Feather from the wing of a white angel second

Boy Kostya


It was a starry, quiet evening. The boy Kostya wandered through the deserted streets. He left home today. Gone never to return. The boy was hungry. The boy was depressed. The boy was stubborn. Kostya knew that his mother was looking for him. There was no one closer to mother in the world. Mom should have told the police by now. And the police were obliged to find Kostya. The police were supposed to drive up to the boy. They should have put him in the car. Men in uniform were obliged to return Kostya home. Home to mom.

But the streets were empty. No one was in a hurry to Kostya. And the boy himself swore that he would not return. Kostya hated his stepfather. And the stepfather answered the boy in the same way. Kostya went through all the ways to please his mother's new husband. He studied only perfectly well. Went to bed at nine o'clock. Didn't walk. Didn't play computer games. No no no…

Everything was useless. Mom's new husband always found something to complain about! Mom worked. She worked from early morning until late at night. Worked three jobs. My stepfather also worked. Just three hours a day. The new husband worked not far from home. Kostya was returning home, and his stepfather was already at home. There was nothing for my stepfather to do, and he wandered around the house. Sometimes he undertook to check the lessons. Sometimes I did an audit in the boy's briefcase. Much more often he was interested in the drawers of Kostya's desk.

The boy was tense all the time. True, such days were not frequent. As soon as the new dad had money, he immediately had a lot to do. Mom's new husband went on a drinking binge. Within two or three weeks, the stepson ceased to exist for the intoxicated husband. After three weeks, horror entered the boy's life. Beatings and insults are only a small part of what Vitya's stepfather did to him.

Mom loved Kostya and felt sorry for him. Mom would kick out Vitya's stepfather if she knew what he was doing with her son. However, the boy never told his mother anything. Kostya was ashamed. The boy did not know what words to tell his mother about what this alien and evil man was doing to him. Hangover man. Terrible man. Angered man.

It became quite dark outside. The boy is tired and cold. He hung around the police station for about half an hour in the hope that he would be noticed and called out. Cars with flashing lights left and returned. People in uniform got out of the cars. The boy was noticed, but no one was in a hurry to approach him. It was only in the boy's dreams that everything was simple and fast. In fact, no one wanted problems.

Of course, if the boy was put on the wanted list! If only the boy's parents cut off their phones! If leaflets with photographs of the boy were hung on all poles, and signs were listed on TV every half an hour! However, no one called, did not write, did not list.

And in general, Kostya's mother was not in the city that quiet evening. Mom moved to another city. Last night, at the moment when Kostya was already asleep, a telegram arrived at the house. Mom, Zinaida Nikolaevna, woke up her stepfather, packed her things and left. Yes, before leaving, my mother asked a close friend to take Kostya to her place for a few days.

Most likely, the mother suspected about the problems of her son. She often noticed bruises and bruises on her son's body, but the boy was silent. Mom didn't ask. It made life easier that way.

The friend promised to come and pick up Kostya, but… she forgot. No, my friend's memory was fine. It was something else. A friend, let's call her Marina Ivanovna, considered Zina's husband, Vitya, an ideal man. She believed that Vitya got a friend undeservedly.

It seemed to her that Kostya should pray for a new father! And it was completely incomprehensible to her why to come, pick up Kostya from a three-room apartment, and take the boy to her odnushka. Why feed the boy, make sure that the child comes home from school on time, if the boy has a stepfather who treats his stepson better than any father?

In general, why does she, Marina, need extra problems? When Zina turned to Marina with a request, Marina did not dare to refuse her friend, but on reflection, she came to the conclusion that it was not worth rushing to take the boy. If Zina reproaches her friend for not fulfilling her request, then Marina can always say that Vitya did not want to let her stepson go.

This was the situation at the moment when the angel flew by. The angel was gloomy. He knew that now his life would be more difficult. Someone's cup of patience overflowed, and an angel with black wings was supposed to descend to earth. The white angel did not know that His will had already been done, and the black angel was already here. He is here, in this city, which is spread over two hills. The city sleeps, but the angels never sleep, they think about how to do their job.

Kostya wanted to eat, wanted to sleep, but did not want to return home. But the boy had nowhere to go but home. He had no close relatives in this city. All his relatives lived in the city where his mother left. Kostya had a dad, but his mother broke up with him when Kostya was only a year old. Mom did not hide the fact that she regrets the quarrel with dad.

Of course, mom felt sorry for Kostya, she understood how hard it was for a boy without a father, but nothing to change in with your life was not in a hurry. Realizing that those around him, as always, were not up to him, Kostya sadly wandered wherever his eyes looked. The eyes looked towards the sea. That's where he went. The seashore was empty. The lanterns illuminated: the beach, the rides, the boats, and the cafes with dark shop windows. On the beach, everything was as it should be at night. At least here, near the sea, the illusion of life, the illusion of movement, was created.

The sea was noisy, without stopping for a second. Lanterns burned, and their light penetrated the darkest lanes and courtyards of the city. It seemed to the boy that the lanterns, like police officers, guarded the peace and sleep of the townspeople. The sand was warm, and the boy lay on his back. However, he did not stay long. Something disturbed him, some thought haunted him!

The boy did not know that he was being closely watched. Two angels, black and white, had already dropped a pen and were waiting for the boy to remember. The black and white feather had long been lying to the left and right of the boy, but he had not yet seen them. Boy ter whiskey. He felt that he should remember, but did not remember what exactly he needed to remember. From his father, whom the boy did not remember, Kostya got a large library of detectives. There were a huge number of books, and the boy read almost all of them. As soon as he made an attempt to remember, his thoughts immediately circled and immediately returned to one of the detective stories.

This happened several times. Kostya again threw himself on the sand, not noticing the grains of sand that half covered his feathers. The boy began to be seriously disturbed by the fact that he could not grab an elusive thought by the tail. But as soon as he resigned himself to his defeat and ceased to be tormented, the thought immediately returned and stood before him in all its glory.

The boy remembered! He hasn't seen his mother since morning. Usually his mother cooked breakfast for him and woke him up. On the days when she didn’t have time to do this, she left a note about where the breakfast was and be sure to add that she loved it! There was no breakfast this morning, no note. The boy did not see his mother either. Yesterday, through a dream, he heard his mother and stepfather talking in raised tones. It seemed that something even fell, and then something heavy was dragged along the floor ... Overshadowed by a terrible thought, the boy even jumped to his feet.

He's already read about it. I read it in one of my dad's detectives! The man killed the woman, dismembered her and put her in a bag, at that time the man's adopted son came out of the room ... Unable to restrain himself any longer, the boy burst into tears, and then resolutely sat down. He knew what he had to do! The boy decided to go to the building, near which he had been standing several hours earlier. His path lay to the police station. Suddenly, it seemed to him that someone nearby sighed. The sigh was distinct and dreary. The boy did not know that black angels sigh like that. Beautiful, black as the darkest night, the angel admitted his defeat.

Shrugging his shoulders, the boy began to rise from the sand and suddenly saw a feather. The feather was white, clean and shining. Turning the pen, the boy was about to throw it back on the sand, but suddenly changed his mind and put it behind his ear. The sounds of the sea suddenly became more distinct, and it seemed to the boy that the sea was approaching. However, this feeling quickly passed. Kostya walked through the night city and was surprised at himself. Is it really he, the boy who is not allowed out of the house after nineteen o'clock, who walks the streets at night and is not afraid of anything?! He was at the police station within 10 minutes. Approaching the duty officer, he heard the last words that the duty officer spoke on the phone.

- ... yes, there was one small one here, spinning near our building! No, no such information has been received! Yes, here he is, - the man turned his whole body to Kostya, without taking the phone from his ear, - he came himself! There are such coincidences!

Kostya squinted at the front door. He did not really like the reception that the attendant gave him, but there was nowhere to retreat. Finally, the attendant ended the conversation and left his glass booth.

"Are you in trouble, boy?" the man asked sympathetically, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

- Yes, - now, when it was possible to tell everything, Kostya was confused, - my mother was gone! My stepfather...

The boy tried to restrain himself, but vile tears had already risen to the edges of his eyelids and were about to roll down his cheeks.

- All right, all right, calm down, - the duty officer patted Kostya on the shoulder, - Let's start everything in order. State your first and last name, and then the problem that caused you to contact our police department. Do you understand what I'm telling you?

- My name is Kostya, my mother was gone, - Kostya understood that he was about to lose his way and tried to speak as quickly as possible, - I woke up today, but my mother was not there.

- No, - the duty officer shook his head, - that boy who ran away from home three days ago is called Arkady, and his mother brought a statement to the police.

- I what? - Kostya was surprised, - should I tell you more?

- Yes, - the duty officer trudged to his closet, - of course, tell me. I say I mistook you for another boy. He was put on the wanted list. So what do you say your last name is?

- Mishenka. My last name is Mishenka, and my first name is Konstantin.

"You have to," he laughed. on duty, - for the first time I meet a person with the same surname as our major! Yes, you heard, I just spoke to him on the phone. He is the head of the missing children's department. The work is still the same! Not weekends, not holidays ... Okay, - the duty officer stopped short, - I started talking to you! So what happened to you?

While the duty officer was talking, Kostya calmed down so much that he was now able to coherently explain his problem.

- I have a stepfather. Last night he killed my mother, cut her into pieces, put her in a suitcase and took her somewhere.

- Wow, - the duty officer was surprised, - this is a serious accusation! Are you sure what you're saying?

Kostya nodded.

“Well, then,” the duty officer sighed, “we will call your namesake, Major Mishenka.”

The Major arrived fifteen minutes later. It seemed to Kostya that he had already seen this man somewhere. What the major thought we do not know. A few minutes of conversation were enough to make it clear that in front of the major, Sergei Konstantinovich Mishenka, was his son, Konstantin Sergeyevich Mishenka.

Sergei did not immediately confess to the boy that he was his father. The man was afraid not to hold back. He was thrown into the heat, then into the cold. Either he wanted to urgently run to beat Zina's common-law husband in the face, then he wanted to hug the boy to him and never let him go again, then he wanted ...

Kostya did not understand what was happening. He suspected that the guess about his mother was confirmed, and therefore this big and so familiar man was so affectionate and attentive to him.

Quietly and imperceptibly, the man fished out all the information from the boy. Kostya even told the major what he had not told his mother. After that, the major turned away and stared at the wall for several minutes. The boy had already decided that the man was angry with him, but it turned out not to be so. Sergei Konstantinovich felt bad. His face was blotchy and his eyes stinged suspiciously.

“So,” he said, trying to calm down, “everything is clear with my stepfather. And where is your father ... Where is your own dad?

“I don’t know,” the boy smiled timidly, “I never saw him. He left ... He left somewhere long ago. Here are the books left of him! You know,” the boy perked up, “I read all of his books.

- Is that all right? the Major chuckled good-naturedly, “And what is your favorite book?”

— Calais Blomkvist. This is a book about a detective boy! - Kostya smiled proudly, - mom said that this was dad's favorite book.

— Yes, — Sergey agreed, — it is so.

- How do you know? - the boy was surprised, - did you talk to my dad? Do you know my dad?!

“I know your father,” the major said sternly, “he is a scoundrel!”

“Don’t you dare,” the boy shouted, “my dad is the best!” He is my dad! He…” The boy could no longer hold back his tears.

Sergei Konstantinovich Mishenka realized that soon he would not be able to stand it and was about to burst into tears like a sentimental lady. He walked over to his son and hugged him.

- Sorry. I… Kostya, look at me! The thing is... The thing is, I'm your dad! Listen, I'm your dad! You found me and I will never let you hurt me again!

Kostya did not believe what the man was saying. It just couldn't be. The man had the same hateful surname, because of which the boy was teased at school. The man worked for the police. And most importantly, the man said that he was his DAD!

When the heat of passion subsided, Kostya remembered his mother. Sergei organized a car and soon the major, his son, and several other policemen were at Kostya's house. My stepfather was after a very big binge and could not understand what people in uniform wanted from him. Very soon everything became clear. The next day my mother arrived, alive and well. Mom came, and stepfather, on the contrary, left. He left immediately, on the fastest train. The stepfather always kept his nose to the wind, and at the moment when the accusation of molesting his young stepson dawned on him, he decided that he had to cut his claws.

There are many stupid women in the world. And there will definitely be one that will take it for a stay, and then prescribe it. One has only to tell about the unlucky fate of the villain, his wife - a traitor, and loneliness! It was worth complaining about the lack of female affection! It was only worth it ... Oh, the former stepfather knew how to speak convincingly and eloquently when it was necessary to chat up another gullible woman.

Sergei never reconciled with Zina. He could not forgive the woman that she was blind and did not see what her stepfather was doing with the boy. But the major has an excellent relationship with his son. They see each other every day. And on weekends, the major takes the boy to him. Zinaida does not object to this.

And again, you may have a question, but what does the angel have to do with it?

And again I will answer, but nothing to do with it, in general!

It wasn't the angel, and it wasn't even his feather. It was about the boy. Children, at least children under 13, have the gift of foresight. Then, on a deserted beach, the boy did not remember the plot from the book, although he (the plot) also played a role. The boy saw the future. And this future was terrible.

Everything would have happened exactly as Kostya dreamed. A drunken stepfather would have brutally dealt with Zinaida and ... No, Kostya would have been dead by that moment. The stepfather would deal with the hated stepson with bestial cruelty. That evening not only Kostya and Zinaida would have died. Zina's friend, Marina, would also become an unexpected victim. The one who considered Vityusha an ideal man would also be killed. She would have run in on that fateful evening for some kind of blouse that Zinaida had promised to give her for the weekend.

But, as you already know, there was no drama.

Kostya studies just as well and is going to become a policeman like his dad!

If one day, in silence, you hear a quiet, sorrowful sigh, know that a great misfortune has passed you by! You made the right choice - you picked up a white angel's feather! And now you will be fine!