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| The test is over, and I'll try to tell you who you should be wary of. You're wondering what he'll look like? I can only shrug. When we encountered him, he pretended to be a ZIL truck driver with three sacks of potatoes in the back. |
A great gift for hitchhikers, damn it.  However, that doesn't mean he can't put on a completely different mask. But first, let's talk about you, about what might interest him. So, you consider yourself a free person. And even though the concept of freedom has been discussed countless times, you've practically defined what freedom means to you. However, I can't climb out from behind the screen and look you in the eye. Maybe you're still too young, and your choice is the result of what you *want* to be, rather than what you *are*. :-). So, it's your love of freedom that sometimes makes you abandon unfinished tasks or break up with people who, as you think, are trying to limit your freedom. If this continues, you won't even notice how you end up completely alone. Until that happens, you're walking a tightrope. And that's the line the demon will try to break. He will talk about absolute freedom, about how ethics were invented by tribal leaders to better manage livestock, that this world is a world of slaves, and only a few are capable of seeing events and phenomena in the right light. Oh, of course, he won't express himself so pompously. He will joke, laugh, the dimples on his cheeks will turn red, and his beard will sway over his sagging belly. But after talking to him, you will involuntarily begin to recognize the truth in his words. The further you go, the more you will sacrifice for this freedom, moving from city to city, changing professions, names, and years. Until one day, you yourself will stop understanding who you are. Paradoxically, we all exist only in the perception of other people (think about who calls you by name more often – you yourself, or others. It will immediately become clear what the rest is.), which means that absolute freedom is, in fact, non-existence. It is at this moment that the demon will reach out and catch your soul, floating in the wind like a white feather. He will blow on it, and the light silhouette will plummet down, right onto the pages of an old, very old book, which will immediately slam shut. |
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They could have at least made a nice picture
Her face is covered with a network of fine wrinkles, like a patina, which disappear at night and reappear during the day. She has gray hair and colorless eyes, always full of tears. She usually comes when the fog settles on the ground. She comes from the river, from where the waves fight against the old bridge piers. One day, she may come for you. When? When you feel that the world is beginning to fade. I don't think your life is constantly filled with exquisitely bright colors. Anxiety and sadness are your frequent companions. Sometimes the pressure of this world becomes too strong – the past, the future, what has happened, what has not happened – everything merges into one tight, unpleasant lump, which can be pushed to the periphery of consciousness, but from which it is impossible to completely get rid of. I think you often have to analyze your actions, deeds, thoughts, sometimes to the detriment of the actions themselves. And sometimes you almost hate yourself for it. But your keen observation will help you understand that a demon has become interested in you. Because if, despite your attempts to organize reality, at least around yourself, the world fades and dissolves in the fog, then something is wrong here. What does the demon want from you? That you get lost and never find your way home. That the future becomes the past, and the past becomes the present. And then your spirit, trapped in the only moment of the Universe, will freeze, like a drop of water in the frost. After that, the demon will take it to its chambers and put it under glass.
It was too much like old fairy tales, too strange, too… But one day I met a person who went on a journey along the moonlit path. I wonder, is this your destiny too? I hope not, but for now, I will tell you a little about you, and about this creature – what I know, and may the higher powers protect me from falling into a pile of worn-out metaphors. You are one of those interesting people, trailed by an elusive aura of some kind of mystery, I would say, of a magical nature. Don't try to misunderstand me – I'm not talking about the "Hereditary fortune teller Marina will solve all your problems" from yesterday's free newspaper. Magic, as you remember, has always meant a special kind of beauty to me, indirectly related to this world, and sometimes bringing a pleasant variety to it. If you are a woman, then you are most likely charmingly beautiful (the key word is "charming," beauty comes in different forms. So, plump lips and silicone breasts are not part of this story), if you are a man, then you are slightly eccentric and sometimes ironic. I like people of this kind, as long as they don't get completely lost in their fantasies… and the demon achieves exactly that. This world sometimes seems boring and wrong to you. Fortunately, your usually strong common sense balances out these ideas, preventing you from plunging into madness (and this could very well happen if your measure of empathy for the universe were higher), but when mystical, fairy-tale plots begin to unfold before your eyes, it is difficult for you to resist taking a step forward. One day, the window will open. And the moonlight pouring onto the windowsill will suddenly freeze, like amber. You will take a step, then another, and another. Every full moon, the demon sorts through its treasures. Every full moon, the small carved figurines in its hands come to life, turning into the people they once were. All night they walk along the moonlit staircase, argue, laugh, talk to each other – ghosts of what never happened. You will be there, among them. Your smile will become complete, and you will finally understand how beautiful the earth is from the height of the sky. A terrible fate.
No matter how wide his mouth stretches in a grin, his eyes will still remain cold, dead, and calm. Judging by your answers, you are his potential victim, so look around more often. You are undoubtedly a noticeable person and, most likely, know how to enjoy life. You probably don't often fall into melancholy, but rather into rage and anger. Your mind is flexible; you know how to make quick, risky decisions, and sometimes you are intoxicated by excitement... this is where the demon sets its traps. It's time to introduce you to your dark side: a cruel, unscrupulous individual who uses people as tools for his imaginary goals; drawn to will-o'-the-wisps and leading those who love and believe in you into the swamp. You probably realize that all this exists within you – after all, others often enjoy being with you, enjoy following you. And the demon will turn you into a Pied Piper. Believe me, you are valuable to him not only in and of yourself. It's like a necklace of crystals strung on it – human souls, connected to each other through you. A luxurious addition to the demon's collection.
If you haven't met him yet, you will definitely meet him. Perhaps he will be your boss or one of your business partners. This character acts in an old-fashioned way – instead of simply trapping his victim, he graciously agrees to make a deal with her. Oh, of course, no blood oaths or other theatrical effects… but in essence, the difference is not great. However, let's talk about you, or rather, about what might interest him. You are one of those people who, at least at first glance, have accepted the values of this society, recognized its benefits, and agreed to play the game. You know that it is important to be successful. It is important to be healthy, it is important to be active. I think that in about ten years you will have a divinely white smile and a perfectly ironed collar of an expensive shirt under an equally expensive classic-cut jacket. But at the same time, since such a life requires time, many things have to be postponed. And that's where the deal begins. Success in exchange for life. A worn-out theme, ugh, every year a couple of films with a similar theme appear. People feel that there is a problem somewhere, but they don't fully understand where exactly. Remember the funny song "people die for metal"? So, they don't die for metal. They are trying to escape from themselves in this way. This is how the deal arises – you gradually cease to be yourself, you become someone else – active, successful, energetic. And this is a quality deal, one of the best. But you know what the demon gets in the end? Round dark gray stones, about the size of a bowling ball. Somewhere deep inside, a soul lies curled up, just as it was once. Some sleep, some try to scream, beat against the walls of the dungeon… usually, however, they quickly calm down. I don't know why the demon collects this dubious collection; he knows better. And everything I said above is just nonsense, isn't it?
Such appearances are rare in our world, and upon seeing him, you may pause for a moment, struck by the serenity of his features and the smoothness of his lines. And he will look directly into your eyes, and this piercing gaze will once again make you relive everything you have kept inside you all these years. Oh, you know how to be strong, you know how to take responsibility and protect other people. But this is precisely your vulnerability. You understand that if something happens to you, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to help you. Or maybe, they won't even try to help? And in one of those moments, when such thoughts come to your mind, the demon will appear to you. He wants you to feel emptiness inside, so that you have nothing to fight for. Then the rage, subtly living within you, will burst out and begin to destroy everything around, without distinguishing between friends and enemies. Then your spirit will blaze in agony, and this flame will be brighter than the gleam of rubies, brighter than fresh blood, brighter than the reflections on polished steel. And the demon will obtain another magnificent jewel for his collection.
However, the key to what a particular story actually points to is not always easy to find. Hmm, I find myself increasingly drawn to lyrical digressions. Let's get back to the facts. Most of the stories I'm talking about warn against doppelgangers. I think I share that view. Because one day, a demon will look at you with your own eyes. You are one of those people who is subconsciously driven by a desire for perfection. Perhaps not always and not in everything, but I am sure there is at least one area in which you want to excel. In addition, I can say that you are quite balanced, you know the value of words and actions. And also, you sometimes tend to overestimate your bad qualities at the expense of good ones. And it is this trait that the demon will try to use to its advantage. I don't know exactly how you will meet the doppelganger, I will only say that the resemblance does not necessarily have to be external. But it will be a person, thinking about whom you will admire your similarity in some details, events, habits, traits, and at the same time - understand that in comparison with this person you are miserable, worthless, a failure. To make the situation even more tense, the doppelganger may appear precisely in the area where success and recognition are especially important to you. And the deeper you delve into yourself, the more acutely you feel your inferiority, the more successful the demon's enterprise will be. It needs you to feel weak – then you will become weak, to feel like a failure – and you will become a failure. In the end… have you ever seen how glass breaks under the blows of a hammer? Weakness will make you fragile. Just one blow – and a shower of glittering shards will fall on the sidewalk. Cascades of glitter – a moment, but demons often collect beauty of this kind.
