Nine beads of horror. Blue bear

The evening outside the window did not portend anything bad. Evening, as evening, one of a series of those that bring nothing but regret for wasted hours. It was very quiet. From the bedroom of the parents came the ticking of the clock. When I finished reading the book, I bookmarked it and reached for the curtains to close them for the night, when suddenly the sound of a cell phone cut through the silence of the room. A message has arrived. I suddenly became afraid. Glancing at Sm-s, I went cold.
"The countdown has begun," the message read, "The Blue Bear will never knock on your door again!"
"Blue Bear-Lan Sen" was teased by my friend. When we were in the second grade, she came to the school party with an incredibly blue toy. Many years later. No one even remembered the shade of this toy, but the nickname remained. Deciding that Sm-s is just a stupid prank, I immediately called my friend back. I was already desperate to wait for an answer, but then they picked up the phone and it even seemed to me that I heard the voice of a friend “... help!”. After that, long beeps were heard. I called again and again, but no one picked up the phone. By the time I got on my bike, the yard was already empty. Midnight was approaching. The chill of the night cooled my overheated imagination and face. A friend lived very close (by Beijing standards). Twenty minutes later I was already there. A friend never closed the door to the apartment, and I had a key from the front door. Pushing open the door, I ran into the hallway and was surprised to find that everything was in order in the apartment. The TV was humming in the living room, music was playing softly somewhere. Lights were on everywhere. Slowly walking around the apartment, I noticed that the light was off only in one room, the room of Lee Yun Hua, my friend. As I expected, Li Yun Hua was in her room, but for some reason she was sitting in the dark. She was not surprised that I came. Without even turning around, she said:
Are you Lin Lin? Why did you walk so long?
“But you… What happened?” Explain to me at last!
- Quiet! - a friend pressed her finger to her mouth, - I'm afraid of him!
- Who are you afraid of? Yes, turn to me, finally!
But I wish I hadn't asked for it. My friend's face was long and white. The eyes didn't move. Turning away, she again stared at one point.
Yun Hua, I'm talking to you! That's not how you treat your friends! Do you know what time it is!? I was driving through a completely empty Beijing.
 Yun Hua said something, but it was so quiet that I couldn't make it out. I had to take my friend by the hand and turn to him. Jumping from fifth to tenth, Yun Hua tried to recount what had happened to her. As she talked, she turned every minute to the same place, which was somewhere at the junction of two walls. In my opinion, there was nothing there, but Yun Hua did not think so.
“They called me on a cell phone,” the girl said with difficulty, wrinkling her forehead, “someone laughed for a long time, and then suddenly turned off. After that I received a sm-s.
Li Yun Hua suddenly fell silent. I tried to break the veil of silence, but it only made it worse.
— What was in the SMS? Do not be silent!
“He promised that the blue bear would return!” It all happened!
- What bear? I kept insisting, ignoring Li Yun's completely whitened lips, “What are you talking about?
— You remember him! That teddy bear that I forgot in the park, they also gave me the nickname blue bear because of it.
Now that Li Yun Hua reminded me, I remembered this story in detail. The blue bear was given to Li Yun for his eighth birthday. Everywhere and always a favorite toy accompanied Li Yun Hua, until one day, when we were ten years old, the bear disappeared. Li Yun Hua thought she forgot it in the park. I thought differently, that afternoon we were not alone in the park. It was an organized exit to the park. In addition to us, our entire class was in the park. Naturally, with a teacher. I think the teddy bear was stolen right out of the backpack. We had a few detractors. However, that's not the point. Li Yun Hua was very hurt then because of her bear and even got sick. And now...
“Lee Yun Hua, pull yourself together and try to calm down!” - I tried to bring my friend to her senses, but again she did not listen to me!
Look, Lin! Here he is! Can not you see! Yes, there he is! He never forgave me...
“Li Yun, stop it, you’re scaring me!” Lee Yun!
Li Yun suddenly swayed and fell. There was foam on her lips. As she fell, she still tried to turn back to where she had previously looked with such fear.
“How painful,” she suddenly whispered, “he never forgave me! Look at Lin, the blue fire he threw at me came out of the phone. Look at Lin, there he is, standing in the corner and shaking his head reproachfully.
After looking in the direction that Li Yun was talking about, I actually saw something. But only for a moment. Shaking off my delusion, I turned back to Lee Yun Hua. A friend was lying on the floor, her eyes looked at one point. I shuddered. My first impulse was to run away from here, but I overcame myself. Turning on the light, I squatted in front of her and tried to feel for a pulse. However, it was all over. Before calling the floorItion, I approached the place where, even after death, the gaze of my unfortunate friend was riveted. Having approached the place where something had recently seemed to me, I, of course, did not see anything otherworldly. However, I did find something. That something turned out to be the cell phone Yun Hua called me from. But no one will call from this phone anymore. He was completely charred.
The police arrived very quickly. I confusedly recounted the whole story to the one who interrogated me, not forgetting to mention the bear. When I pointed to the place where something seemed to me, silence hung in the room. The photographer and the pathologist looked at each other. I understood that I had created in my own words the image of a not quite normal girl, but I was not going to hide anything. Whoever the person who scared Li Yun Hua to death must be punished.
When I returned home, I regretted that I had no one to share what had happened with, but, looking at my watch, I suddenly discovered that in three hours I had to get ready for work, and it would be nice to take a nap for at least an hour.
It was evening the next day. I felt unbearably sick. I ran around the house, unable to find a place for myself.
Finally, I jumped on my bike and headed to the nearest park. It was evening exercise time. Elderly people, the same age as my grandparents, made smooth movements to the music. This half-exercise, half-dance felt, brought together the elderly and made them happy. I thoughtlessly looked at the inspired faces and painfully thought about where the misfortune that fell on my head came from. Other than Lee Yun Hua, I didn't have any girlfriends. There were friends, there were acquaintances from work, but it was not the same. While thinking, I suddenly caught the displeased look of one of the older women. My phone rang and rang probably for a long time, but I didn’t hear anything.
Li Yun Hua's fianc; called. He was completely bewildered and couldn't bear the thought that Yun Hua was no more. Half an hour ago, he returned from the police, where he was meticulously interrogated. Since I was the last person to talk to Li before her strange death, the police couldn't find fault with the young man. The police were very interested in the question of who was the unknown who intimidated Lee. Li's fianc; said that he did not see Li Yun Hua that day, but only talked to her, but could not prove anything. Lee's phone turned into a baked piece of plastic and it was completely impossible to find out the phone number from which Lee called. The police made a request to the telephone company, but they did not expect an official answer until tomorrow. Ye Xiao, Li Yong's fianc;, questioned me in detail over the phone about what happened on that nightmarish night, and then offered to… meet. I looked around. By the time we were talking, the grandparents had already gone their separate ways. The park became dark and noticeably colder. I tried to reschedule the meeting for tomorrow, but Ye Xiao insisted that he was close to the park.
 Before I meet Ye Xiao, let me take a quick look back at my high school years. Or rather, by the time the three of us, Li Yun Hua, Ye Xiao and I were in our senior year. Since Li Yun Hua and I were inseparable from the first class, the first young man turned out to be one for two of us. We both liked Ye Xiao and he kind of treated both of us the same, but when the time came, he chose Li Yun Hua. This was a blow to me, although I thought I was ready for such an outcome. We then almost fell out with Yun Hua forever. Here is such a banal story. But gradually time put everything in its place. I reconciled with a friend, and time flowed in the old way. School times have long melted away in a hazy haze of the past. It's been eight years now. My friend and Ye Xiao were supposed to get married in half a month, and now…
I felt really sorry for Ye Xiao, he was completely lost. He only talked about Li Yun Hua and kept forgetting that she was no more. I couldn't talk about her in the past tense. After telling everything I knew, I got up to go home. However, Ye Xiao did not want to let me go. He knelt down and begged me not to leave him alone today. Needless to say, I still liked Ye Xiao, but what he demanded of me was unthinkable.
Looking closely at the young man, I saw that, among other things, he was also frightened by something. In addition to grief for the bride, some very strong emotions disturbed him in earnest.
“Lin,” Ye Xiao suddenly turned to me, “let’s get out of here!” I have money!
The proposal so outraged me that I choked with indignation.
“I understand,” Ye Xiao spoke again, ignoring my silence, “that my proposal seems monstrous to you, but understand me too!” I can't bear it, I just can't bear what's ahead of me. The funeral will take place as soon as the police permit. I can't go there, but I can't not go either.
Ye Xiao suddenly burst into tears, and I softened. It is impossible to be angry with the person who loved my friend so much.
- Not. You will calm down and understand that it is necessary to go, - I said instructively, - we will go together!
- With you? Ye Xiao suddenly shouted, “You xdo you want him to destroy me as well as her? Turns out you're so mean!
And my classmate suddenly jumped up and ran away. And I was left puzzled and sad. It felt like the whole world had gone crazy since yesterday. Li Yun Hua's cremation was supposed to take place on Thursday, and on Wednesday evening Ye Xiao called me. After introducing himself, he was silent for a long time and sighed into the phone. I already decided that he was afraid of tomorrow's cremation and tried to cheer him up, when suddenly he interrupted me in mid-sentence, and carried some nonsense. After listening to him for a few seconds, I realized with chagrin that he did not listen at all to what I was saying.
“Lin,” he suddenly turned to me, “I want to repeat my offer. Let's leave!
- Where? I asked shortly. It was more expensive to argue with a person in such a state - have you already thought out the route?
Let's go to America! I have relatives there!
— But I don't. Good night, Ye Xiao.
“Well, then,” the unfortunate man whispered doomedly, “you have just signed my death warrant.
Having calmed the unfortunate fiance, I interrupted the conversation and, returning home, tried to sleep. The story about the danger, imaginary or real, was heard for the second time, and I did not have time to ask Ye Xiao about it. The day of Lee Yun Hua's funeral came and went. Ye Xiao stood next to Yun Hua's parents and relatives and didn't even turn around to face me when the ceremony came to an end. I had long ceased to delve into the essence of the action of this theater of the absurd, but the attitude of Ye Xiao was the last straw. Frustrated, I didn't even go to the wake. Another three days passed, and at night, at about two o'clock, my phone suddenly rang.
Or rather, it all started again with Sm-s. “He is not worth you, and therefore he will perish. But you could have saved him!” This sm-s came to me nine times. Whoever the mysterious sender was, he was no stranger to cruelty and, in my opinion, he was insane.
I had Ye Xiao's phone, but no matter how hard I tried, no one picked up the phone. Of course, I knew where my former classmate lived. Ye Xiao lived with his elderly parents, who doted on him. Circling around the room, I couldn't decide what to do. Go to Ye Xiao's home? What if everything is fine, and I just scare the elderly!? But I couldn’t help but go, the thought that I was somehow involved in the nightmare that was happening around me did not give me peace. True, it would be nice if at least someone still explained what I was to blame for. Having made up my mind, I saddled my iron friend, a bicycle, and set off. Ye Xiao lived in a nearby hutong, and five minutes later I was at his house. The windows of Ye Xiao's room shimmered with soft light, but the windows of the parents were dark. After wandering around the yard, I finally made up my mind and knocked on the window. Nobody responded. Of course, Ye Xiao could fall asleep watching TV and not hear me, but I couldn’t leave without understanding. As I approached the house, I knocked softly. Without waiting for an answer, I knocked again, but the result was the same. Nobody answered. Pushing open the door, for it was not locked, I went in. Going from room to room, I knocked on all the doors before entering, but the rooms were empty. The last room was open, and light poured out. The chair where the man was sitting was in the center. Around him were a TV, a laptop, and a cell phone on a stand. The cell phone was in the center. All three devices shone with the same milky blue color. When I entered the room, Ye Xiao was still alive. As I now understand, he was saved by the jade beads that were around his neck (Buddha bless the new men's fashion). It seemed to me that on all three screens I saw a woman's face, but as soon as I entered, all three image sources were covered with blue ripples. I stopped in front of my friend, but Ye Xiao didn't even think to turn around.
“Why did you come,” Ye Xiao asked me, his voice sounding sleepy, “I felt so good!”
“I came to save you!” I replied, but there was no confidence in my voice.
“My doll,” Ye Xiao suddenly shouted in a completely childish voice, “don’t take my doll! Why can my sister have a doll but I can't?
I ran up to Ye Xiao and started shaking him. However, the guy fell more and more into a blissful trance.
Suddenly, in the silence, I heard muffled moans. Having oriented myself, I went to the sound and found two old men tied up in the annex. Their mouths were not shut, but they were so weak that they could not even moan. After releasing the old people, giving them tea and warming them, I wanted to call the police, but they did not allow me to do so. Mother spoke, father was speechless, mute with grief.
“Don’t blame him, Ye Xiao has always been a wonderful son, loyal, kind, obedient. Oddities with him began on the night of the death of the bride. From his room, the sounds of conversation, songs, and once even the sounds of a fight were heard all the time. However, when we went to our son to bless him for a sound sleep, everything turned out to be in order. The phone rang nonstop this morning.
 And then something happened: the son came into the parents' room without knocking. He was excited and full ofbridges. Ye Xiao spoke with a childish voice and demanded his doll. The old people began to appeal to his mind, then the son suddenly tried to kill them. Not even like that. Ye Xiao struggled with his inner killer who ordered him to kill his parents, but the fight was not even. Every minute he turned more and more into that little boy whose parents threw his favorite doll in the trash. The black and white sides fought to the point of exhaustion, and it ended in a draw. Ye Xiao tied up his parents and carried them out to the outhouse. He couldn't kill them, but the night air would quickly do it for him. After all, Ye Xiao's parents were already very old. The mother of the unfortunate young man fell silent, and so did I.
Suddenly, a scream came from Ye Xiao's room, and I rushed there. Running into the room, I was dumbfounded and wanted to rush back, but the door slammed shut behind me. I had no choice but to face the horror face to face. The beams from the TV, laptop and cell phone crossed on a giant doll whose head propped up the ceiling. Remember, it seemed to me that I saw a woman's face on the screens? I was wrong. What I took for a woman was just a doll. Ye Xiao's cry was not a cry of pain. Ye Xiao screamed in delight. Naming the doll by the name of the deceased bride, he reached out to her with his whole body. Looking at the doll, I understood why eight years ago Ye Xiao chose not me, but Li Yun Hua. The doll's face was a crudely painted copy of my friend. The doll rummaged around the floor with its hands and tossed furniture around, and its eyes stared blankly into emptiness. Ye Xiao shouted, waved his arms, threw himself at the doll's feet, but it was all in vain. The doll carefully walked around him, but at the same time desperately searched. I've already decided that everything will work out. Everything will be like in a fairy tale, in the morning the rooster will sing and the evil spirits will perish! But it was not there. The theater of horrors was gaining momentum. Suddenly, Ye Xiao yanked the jade beads from his neck with a thin cry. The beads were sprinkled on the floor, and the doll suddenly regained its sight. Leaning over Ye Xiao, she gently took him in her arms. But her embrace had nothing to do with her mother's. It was the arms of lovers. The doll held Ye Xiao tighter and tighter. The vertebrae crunched and broke, the lungs burst from lack of oxygen. However, Ye Xiao's face never left a smile of happiness. I didn't have the strength to look at it. When everything was quiet, I opened my eyes. The huge and terrifying doll disappeared, and Ye Xiao lay on his bed clutching a small doll with the face of Li Yun Hua to his chest. It seemed that he was sleeping. Looking around, I saw that my mother, who had been standing at the door all this time, was coming towards me.
“We won’t tell anyone about this,” she said, looking me in the eyes and walking towards her son’s bed, “he is now with his doll.”
Carefully covering her son, and straightening the frills on the bright dress of the doll, she went to her father to tell him the sad news.
Meeting the police for the second time in less than two weeks was too much for me, and I decided to quietly leave. Already at the door, I made eye contact with Ye Xiao's mother, the woman gave me a small nod and turned away.
 Yes, I forgot to tell. As I left the room, I glanced at the TV. The same story happened to him as with Lee Yun Hua's mobile phone. It has blackened and baked, just like a laptop and a mobile phone. In the whole wide world I had only two people to whom I could tell everything: my girlfriend and my school friend, and now they are gone, and it was my fault. The roots of their problems, as well as the source of my troubles, stretched from childhood.