimes looked up at the woman who felt unwell and finally decided to ask her,
“Do you feel unwell?”
“I can’t walk. Legs can barely support me. I’ll give you keys from my home and come later.”
“The Seer,” the Stranger whispered unheard.
“Go away. I’ll come in a couple of days,” she could not look in his eyes.
The Stranger fetched the keys, tossed them, caught deftly, held them in his hands as if weighing.
“We’ll find shelter. We don’t need them.”
The Medium smiled apologetically, looked askance, and took her keys back.
The Soldier stretched his hand.
“I’ll be glad to see you.”
The woman pressed the hand with the tips of her fingers, drew the Soldier against her chest and whispered in his ear, “Take care of him.”
She looked into the Stranger’s eyes.
“We’ll see each other soon,” she said hugging him.
“I also think so,” he said with a forced smile.
The Medium stretched her hand to hail a taxi. A car appeared at once as if ordered. The woman took the seat near the driver, opened the window and turned to the Stranger. The taxi started and was soon out of sight.
“It’s good you haven’t taken the keys. People in ambush are hard to dodge…” the Soldier grinned.
“I was thinking about something else. She won’t set agents on us.”
“But she can leak information. If two know, know all pigs about. So, are we going to the railway station?” the Soldier asked doubtfully.
“Who has a good sense of danger? Why don’t you ask yourself?” the Stranger evaded an answer.
“Feels Ok. No pressure. Where is she going?” the Soldier nodded at the leaving taxi.
“To the Seer, I think. He has called her,” the Stranger said quietly.
“After everything she’s been through?”
“Calm down. She is not against us. It’s not as simple as it seems at first glance. Have you ever been in a strong sea current?”
“I have,” the Soldier frowned.
“What did you do?”
“Relaxed, saved my strength, I was swimming in waves until I was beyond the current.”
“Were you taken away far from the shore?”
“Yes.”
“What then?”
“I swam to the shore. I was swimming underwater almost all the time and surfaced only to breathe in some fresh air. I was fast carried by waves and very soon sprawled on the sand. So, what?”
“It is the same offshore or onshore,” the Stranger answered mysteriously.
“Explain. I don’t get it.”
“There is a dangerous current both onshore and offshore. It takes you away
away from your goal. You cannot fight it but can just watch. The most important thing is to feel the time when it weakens to get out and proceed to your goal.”
“How can you feel that?”
“A developed and trained body excellently responds to temperature changes, starting a thermal regulation process. The same with your soul: develop it, making respond to changes. Then you will find and feel a favorable current which will take you to the saving shore.”
The taxi halted at the Seer’s house. The Medium came up to the gate but did not dare to call. She was standing and waiting patiently. A couple of minutes later the gate opened and she walked along the path of colored bricks along the alley. Having approached the nearest bench, she sat down exhausted.
Soon she heard hasty steps of the host. He was almost running, pulling his mutilated leg.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” the Seer cautiously sat down nearby. “I’m very glad you have come. Would you like some tea or coffee?”
“Yes, later. Sit down, be with me,” she took his hand and pressed it hard.
“You can’t be with him. His power is mortal for you. It can deprive you of your talent, weaken you and make you a nonentity,” the Seer was consoling her.
“It’s late,” the Medium said dully.
“What’s happened? What? Tell me!”
“I don’t know. I was in a trance. It happened against my will and very fast. I started to prophesy something.”
“What were you saying?”
“I don’t really remember,” she was looking in one point. “Initially I was speaking about you. Suddenly I felt that I was engulfed, taken away. I was knocked down and can remember only fragments of what I said then. I think I was saying something about the Stranger and the Prince but I don’t remember the details. Then I felt the Stranger’s hand touching my head, I was clamped and felt fear. I was nauseated as if I were sick. Then it let me go, I felt good, quiet and light. I wept, maybe because I felt happy: I saw the world with other eyes as if I were a kid long ago, but then I felt sad again and understood how scary it was to lose the world you were used to. I panicked and here I am with you. I feel so sad, on the verge of moaning.”
“You need sleep, dear girl,” he stroked her hair. “I will put you to sleep, you will relax and then we’ll discuss everything.”
“I won’t be able to go to sleep now.”
“My dear, once I managed to put to sleep an audience of about three hundred people, and I will surely handle one small tired girl. Don’t worry: I’ll put you to sleep.”
“You can put me to sleep forever,” she tried to smile.
“Silly one,” the Seer said taking the woman by the elbow.
“You’ll sleep two or three hours, that’ll be enough to come to. Then we’ll think what is to be done. I don’t mean bad to the Stranger, believe me.”
The woman lay down on the sofa. The Seer covered her with a rug blanket, touched her forehead and said quietly, “You are going to sleep, you feel good and calm, all your troubles are going away. Sleep fast.” The Medium fell to sleep almost immediately.
The Seer was beside her for some time, then fetched the telephone, and dialed the number:
“I cancel my order; do not even keep track of them.”
“Ok,” the Functionary agreed lightly. “We won’t follow these people anymore. If you want something else, I’ll be glad to help. Now I’m in a hurry, sorry.”
“Good bye, all the best,” the Seer answered mechanically and turned off the phone. He felt a lie.
“Where is deception here? The Functionary mentioned three things. He does not follow these people. Offered help. Told me he was in a hurry. Will help, no way out, but won’t enjoy that and won’t be eager to please. He does not lie that he is in a hurry. We don’t follow these people,” the Seer repeated the last phrase he heard twice. “That’s a lie. Oh, that’s more than a lie. Maybe I still have time to reverse the situation.”
The Seer dialed the Functionary again, but no one answered. He paced the room: “That’s all right, that’s all right, and I’ll find a way.”