Ловушка для Мыслеформы. A Trap for a Thought-Form. Премия им. М. Булгакова / M. Bulgakov Award (Билингва: Rus/Eng)

The sector of all the Secret and Unrevealed, symbolically called the Mystical Mansion or the Mysterious Island, the Portal to Another Reality. It would barely get out of there, my Sun…

***

September

«Who are you?» I asked when another Autumn crept up on me with another strange man who had come to the Union of Writers to submit his book for a competition.

The man introduced himself, whispering something in addition as quietly as passwords.

I glanced at him briefly without remembering either his first or last name, and I didn’t even catch what he whispered, because he reminded me of Roman and Ray at the same time.

«A glitch in the Matrix!» the thought flashed through my mind.

«Did you bring us the book?» I decided to clarify.

«No… Yes… But…»

«Alice, haven’t you heard?» my colleague suddenly interrupted my thoughts, tugging at the sleeve of my dress and adding distinctly in a mysterious voice, «This man is from your Old Mansion!!!»

«Are you… really from that Mansion!?» I asked, not believing my ears.

«Yes,» the man nodded calmly. «I’ve been working there, behind the Left Door, since the very beginning. Come to visit us this Sunday! And I will give you my book for the competition. I forgot to take it with me.»

***

The day before

It was very cold. I was already leaving the store when the saleswoman ran up to me, holding out the package.

«This is a gift for you!» she said mysteriously.

I opened the package and saw a gray scarf. I took it out and twisted it in my hands.

…

I put the scarf back.

Having arrived home, I opened the package again, but along with the scarf I found…

…GLOVES…

the black ones…

***

The Beginning,

in which there was a Word…

and not only

Yes, there was a Word in the Beginning, and that Word was «Gloves», and also it was very cold, the right time for them to appear. Though, all I wanted to do that day was to stay at home and bask under a plaid by the fireplace with the Moon Cat and a book about ghosts, because the idea of going to the Mansion suddenly made me scared.

However, with a heavy sigh, I forced myself out of bed, grabbed the 9

edition of my «Book of Secret Knowledge» alias «The Book of White and Black Magic», the first novel in the «Playing Another Reality» series, and resolutely headed for the Portal.