Рождество на Кузнецком мосту. Christmas on Kuznetsky bridge. Премия им. Н.В. Гоголя / N.V. Gogol award (Билингва: Rus/Eng)

The guard at the entrance reported that a certain Miss Hope had come to Dr. Rip. The guard asked what to do with her, to let her in or not.

«Only she is still missing here!» Dr. Rip muttered to himself, being displeased.

Miss Hope was really his last hope to be loved indeed, which he hid from everyone, including his hospital team. The Head of the Department was a close friend of his wife, so Dr. Rip didn’t want to see Miss Hope at his work at all. Not then, not ever. Moreover, they had agreed, he would pick her up in the evening after the «tea party», if, of course, he would be in adequate condition to drive.

«Don’t let her in! She is my former patient. I’m coming down myself.»

Descending the stairs, Dr. Rip felt his heart ache harder, and in the doorway on the first floor, he suddenly stopped, colliding with a girl of about twelve, short in stature with disheveled, slightly curling dark hair and huge black eyes. Snowflakes glittered on her eyelashes.

«My Lord, it’s snowing again!» thought Dr.

Rip, involuntarily shuddering, and for some reason said aloud the usual,

«Visiting hours are from five to seven…»

The girl continued to silently hypnotize Dr. Rip with her gaze, as if she had come to see him, not to visit some of his patients.

«Who are you looking for?» he asked almost in a whisper.

The girl kept silent. She looked poor, wearing an old sheepskin coat, clearly too small for her, a black long skirt, probably inherited from her older sister, and worn boots.

Besides, she had neither mittens nor a hat for some reason.

It suddenly seemed to Dr. Rip that he had seen that girl before. A hazy deja vu had haunted him since morning.

«These eyes have already looked at me, the same eyelashes, eyebrows. Lord, where have I seen her before? Only the nose was not like that… Stop! Which nose did I mean? What happened to my memory?! Am I that old? Why is she silent? How did she get here?» he pondered.

«Dr. Rip!» the voice of the Head of the Department came from above.

«The guard from the entrance called! Your Hope can’t wait anymore! She’s leaving! So come back!»

«Yes, okay, I’m coming,» still mesmerized by the vision, Dr. Rip responded.

The girl continued to stare at him intently, and… suddenly he remembered! Horror reflected in his eyes. The girl nodded her head and instantly… disappeared!

The Head of the Department went down the stairs to the jubilee, who was holding his hand over his heart.