The Queen of Spades

Alexandra had overdone her makeup tonight. But she had really beautiful long blond hair. And dark blue eyes. I am really lucky to have such a pretty classmate, Victor thought to himself. And it is a bit more different tonight. Because we are going to have a night at the chalet with the whole class. At three o’clock PM the whole eight “A” class got on the rented bus and headed for the mountain, there beyond the town.

A quarter of an hour later the bus halted at a small chalet situated in a picturesque site overgrown with lilac bushes. The fucking everyday life was far away at last! They had rented the chalet for a single night. This night the hypocrisy of workdays disappeared! Take off your masks…we are free! When they were in the bus, when they entered the chalet, he was constantly looking for her. We are not at school anymore, I will talk to her! Victor never stopped thinking about her. He paid no attention to the fuss around accommodation that took place around him. “What a party we’re gonna have!” ,  “Where are the spirits?”. The furious childish joy had no end. They had already suited themselves around the rooms and they were walking noisily along the corridors. The chalet personnel was already accustomed to the sight- for the fat aunts the cigarettes scattered around the floor, the beer spilt, the drunkard’s screams, the stains of vomiting on soaked in the carpet and the condoms were just a part of their everyday life.

Yes, this was about to happen, this happened each time! Long life for the reality in anti-reality!

The most important thing for a teen in this fucked state is to be alone and among peers. Actually this is the most difficult thing to accomplish. The most important thing for every girl in such a moment is to be easily accessible for everyone, really accessible. At least for one night! The most important thing for every boy is to be as drunk as a pig, not even remembering his own name…this feeling being oriental unique, as if they have clutched the Creator’s…

And so it became dark outside…Among the dirty jokes, the stripping-poker and usual dose of alcohol came the GREAT IDEA. At 11:07 PM they decided to summon the Queen of Spades! Each of them knew at last dozen horror campfire-stories about this hell of a cold but also beautiful phantom-lady who captured your soul every time you summoned her. Their elder sisters and brothers had explained them how to make the Queen of Spades appear- in a dark room you fall in a trance and start talking with the ghost. They say she always appeared. Not once have young people been shattered to the bone with terror at the sight of her. Later they had scary dreams- they saw themselves dead or they saw lots of girls dressed in black going round a new grave bearing the name of he who had summoned the ghost once.

Alexandra was the most eager to call for the Queen of Spades. She spoke with enthusiasm, her mouth open, and Victor was watching her. She explained with a slow and concentrated voice how 5 people had to lock themselves in a room- 2 boys and 3 girls, to turn off the lights, to stand in front of the mirror, to take out a card with the image of the Queen of Spades out of the pack, place it before the mirror and to say three times: “Queen of Spades, come before us, Queen of Spades, come before us, Queen of Spades, come before us!”.  Each of them had to take a Joker and not to look at it 10 seconds after the ghost appeared. Victor was looking Alexandra, he did not believe in such stories, he even barely listened to her, he was simply in love with her. He simply wanted to bury his hands in her hair, to smell them, to catch her breast, to touch her lip…That is why decided to go with her to her room together with 2 more girls and one boy and to summon the Queen of Spades. A minute later the door was locked, the lights were turned off and the rest of the class stayed outside the room near the door. Alexandra took out two candles out of her bag and lighted them. Everybody gathered in front of the mirror, she sat in the middle. They took out the card out of the pack and chanted together the spell three times: “Queen of Spades, come before us, Queen of Spades, come before us, Queen of Spades, come before us…”

And she came. The Queen of Spades. Her transparent image outlined in the mirror- a young woman with dark blue eyes and long hair. Her cold gaze was still, fixed upon them. Her smile was like ice. Anna could not feel her own legs, she was weightless from the back to the toes. Vladimir started stammering “Que-Que-Que-Que…”, the rest did not move.

 Alexandra jumped from her chair, ran to the door, her hands were trembling while feeling for the key, she opened, bumped in the crowd and ran down the corridor, unable to speak. She lost her balance down the stairs, stumbled and her body rolled down. As she sprawled on the ground floor she shrieked and pissed. A trickle of urine ran down her knees and wetted the parquet. She was so confused that she found this relieving, though she felt ashamed. 



перевод на английский: Борис Пенчев