Напряжение / Voltage: Глава 11

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The impact flattened the wafer cup and tore it sideways. It's rolled across the grass. All white - with grey and green marks on the ground, and even with two busy ants perched on the rift. It's can't be eaten at all. Unless it's under the label where the dirt certainly can't get in. So, having picked a bigger piece with the label, I threw the rest in the direction of the tigers. They, incidentally, reacted to my visit only with fed glances. The biggest dark-colored tiger, like a t-shirt after a rusty radiator, was appreciative of my gift, so it graciously approached the gift, pressed its nose to it, and sat down between its front paws. Another lover of the cool ice cream was chased away with a disgruntled growl - so, realizing that he would certainly not get anything, he strode towards me, clearly aiming at the contents of the label.

Camrad_RIP 07.03.23 в 07:23

"Shoo," I waved at him, shooing the tailed one away.

Camrad_RIP 07.03.23 в 07:24

He was unimpressed, though (which worked even with Laika's friends!) and growled as if he had swallowed a bus. He was also whipping his tail at his side and muzzling his muzzle again, which I barely brushed off by hitting his cheeky ear.

Camrad_RIP 07.03.23 в 19:25

Then the tiger was acting very strangely - he staggered sideways with both paws and began shaking his muzzle, wiggling unsteadily, until he sat down on his hind legs, still twisting his head, sticking out his tongue and breathing heavily. What was the matter with him, I wondered?

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:26

After looking around at the tiger, he shifted his gaze to his left hand and tsked in annoyance. The arm was still covered by the gift. I was sorry for a second because I was breaking the wall, and there was a living thing, almost like a cat. I decided to apologize and offered him some ice cream - I'd had enough anyway - but the tiger crawled back frightened and meowed miserably.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:27

Not wanting ice cream is a sign of serious head injury, so I chased the beast not to feed it but to mark it (with a sticker) and inform the doctor (otherwise, how else would he figure it out, they're all the same). In general, I have caught up, pinned a label on his forehead, and with a happy look, went to the fence - to get out of the park and look for a doctor. There was no way to get back - the bare wall was three meters high. Unless I could stand on top of a tiger. But they were afraid to come near me, especially after I had chased their friend.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:35

I glanced at the people on the other side of the fence and almost stumbled. A swarm of hungry, expectant, and disappointed stares, the measured hum of voices that didn't wait for the entertainment. That was the way the boys in the older group looked at me, waiting for me to pick up the spokes in the socket, and after I did pick them up and nothing happened to me. They wanted me to feel bad. They wanted to witness someone else's misfortune. The adults did not look like monsters at all - the bright, pretty outfits, the cheerful coloring of the fabrics, the wide panamas and sandals - but I knew from Uncle Seryozha's experience that monsters lived inside them.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:43

I wanted to get back to the tigers - at least they didn't want to hurt me - but I just straightened up and quickened my pace.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:43

Two bars were separating the tiger habitat from the park. One is smaller to keep the tigers from escaping, and the other is larger to keep people away from the tigers, but if you stand on the first one, it's easy to climb over to the second one - from my side, of course. Which I did, landing next to the excited crowd, right next to the guy poking me with the eye of a box - similar to the one the purple kid had, only plastic.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:46

"Awesome, just awesome! I've recorded everything!" he muttered, examining the box admiringly from his side.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:46

"Hm..." After a second, I looked at the screen.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:47

It showed the tarmac and my feet again. It's a weird thing.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:47

"Here, tap here," the man said as he turned the phone (which turned out to be a black one) towards me.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:48

"Oh," I was impressed as I watched the brave hero (me) chase after the patient. "I'll grow up to be a doctor," I shared my self-satisfaction and grabbed the phone in my hands.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:49

"Kid... you watch - and give it back," the man said nervously.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:49

"I'll keep it as a memento," I twirled the phone in my hands and gave out a phrase created by irritation and anger at these people.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:50

"Give it back now. I'll call the police!" He raised his voice, drawing the attention of the crowd, who were already looking more curiously at me than at the tigers.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:50

"All right, call for help," I retorted. "Let's ask the police why you were quietly filming a child being near tigers and didn't even think to call for help!" Towards the end, I raised my voice too, speaking in a level voice straight into the eyes of the man. "None of you!"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:53

I could see, from the corner of my eye, that a few pairs had left the area in front of the tigers, and the others were also suddenly losing interest in the striped carnivores, gradually withdrawing further away. They were in no hurry to help either.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:54

"But... we thought you were working here..." he glanced back, expecting encouragement, but people were somehow averting their gaze, pretending they'd just arrived and had nothing to do with it at all.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:54

"At nine years old? Call the police!" I raised my voice.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:55

"Hold on, boy! You don't have to call anyone!" The man was fidgeting in his pockets. "Here's for the ice cream!" He handed me a brightly colored note with the number twenty on it and slowly moved his other hand to take his phone back.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:57

Forty ice creams, hmmm... I listened to myself and found there was forgiveness for those silly adults. And also a mild curiosity with a desire to check one phrase I had heard from the violets - they say it for something, don't they?

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:58

"Do you know who my father is?" I even rised his chin to make it sound more weighty.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:59

"Here, another twenty roubles!"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 07:59

Squinting my eyes slightly, I continued to stand and stare - in fact, at that moment, I imagined placing eighty ice creams in my pockets and T-shirt, but the man understood quite differently:

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:04

"Here are ten more."

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:04

Hm, training! I tilted my head slightly and stared at the bridge of the nose of the man in front of me.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:05

"Five more. Twenty more. How about I give you a hundred, and you give me the rest back, huh?"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:05

The bids continued to rise, reaching three hundred ice creams, and I would have stopped by now - but it's interesting, isn't it?

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:06

"Look, let me talk to your father and I will explain everything." The man wiped his face with his panama with a trembling hand and took the phone with his other hand. "What's his number?"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:07

//Too much," the thought flashed in frustration.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:08

Actually, I had three numbers in my memory, but can't give him the hospital and doctor's numbers.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:08

The man dialed the number and defiantly pressed the icon labeled "Speakerphone".

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:09

"The complex of the Sovereign's Fountains," came a hoarse voice from the loudspeaker. "Attention, the communication line is unprotected! Transfer to Hermes Satellite Group, and wait for a callback!"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:10

The owner of the phone was at this point trying to hit the reject button, blundering each time, and when a chiming tune sounded after five seconds, he pulled out the back panel, pulling a silver rectangle from the box, after which all sound was abruptly cut off.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:11

"Here, here. You liked it, didn't you?" he shoved parts of the phone into my hands. "I do! Just don't say anything to Daddy, please!"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:12

"Okay," I shrugged in surprise.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:12

"Thank you, you're a good boy. You're clever. Here's another hundred. I gotta run. I got a lot to do, bye!"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:15

And he took off somewhere in the direction of the exit.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:16

"He's weird," I said, looking at the pieces of the phone in front of me. "He must have broken it, so he gave it away."

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:16

The other one would have thrown it away, but I pocketed it carefully. I have glue in my room - I'll fix it.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:16

Despite the present, the mood was still unhappy, especially after the lady at the stall refused to sell the six hundred ice creams. And five hundred. And an entire ice cream stall. She was not the only one who shook her head in a negative way when she showed me a piece of paper with the number one hundred on it. Probably because the picture on it was not as pretty as on the others, and instead of a bridge and a river it showed a sad greenish face. So they do not change it. And I understand them - even Mishka from eighth "A" draws better. I'll have to ask him to redraw the five-ruble picture, which they gladly exchanged for three chocolate ice creams with nuts. Very tasty!

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:19

Also, no one knew where the tiger doctor was, so I had to go look for it myself.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:19

I met another violet on the way, chatted with him without any mood, and moved on, rubbing my knuckles on my finger. They all seemed strange with their questions, but at least this one was more interesting than the others.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:26

I wandered around the park asking for a doctor until I was shown to a small building with a cross near the entrance, but no one there either agreed to treat the tiger.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:26

///I should have at least put some green on it," I thought guiltily. - But it's not too late!
11

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:26

I checked the vial of green in its proper place. Cheering up, I galloped back. However, I lost my way a little, and instead of tigers, I came across a familiar cube with fireflies, so I decided to linger for a second.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:29

"Beautiful, isn't it? Glowing, aren't they?" There was an unfamiliar voice behind me.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:30

I turned around and saw the same corn seller, only now he was not sitting behind the counter of his stall but standing two paces behind me. All tanned, with a dark mustache and bushy eyebrows, wearing a dirty grey T-shirt and a white apron over it. He was trying to smile, stretching his lips over his yellow metal teeth.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.23 в 08:31