The ghosts of mandrake. Fantasy

© Svetlana Mirrai, 2022

ISBN 978-5-0056-4380-3

Создано в интеллектуальной издательской системе Ridero

CHAPTER 1

PROLOGUE

Bright, sunny light filled a small room in which, as usual, I was sitting at my desk and drinking a cappuccino recently brewed in a coffee machine.

A routine for today was slowly emerging in my head. The main point was my negotiations with the book publishing house «Eksmo» and for this I prepared questions, of course, in advance.

My son ran into the room out of breath, he was already ten years old this year, he was becoming an adult faster than I thought and was no longer a toddler with a child’s toy in his hands.

– Mom, are you a good writer?

– I write my son correctly, – I replied, not understanding at all what our conversation was tending to.

– And write some very interesting and unusual story about a palace with servants and some fairy-tale characters.

– You don’t like fairy tales, and you once told me that you grew out of them.

– That’s how I grew up. But I just wanted something unusual. So that the characters are fabulous. Such as no one has yet come up with. And you, Mom, take it and come up with it! And yet! Let there be evil and good in the fairy tale. Some evil forces. Maybe even a sorcerer. Ok?

– All right, son.

– And also love and kindness, so that at the very end of the book it wins.

– You’ve given me a difficult task. So that the characters are new and unknown to anyone…

– Promise, Mommy? Volodya asked hopefully.

«Okay, son, I’ll try,» I said, puzzled.

– Well, then I’m waiting for your new book, Mommy, – said the son with a satisfied smile on his face.

– Agreed. You will be the first to read it!

SCHOOL YEARS

Perhaps I will begin my story with one very cold and fatal winter, it completely changed Philip’s whole life. This happened in 1991, at a time of troubles for Russia, it was the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The sixteen-year-old boy hardly realized then how historically important this year was for the country, but apparently it was the same decisive and important year for himself and for the city of Elbrus, where a girl with a beautiful and unusual name Myrrh Isobel lived.

But more on that later, because everything should go on as usual.

Since early childhood, Philip suffered from osteoporosis. And he was distinguished from his peers by a crooked posture, he even had a small hump. But alas, there was no one to do physical exercises with the boy, because Philip had no parents since birth.

Mom died after giving birth. And he never knew his father.

Because the guy who was making love with his mother Elena was from a rich and intelligent family, his parents found out about everything and strictly forbade his son to marry a girl from a commoner family.

From birth to this day, Philip was brought up by his grandmother Nina Anatolyevna. But now she is chained to the bed by a terrible illness, and Philip spends all his free time with her instead of entertainment and friends.

One day he was coming home from school and he was surrounded by the guys from the class.

– Well, Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame. Am I right, friends?

A circle of five boys formed next to Philip.

«You’re right,» they echoed the most important of the company.

– Such a freak should not go to school and on the streets! Am I right?

«That’s right, that’s right,» they shouted.

The main bully was called Egor, he recently moved from another city and came to study at their 9th Grade, it so happened that from the first days he won authority from classmates.

Why do you ask?

Well, first of all, his dad worked in the city administration, and secondly, his older twenty-three-year-old brother had a black belt in karate and, if something happened, he could pile on anyone for a minor, this was announced in the first days of his studies at Yegor’s school.

Perhaps even Egor was not loved in class, but rather simply feared. But fear often guides people, which did not bypass almost all the guys from the 9th century.

Egor did not love Philip not only for his ugly appearance, but also for his inflexible, wayward character.

«Let’s punish this Quasimodo from Notre Dame now,» he shouted, running up to Philip.

– Hit him! – shouted all around the boys.

Philip fell on the snow and covered his head with his hands, saying the words aloud in a half-whisper.

– Don’t. Please don’t!

The boys started beating him up. They were experiencing excitement, and Egor felt the greatest pleasure and triumph.

All the actions took place in the courtyard not so far from Philip’s house. But he knew that no one would come to his aid now.

He himself had to go to his grandmother, because she already had to be fed lunch by time.

«There’s not even anyone to stand up for you, bastard,» they shouted.

How they knew such details is unknown, perhaps Egor learned it from his father.

At this time, the grandmother’s heart felt something was wrong and she screamed loudly:

– Natasha, come.

So sometimes she shouted to her neighbor, who lived through the wall. And this time the woman was at home and heard Nina Anatolyevna.

The neighbor had the keys to the apartment for this occasion. Natasha went into a small apartment and asked loudly:

– What’s wrong Nina? Philip from school, hasn’t come yet?

– My soul is somehow not calm. Go take a look, maybe something happened?

– Okay, now I’ll just put on my coat and go. And you lie down and please don’t worry.

Natasha, as promised to Nina Anatolyevna, threw on her winter coat and left the entrance. She was walking exactly the same way that Philip used to go to school and return home. Natasha walked, looking at the passers-by passing by her and peering into the distance.

She walked a few more houses and crossed the road. Suddenly I saw a bunch of boys who had gathered in a bunch and were kicking someone.

«Suddenly Philip is being beaten,» a wild thought flashed through her head. But she immediately dispelled it, and the young woman did not dare to approach the crowd of militant guys. She walked around a few more houses, circled around the school. The neighbor’s boy was nowhere to be found.

Natasha began to go back and at the house where the boys used to be, she saw a hunched figure sitting on the snow with her face covered with her hands, and when she got closer, she saw Philip.

– What happened? «What is it?» she asked.

– My classmates beat me now, – the guy answered, wiping his wet eyes with his hands.

– My God, darling, let’s go, I’ll feed you dinner now and look at your wounds.

Philip tried his best to stay in front of Natasha without showing pain and annoyance because he is a man, and this meant for him that he should remain him until the end.

– How’s Grandma? – overcoming his sharp pain under the rib, he asked.

– It’s her, she called me through the wall. I felt that something bad had happened to you.

– Don’t just tell Grandma, is that agreed?

«I won’t say, let’s go home, Ivanhoe Knight,» she said with a kind smile.

And the two of them walked slowly, silently, towards the house.

– Natalia Alekseevna, – said Philip.

– What?

– Tell me, please, we didn’t go to school. And who is Ivanhoe?

Natasha laughed merrily in response and said softly.

– This is a knight who has only positive qualities in his character.

– You know, they called me Quasimodo from Notre Dame.

In response, she said kind words to Philip, and she felt unpleasant for the guy.

When they came to Natasha’s house, she examined him, dark and purple bruises, they lay scattered all over the young man’s body, his ribs also hurt.

The trip to the doctor was decided to postpone for now, there were no serious injuries. Immediately after the inspection, Philip went to the kitchen to have lunch, and then went home.

Silence reigned in Grandma’s room, he went into the room where she was lying on the sofa, on her favorite left side. Grandma was asleep.

Philip did not wake him up and quietly sat down to his lessons.

– Philip,» Grandma’s voice came from the room.

– Yes, Grandma.

– My boy, come to me now.

The guy got up from his chair and went to his grandmother.

– My dear, – Nina Alekseevna said softly, – I just dreamed of a fallen angel with black wings and a frightening abyss covered with darkness, and you are my angel standing next to this abyss, – and then grandma began to cry, tears rolled down both cheeks like hail.

«Don’t cry, Grandma, why are you worrying about some dream,» Philip said softly, taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping Grandma’s tears.

– After all, I have no one else in the world besides you, and I need you healthy.

– I’m so worried about you, you have no idea. It was not good that I had this dream.

– Forget it, Grandma. I’m doing fine. And you will live for a very long time.

– Yes, my son, yes, my darling.

Philip eventually became more and more withdrawn, because every day he spent at school was filled with ridicule and bullying and it really tormented him.

When he came home after school, he tried to forget about all the bad things, he took care of his grandmother, and his only outlet were paints and canvas. He loved to draw since he was three years old and was a genius at it.

And when Grandma fell asleep, he immediately sat down at the canvas and began to work miracles.

Philip’s paintings came to life under his brush as if they had not been painted.

He liked to experiment and draw different characters unknown to the world, it turned out that he was not only an artist, but also a writer of different stories.

And then one day he created an extraordinarily beautiful painting that was different from all his works. It differed not only in its plot, but also in its decorative and detailed design.

Grandmother and neighbor Natasha saw this work and were simply surprised by Philip’s high artistic skill and talent.

The painting depicted a very beautiful girl in a long, antique dress, and in her hand she held a candelabra with burning candles that illuminated her way through the thickening darkness to a huge, gloomy castle.

The girl was very graceful and had beautiful Slavic facial features. Philip has been working on her image for a long time, he lived in his heart. And after finishing work on the painting, Philip looked at the girl for a long time, without taking his sad, loving eyes away.

– Well, hello, my dear,» said Philip.

In response, the girl stared at the painting with her piercing gaze, continuing to hold a candelabra with burning candles in her hands.

– And what did you want, ugly Quasimodo, so that she would come to life now and rush to hug you? the young man said softly aloud and even laughed at this strange thought.

Now, day after day, when Philip came home from school, he sat down next to the painting like a motionless and silent shadow and looked at it for a long time. He felt comfortable and good next to her.

But one day, when he came home from school, he saw that a lot of people had gathered in his grandmother’s room, there were doctors and a neighbor Natasha. They were all fussing around Grandma, and two young guys were standing next to the bed holding a stretcher ready.

– Wait, – the boy shouted in fright, – Wait. Where are you going to take my grandmother? Don’t you have the right? I’m her grandson!

– Philip, my knight Ivanhoe, Nina Alekseevna has become ill. She called me through the wall, and I decided not to pull, and called an ambulance.

– No, I won’t give my grandmother away. I’ll take care of her myself.

The grandmother looked at her grandson and said softly.

– I’ll stay at home. I’m not going anywhere.

The doctors looked at each other in confusion, and the most important of them said.

– Well, if it gets worse, call us right away. And now here’s a list of medications and rest. Well, you young man keep your word!

Philip cried out joyfully and ran around the room.

– Grandma. I’ll be a better doctor for you than all of them!

When the ambulance crew left the apartment, Natasha sat down next to Nina Alekseevna and almost whispered:

– Philip and I will put you on your feet. You’ll see, but you’re still sleeping.

Then she went up to the boy and took his hand.

– Come on, I’m going to write you the phone number of a famous sorcerer in the city, I’m sure he will bring your beloved grandmother to her senses.

– Come on,» Philip whispered.

He went into the next apartment, and there a twelve-year-old girl greeted him with a kind smile.

– Mommy, where have you been? – she asked Natasha.

– She helped our neighbor. Wait, Philip, I’ll get you the phone now.

The girl at first stood aside, looking carefully, but then she came closer and stretched out her childish, elegant hand, chirped.

– I don’t see you on the street, Philip. Don’t you go for a walk?

«I don’t have time, – Philip replied.

– And let’s be friends with you? You don’t mind?

– I don’t mind. Only I don’t have time to be friends either,» he said even more gloomily.

– Well, we’ll somehow find time for friendship with you. My name is Alla. Well, even if you’re older than me, but I’m also an adult and very smart.

«All right, I’ll try to find time for a walk with you a little later,» Philip replied.

Then Natasha came up and handed me a piece of paper.

– Take this, and be sure to call tomorrow, but do not delay.

Philip thanked Natasha, then put the piece of paper with the phone away in his pocket and went home.

The grandmother, without waiting for her grandson, quietly fell asleep in her bed.