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CHAPTER 4

For several minutes George was peering into the void in confusion. There had been a completely tangible person in front of him and now he was gone. You can go crazy when you're like this.

Maybe I just made up everything to make my life at least bearable? On the other hand, why would my brain do this now, and not much earlier? No, this makes no sense. And my fantasy is not so bright. Then who was it? If it wasn’t Him... And again, why now, when I really stopped calling him long time ago?

What if I finally let myself go crazy and believe in it? That dream flower could be real or was it just a sophisticated illusion created by the guest or my own mind?

Out of the corner of his eye, Georgie caught an obscure movement, distracting him from his thoughts. The butterfly was fluttering in front of him in such pirouettes that his head was spi

ing. A whole kaleidoscope rather than a butterfly!

He took a closer look at it. Paranoia...

“Have you rescued me or perished?” he asked himself in a whisper, not expecting any answer because there was no one to answer him.

So he thought until he suddenly found himself in kind of a sonic cocoon – he could hear echoes of an enchanting melody coming from everywhere. Georgie shook his head furiously, driving away the next delusion. But the sound didn't stop.

The butterfly landed gracefully on a chair in front of his favorite armchair. He closed his eyes for a moment wearily. He looked again at the chair and was stu

ed, making no sign of surprise – a mask of fatigue stuck tightly to his face. A young beauty was looking at him with interest, her big blue eyes wide opened and hands folded on her knees. He was all boiling inside because of that one look. Strange thing, she didn’t raise any male interest in him. Although he didn't consider himself a monk, he kept himself from looking at women, except briefly. And only for aesthetic concerns. He was still afraid of being left back at the bottom of the ladder when least expected.

But something different was there. Her surprisingly warm for blue eyes look literally got inside him if it were possible. It was warming and cooling at the same time, it thrilled him, made him feeling guilty. He couldn’t explain himself what exactly he felt guilty for, but that feeling was quite strong.

“Oh Lord,” the man sighed heavily. “What kind of a visiting day is this?”

“I will leave soon…” She whispered confusedly and looked away.

That feeling again. It became lighter, the guilt disappeared, but it also became colder as if the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

“Do whatever you want! I'm tired, I want to rest ...” He sat on the edge of the chair, slowly sinking into a sleep.

“No, no, you can’t sleep now!” The beauty was chirping, stroking his face. She didn’t take a single step, but in an instant she appeared next to him.

“Why?” George asked sleepily.

“If you fall asleep right now, he will take you away and I won’t be able to help you anymore.”

“Who will take me?”

“Devil. With the hands of the one who just came to you.”

“Wasn’t it Devil himself?”

“Oh dear!” The vision smiled to him. “He never comes himself. He has a loyal assistant. He looks quite similar, but it wasn’t him.”

“Like God?”

“You ca

ot compare them!” The girl resented.

“But this is an obvious similarity! Why can't I say this? After all, all priests say that no one can see God. Why is he hiding from people? Or is he hiding only from priests? Why can't I say this?”

“Because you can offend God with these words!”

“And if I just think about it without saying out loud, he won’t be offended? In my opinion, this is a very obvious hypocrisy, don’t you find?”

“You should mind your own business I think...”

“But for some reason this mind is given to us! If not to think, then what for? And then, he promised to come back! And when he does, I'll go with him!

“Open your eyes! He won’t come! He did only to take your soul!”

“Then you’re giving mixed messages, lovely creature. If he came for something that he didn’t get, he would certainly come back to take it.”

“Not now,” she answered vaguely, moving a few steps away from the chair.

The distance between them helped George to gather his thoughts: ‘Strange visions too vividly affect me, unfortunately.’

Yet again, Georgie wondered whether this all could be true. Or he fell asleep and the dream became his royal road to the unconscious where everything is possible and his soul is so valuable that two powers are fighting for it. But if everything is clear with the first one, whoever represents it, then the second... ‘Who is she?’ The man wondered, looking at the beauty standing in front of him with interest.