Cказки Призраков. Tales of Ghosts. Премия им. Эдгара По / Edgar Poe Award (Билингва: Rus/Eng)

«Yes, come in, please!» the Hostess invited the girl in.

In the center of the small hall, in the armchairs by the fireplace, Elena noticed two men. In the corner, curled up in a ball, a black cat was dozing. They must have been drinking tea really, since the cups hadn’t been taken away yet, and the box of chocolates was half empty.

Elena looked around. The furnishings were not rich, but not a speck of dust to be noticed anywhere, and everything was tasteful: embroideries on the walls, curtains on the windows, antique candlesticks and parquet…

«And for you… tea or coffee?» the man in blue jumper asked.

«Coffee… I ran out of coffee at home… Thank you…»

He was about fifty. «Handsome. Obviously not poor. Why is he looking for death?» thought Elena, and the Handsome retired to the kitchen.

The second man, in gray trousers and gray sweater, with a huge green scarf wrapped around his thin neck, looked pale and coughed frequently.

«Sit down at the table, honey!» the Hostess smiled, returning from the kitchen with pies.

«Or take a seat on the sofa! It’s up to you. You see, we mean no harm to you. Despite your great desire to leave the world forever, stay for a while in our gloomy but kind company!»

Elena, however, had long been unafraid of anything, and it didn’t matter to her what to drink, tea or coffee. Trying to understand where she’d got to, the girl sat down at the table.

«We are all a step away from death. However, nobody forbids us to allow ourselves something pleasant before losing everything at once.

What way did you decide to go to the Other World?» the Hostess asked.

«And what’s your name?» the Handsome added.

«Elena,» the girl answered, gripping a warm cup with her fingers.

«Ernest,» the Handsome introduced himself.

The man with the scarf wanted to say his name, but coughed.

«And Robert is our painter!» the Hostess introduced him. «He is pondering about his scarf. And Ernest planned to…»

«I haven’t decided yet… the way…» Elena said in confusion, without listening to the end.

«Well, that’s not a problem!» the Hostess encouraged her smiling. «Where are you in a hurry now? An hour earlier or later…»

The Hostess gently asked the guests to share their stories about the sudden collapse of the world. Everything, in fact, came down to a few reasons: feeling of uselessness, loss of loved ones, incurable disease and lack of money.