Bridge for the Dead over the Sanzu River

Introduction. Sanzu River

A pleasant voice, taking for the soul, gently persuaded and prophesied:

"The Sanzu River has overflowed! The grief of the people has caused the Sanzu River to become full and seething. You, the one who is reading this now, try not to hurt those who are nearby, for the next ninety days, for no one is eternal, and you do not know what has prepared for you fate.
May the sun be above your head, and become the sun for someone at least once in these ninety days, or better yet, be the sun every day and may the road across the Sanzu River pass you by in the near future! "
The IT department of the waterfront across the Sanzu River broadcast this text every ninety minutes. The voice penetrated into the hidden depths of everyone who heard these words. The text was inaudible for the deaf at heart, those who were open to the world received this message in the form of sounds of nature. It was raining, the wind was blowing, the fog was dropping, the river was noisy.
 The IT staff at the Sanzu Riverfront had many ways to convey information to those who could hear without creating too much hype.
The Sanzu River really overflowed and the waterfront attendants were knocked off their feet to prevent flooding.
There were wars on earth, and this year they were especially bloody. The pain and tears of people poured into the river, and the river obediently accepted the suffering of people.
There have been wars on earth in all ages, but with the development of science and technology, the art of war has also developed to destroy entire nations.
Ghosts, apparitions, gods, heroes, villains, all those Sanzu Riverfront attendants were in turmoil right now. The waters of the river were steadily filling up and rising higher and higher! A catastrophe could happen if the main war, which claimed one human life after another, did not stop.

Chapter first. Sanzu riverfront

According to Buddhist philosophy, the human soul experiences rebirth until it has passed its entire path.
Before continuing my story, I want to tell you a little about the Sanzu River. The Sanzu River served those who died and went to a better world. There were three ways to cross the Sanzu River: by bridge, ford, or swim across it. People who crossed the river on the bridge in comfort and tranquility were very worthy people during their lifetime. Those who forded across the river, uniformly throughout their lives, sinned and did good deeds. I want to dwell in more detail on those who were forced to swim across the Sanzu River. Those who were forced to be transported to the next world in this way were sinners. These people committed such bad deeds during their lifetime that now they had to pay for their sins. All the wealth that they accumulated during their lifetime remained there, in the real world, but here, near the crossing, the soul of such a person was in huge stains of sin that could not be washed away or erased by anything. Sinners went swimming, but the waters of the Sanzu River are a dangerous place. The waters of the river boiled and rolled menacingly. However, this was not the danger that met the sinners who sailed. Something more terrible was waiting for them in the water. The waters of the river were teeming with ferocious dragons. The dragons had teeth like sharpened daggers, and their breath burned like hot steam. No matter how hard the sinner tries, how fast he swims, he could not avoid meeting the dragon. Those sinners who were overtaken by the dragon were doomed. The dragon wrapped its tail around its victim, and dragged it to the bottom with it. There, at the bottom of the Sanzu River, there were caves where dragons lived. So, the dragon took his prey and, together with it, sank to the bottom of the Sanzu River. Maybe you think that the sinner, having sank down with the dragon to the bottom of the river, was dying?
 No.
We have already agreed that this earthly life is fleeting, and the soul lives, undergoing one after another rebirth, until all rebirths are over. As soon as the dragon took with him a living soul, which still had the form of a human body, to the bottom of the river, the soul began to take on its own form. Here, at the bottom of the river, it no longer made sense for the human soul to pretend, only here the sins of a person were exposed. The dragon carried the soul with him. The dragon caves were a dark place. The dragons did not need to see, their vision in the dark was replaced by their five senses. So, here, in complete darkness, the dragon punished the soul of the sinner minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. The unfortunate soul screamed and strained, but no one was in a hurry to run to her aid. The dragon tore off piece by piece from the soul with its teeth. The torture was sophisticated and varied. So, the dragon burned the unfortunate soul with steam, tore off pieces after pieces, slashed with claws sharp as daggers. However, every day the sinner had exactly nine minutes to take a breath and remember why he ended up in this hell. If sinners who sin during their lifetime knew, felt and believed what happens to such souls after death, they would probably be corrected during their lifetime and begin to live differently.
But this rarely happens!
 The nature of man is such that he does not listen to other people's advice, he prefers to go through his sinful path on his own.m and sins again and again.
The dragons especially hated those people who mocked the weak during their lifetime.
Sinners who abused children, defenseless women and the elderly were especially punished by dragons.
The dragons could not be fooled. They easily read all the sins and vile deeds from the souls.
However, sometimes sinners managed to escape punishment. Such a person could swim across the river, but when he reached the other side, he, however, like all souls, lost his memory and tumbled into the ranks of the staff of the Sanzu River. However, these were isolated cases. I will deal with such people in more detail in later chapters. The sinners who swam across the Sanzu River and managed to escape the dragon's teeth were marked with the spot of the god. However, in the memory of the manager of the Sanzu River Embankment, there were only two such cases during his entire time at this place.

Chapter two. Sanzu River Customs Post

As I said in the introduction, in order for the Sanzu River crossings to work smoothly and smoothly, the Sanzu Riverfront had a large maintenance staff, even its own IT department. There is a small theme park on the approaches to the Sanzu River embankment. A person who came to such a park could see all nine circles of hell that a sinner goes through. However, since the park was Asian, the circles of hell were made with an eye to the east.
The IT department is located on the territory of the park in the main administrative building. The main function of the IT department was small announcements, which sounded with a certain frequency under the arches of the park. These announcements were heard by all visitors. Unlike those announcements that were disguised as the noise of nature and which were heard only by people tuned in to this wave, the announcements that sounded under the arches of the park were heard by everyone. The park staff, like the rest of the staff at the Sanzu Riverfront, had a clear purpose. Their task was to convey to the guests who came to the park the main idea:
"Do not sin, and your life now and after death will be beautiful"
That is, in this park it was clearly shown what awaits a person after death, depending on what lifestyle he led during his lifetime. Of course, there were ordinary carousels in the park, various themed quests, you could even celebrate your birthday here, but I have already voiced the main theme and idea of ;;;;this park to you. Terrifying figures are located throughout the park. There was a special pavilion where one could see what happens to a person after death if he caused pain to others during his lifetime. However, such parks were not new. Many countries in Asia have such parks: in Thailand, China, Korea, Japan and so on. However, the park near the riverfront of the Sanzu River was certainly special and I will return to this park in the pages of our history from time to time.
Of course, ordinary people did not even suspect that the beautiful embankment, which could be accessed directly from the park, was the Sanzu River embankment. However, people saw before them an ordinary river. However, ordinary human eyes could not see the afterlife bridge. The bridge for people is located a little further. I want to clarify, the human river was not wide and not very deep, except for the bridge, it was possible to cross this river on small river buses made in the shape of a dragon, or on a cable car in the cabin of the trailer. Now you know about as much about the Sanzu River Park as I do now. My brain, the brain of the author of this book, will learn what I do not know now, in the process of writing the book with you.
I wrote it rather confusingly, but I will not correct it.
We pass to the customs post.
The dead man, who found himself in front of the palace of the customs post, did not know what was ahead of him. The man, of course, did not know how he would cross the Sanzu River, wade, swim, or cross the bridge. There was also a fourth way to cross the Sanzu River. For people who crossed the river in this way, a special boat with a carrier was prepared. In European mythology, the carrier Charon transported dead people across the river Styx. Here, on the Sanzu River, there was also such a service, but it was provided to special people.
However, we will talk about these people later, now my task is to give you a complete picture and tell you about the customs post of the Sanzu River embankment, about the theme park, and also tell a little about the manager, who had a huge responsibility for the smooth operation of the Sanzu River customs post.
The manager was a man, but he was, as you understand, a special man. Firstly, this person had to have good organizational skills, he had to get along well with both the world of the living and the other world. I have already said that he had a huge team under his command. Apart from the manager, there was not a single living person here, but ghosts, villains, heroes - all who were people during their lifetime, being here all twenty-four hours a day side by side, sometimes quarreled with each other. However, there is nothing special about thisThese creatures were once people, and even when they turned into undead, they still had some qualities of people, some microscopic particles of memories of their past. That is, among themselves, they behaved simply like a team of people who were forced to meet every day and perform certain functions. The manager had a huge responsibility, however, I have already said this. Among other things, the manager had to deal with living people. Every day he signed some documents, very often he had to go to official offices and so on, he kept financial records for the theme park, paid taxes, etc. . The manager has already written reports to his superiors many times that he needs an assistant, and preferably even two, from among living people, but so far there has been no response to his reports.
So, back to the customs post, or rather, to the customs palace. The customs palace was divided into sectors. There was a bathhouse where the dead people, if desired, could wash themselves and be cleansed of minor sins, there was a hotel where the deceased person could rest before setting off on his last journey, but this was not necessary. Some dead people went to the customs post immediately, and some needed time to think and rest. Well, and, of course, the main hall here was the customs post.
To make the transition easy, male customs officers appeared before the women, and, accordingly, beautiful girls appeared before the men - customs officers of the underworld. As you understand, passports were not needed here, the deceased were asked to put their hand to the glass separating the customs officer from the one who was ready to cross over to the other side now. People put their palms on, and the customs officer read the full information about his life from the palm of a person with a scanner. Immediately, information from the scanner entered the afterlife computer, and a ticket was issued to the person. According to this coupon, he went to the transition that was indicated on the ticket. Sometimes a deceased person had to wait in line and listen carefully to the announcements that sounded under the vaults of the customs palace. If a person was distracted and for some reason did not hear that his turn had come up, then the manager of the hall would approach him. This year, as the war raged on earth, and the coronavirus epidemic continued, people who died had to wait a long time for their turn. Here, in the customs palace, time certainly did not have such power as in the outside world, but still, those who died still had a clear idea of ;;time. The built-in clock, which was supposed to stop after death, was still ticking and counting the time for some people, and therefore, if they had to wait a long time, people began to get nervous and turn to the hall managers. If a person began to get nervous, then he was sent to the rest room. There, a person could watch a movie, listen to music, or even play computer games. The computer of the afterlife already knew all his preferences in advance, since by attaching a scanner to a person’s hand, the customs officer gave the computer access to every piece of the deceased’s memories. As a result of this, people now could listen to exactly the music that they loved during their lifetime, watch all the films that they wanted to watch for a long time and even, as I said, play their favorite computer games. When the turn of this man approached, he, rested, appeared where the stewards were waiting for him to see him on his last journey. The stewards treated all people equally, it did not matter to them who was in front of them - a sinner or a saint. The administrators did not now have the task of dividing people into good and bad. This will be handled by other officials who have been waiting for people at the end of each crossing. The customs hall stewards, as I have already said, treated all people equally, even, I can clarify, they treated people with a certain tenderness, caution and compassion. Because the person who found himself here, in the customs hall, was still full of memories, pain and anxieties. And the task of the administrators of the customs hall was to ensure that people reached their crossing without losses and tears.
So, the person safely passed from the customs hall to his transition. Well, it's kind of like at the airport, when people go through the passages to the plane. If we follow this analogy, then at certain transition points, employees in uniform were waiting for the deceased people and supervised the whole way from point A to point B.
In general, here, in the customs hall, order reigned.
It could not have been otherwise. The people who found themselves in this place were still full of rebellious thoughts, memories, pain, fear, and the task of the manager of the hall was to lead these people to where they were already expected.
And so the man approached the goal for which he was prepared from the very moment he entered the customs palace.
The man was met by an old man and an old woman. These two, for many centuries, performed the same functions and were quite stubborn.
The manager spoke to them many times and asked them to keep up with the times and change their clothes to more modern ones.yu, but the old man and the old woman did not want to change, and pestered the frightened man in their centuries-old appearance.
The old woman took off the man's shirt, the old man hung this shirt on a scale tree to measure the man's sins and decide exactly how he would cross the Sanzu River, in accordance with his sins. You ask, why then is the computer tender, if the old people worked the old fashioned way? The fact is that the old people met only sinners. The old people were distrustful, and all the time they corrected the decision of the main computer.

Chapter three. Incident at the Sanzu River Customs Post

The morning started with trouble. When the manager entered his office, he saw that his computer had burned down. This has happened over and over again. As soon as they began to get angry up there, in the transcendental spheres, the manager's computer turned out to be charred. The lightning that struck the computer burned it over and over again. The manager was philosophical about such blows. Of course, the first time it happened and he didn't have time to save important information, he was damn hurt. But then he began to save all the information that had accumulated during the day on a USB flash drive, and every evening he disconnected it from the computer. Of course, this was a rather troublesome business, but there was no other way out. The manager never knew at what point thunder and lightning would turn his computer into a piece of burnt plastic. The burnt computer was a signal that something was wrong in his afterlife kingdom and the authorities were angry. Each time the computer was struck by lightning, the manager called the warehouse manager and the computer was replaced. However, while the computer was being changed, the manager, of course, did not sit still. As I said, the lightning strike was a signal that something was wrong on the Sanzu River embankment. Workers and maintenance personnel also perfectly understood what a lightning strike on the manager's computer meant. And so now, when the manager went on an inspection, each of the workers was especially attentive and careful. The steward walked around his entire afterlife kingdom in three hours, but to his surprise, there was nothing to complain about. Everything was in perfect order. Sitting on a bench and immersed in thoughts, the manager nevertheless did not forget to watch those around him. Something was wrong. The lightning that hit the computer was so strong that it also burned down the manager's desk. And this was a signal that the top was angry in earnest. Not that the manager was afraid, he knew that he was an indispensable person for this job, but still he was unpleasant. And anxious. The manager did not know where to go and where to look for that person, or rather, not a person, but a ghost, because of which his computer and table were damaged. However, he did not have to wait long. The watch he had on his hand started beeping. The manager took out his phone. That's right, a message came to the phone. The underworld computer pretty quickly figured out the one who was causing the Sanzu Riverfront Underworld Realm to be on their toes right now. The manager read the message and clutched his head. Everything was very bad. The service personnel of the kingdom, as I said, consisted of the deceased people who used to live on this earth. On what basis the supreme authorities chose who would serve in the kingdom, and who should go to where the rebirth takes place, the manager did not know, and he did not care. He worked with those who were provided to him by the supreme authorities and easily found a common language with everyone. In general, I will not pull the cat by the tail, but I will explain what happened. One of the customs hall workers, a man, suddenly regained his memories when he saw a woman walking through customs. The woman had once been his lover. You can't say she was a bad person, but she wasn't particularly good either. However, I must have given this woman the wrong description. The woman was a bad person, she was very bad. During her lifetime, many people died because of her. I will not go into details now, but I will only say that the customs officer who suddenly regained his memory also died because of this woman. However, his death was unintentional. That evening, he was not the target of this woman, but it turned out that it was she who killed him. When the woman realized what she had done, she screamed and cried, and tried to bring her lover back to life, but the man died. And now he suddenly recognized this woman. And not only learned, but immediately remembered everything. I even remembered that this woman did not kill him on purpose. He remembered her screams and tears, at the moment when she realized that she was left alone. All these thoughts, memories, grief of loss - all this flashed quickly through the man's head and he instantly made a decision. The ghost man understood what lay ahead for this woman. She was terrified. Probably, a dragon is already circling in the waters of the Sanzu River, which was awakened from a short sleep by the signal of the afterlife computer. The dragon was already ready to capture the sinner and take her to his cave. However, the dragon didn't wait.his prey, because the male ghost quickly made a decision and immediately put it into practice. The customs officer changed the ticket. It was almost impossible, and yet the operation could be done. And now the manager was forced to correct what the ghost customs officer had done. The customs officer has not yet been punished. It was the height of the working day. There was no one to replace the customs officer. The dragon was sent back to sleep. And the woman, however, the decision on the woman, which the manager made, I will announce at the end of the chapter. Everything was calm in the customs hall, everyone tried to control himself so as not to create disorder, but whispers flew and stung the guilty customs officer like bees. The man knew that he would be punished and punished very seriously. However, he didn’t care much now, he thought about the woman and realized that he had only made her worse. Yes, there was something worse than torture in an underwater cave, but I won’t talk about it now. A decision had to be made quickly. The manager was forced to apologize to the woman. He explained to her that there was an overlay, the computer issued the wrong ticket. The woman was escorted to the hotel and even allocated a suite. Of course, the manager was not to blame for the situation, but the man knew that he was responsible for everyone here, and if something out of the ordinary happened, then it was he, the manager, who overlooked it.

Chapter Four

FIRST LOOP

I ended the last chapter on the fact that the customs officer, who wanted to help his wife, realized that he had only made things worse. Now, when everything was revealed, he realized that his idea was doomed to failure from the very beginning. But, unfortunately, he realized it too late. From the moment he saw his wife walking through the customs hall and suddenly remembered everything, he stopped being aware of what he was doing. Emotions, ordinary human emotions, suddenly overwhelmed him and confused all thoughts. Now the customs officer smiled learnedly at those who stood on the other side of the customs booth and mechanically performed their duties. Glancing at his watch, he saw that his shift was coming to an end. The customs officer took off his uniform and changed into casual clothes. Before leaving his workplace, he smoothed out the crease in his jacket and, with regret, thought that he would probably never wear these clothes again.
After that, he gave up his place to the shift and left the customs palace. The customs officer expected that he would immediately be picked up by white hands and taken to the manager's office, but nothing of the kind happened. He hesitated a little, and then opened the door of the customs palace and went outside. His path lay in the direction of the park. The sun was setting and the Sanzu River was beautifully lit. Of course, you understand that the people who walked along the human river did not see the customs officer, but he saw them. Of course, he did not see them as people see each other, he saw only the souls of these people. But, since these were the souls of living people, and the path of these people had not yet been completed, the customs officer could not distinguish who, after death, would go over the bridge, and who would try to swim across the Sanzu River. Near the IT department, which, as I said, was in the park, there was a small area that people did not go into. It’s not that there was a fence or some kind of fence, it’s just that people subconsciously understood that they weren’t allowed to go there. This was the territory for ghosts. After a hard day's work, the ghosts could rest in this area. There was a garden, and this place was a favorite resting place for those who worked a whole shift. The garden was fragrant, flowering plants from all over the world were collected here. Some plants have a calming effect. Since the ghosts, as I said, sometimes behaved quite emotionally, this garden was invented precisely so that they could rest here. A visit to this garden could be equated with a session of psychotherapy. But the ghosts weren't human, and a therapist wouldn't have helped them.
There were several cafes in the garden where you could get a light snack, as well as coffee. As you understand, the ghosts did not need all this, and yet they needed it. The ghostly coffee with the ghostly croissant was as soothing as the ghostly music that blared from the loudspeakers that were located at the four corners of the garden.
A camellia blossomed on the western corner of the garden, the customs officer sat on a bench near a flowering bush and simply tried to immerse himself in the aroma of the departing evening, but he did not succeed. After sitting on a bench for about two hours, he went to where singing fountains beckoned with ghostly happiness. But today it was quite crowded here, and the customs officer could not be near a large crowd of people. Too much energy came from people, the waves of this energy crossed and were carried away into the sky, but part of the energy still settled on the ground. Each ghost treated human energy in its own way, but our hero began to have a headache at the moment when he accidentally fell into the epicenter of the intersection of human energies.
But this problem was easily solved, the customs officer simply moved away from people andhis headache gradually subsided. The sun had set, and the Sanzu River's embankment was gradually deserted. Sighing, the customs officer slowly wandered to the place where he spent his nights. I specifically marked the rest with the words spent the night, because the ghosts do not sleep.
But they, like all living and non-living things on Earth, needed rest. The park was surrounded by a ring of small houses, and it was in these houses that the staff of the Sanzu River spent all their nights and rare weekends. The customs officer entered his house and mechanically wanted to turn on the light, but then he remembered that he had not been a man for a long time and he did not need the light. However, there was a light in the house and, if desired, it could even be turned on. The ceiling chandelier and the lights on either side of the bed were as ghostly as coffee and a croissant in a haunted caf;. But for the customs officer, the lamps were real. If he wanted to, he could turn them on, but he didn't want to. Sitting on the bed, the customs officer thought, he did not understand why the manager was slow and did not call him to the disciplinary commission. The ghost man thought that the expectation of punishment was harder than the punishment itself. He would rather get his punishment and disappear. Because the customs officer understood that his offense was so serious and disgusting that he would not be forgiven.
However, when morning came, the customs officer realized that for some reason the punishment was being postponed today, because he received numbers on his phone. These numbers indicated the number of the customs post where he would work today, and the exact time by which he should start work. The customs officer had another hour before work. The ghost man decided to use this hour to find the manager and talk to him. However, the grand lady manager did not let the customs officer into the manager's office. She simply advised the customs officer to go and mind his own business. But the male ghost was not going to give up so easily, he told the grand lady that he would not budge until the manager spoke to him. The grand lady had to enter into a dialogue with a man ghost. She did not like this terribly, but there was no way out. Apparently, the customs officer really won't budge until the manager talks to him.
The lady steward insisted on her own, the customs officer was also not going to give in. The lady in charge was flustered. We have already talked about the fact that sometimes the ghosts working on the Sanzu River embankment were overwhelmed with emotions. Emotions were like greetings from that life, where the ghosts, being people, left. The lady manager during her lifetime was the secretary of the president of one company, which is why, when the question arose that the manager needed a secretary, the choice fell on the lady manager. Those who gave instructions to the manager did not like such obvious decisions. Usually ghosts worked in positions completely opposite to those they occupied in life, but the case of the lady manager was special, and therefore it was she who was now working as an assistant to the manager. And yet her appointment was wrong. It was more logical to give her a job that was not as responsible and nervous as it is now. However, there was nothing more to be done. The appointment, which was given by those who controlled the manager, could not be changed. So, the manager lady began to get nervous, for some reason she began to leaf through the calendar, and toss the sheets of the calendar back and forth. The customs officer followed the work of the lady's fingers with his eyes and suddenly realized that the woman, leafing through the sheets of the calendar, stubbornly stops at the same date. Having made a note on this sheet of the calendar, the lady manager looked up at the customs officer.
"Very well," she said, "the manager will see you the day after tomorrow." It will be July 9th. Will it suit you if you meet him at 9 am?
- Excuse me, - the customs officer rubbed his eyes, - you are confusing something. The ninth of July was yesterday.
“I don’t confuse anything,” the grand lady again began to show too much emotion, “today, the seventh of July, tomorrow the eighth, and naturally, the day after tomorrow is the ninth.
“But,” the customs officer tried to interrupt the lady, “probably you are looking in the wrong direction. Do you have an old calendar?
- Sir, how are you, - the woman checked the list, - here, I found it. Sir, 199B, have you changed your mind about dating the manager? So tell me, and do not fool me.
The calendar is new, the date is accurate, and my nerves are not iron! Today is the seventh, the day after tomorrow the ninth. And point. And this is non-negotiable. Are you clear?
-Yes, - the customs officer was forced to agree.
“In that case,” the lady sighed, “why are you still here?” Come the day after tomorrow.

SECOND LOOP

The day when the customs officer again took up his post was a mirror image of the previous one. The man could have sworn that yesterday he had already issued coupons to those people who were now walking one by one. Having received their ticket, people checked the numbers on the scoreboard and moved on. Time moved towards noon. The customs officer remembered that yesterday afternoon, at 12:45 to be exact, he saw his ex-wife walking towards his customs post. There were 15 minutes left until X-hour and now the man was very nervous. He convinced himself that his memory was somehow misleading him.What he remembered now probably just didn't happen. Yesterday was a big holiday. A large number of vacationers accumulated on the embankment of the Sanzu River and, probably, the energy that came from these people had a negative effect on the customs officer, and therefore, it now seemed to him that something out of the ordinary had really happened yesterday. The man looked at his watch again and took a breath, it was 12:45 on the clock. However, it turned out that the joy of the customs officer was premature. Looking up from his watch, he saw a woman standing on the other side of his customs booth. When the eyes of the customs officer and his wife met, the man saw her eyes widen. And yet the situation was a little different, not the same as yesterday. Yes, in front of the customs officer was his ex-wife. Yes, the customs officer recognized her, but only yesterday he recognized her, and she never recognized him. Now the man saw that the woman standing behind the glass of the customs booth perfectly understands who exactly should give her a ticket. Maybe due to the fact that almost the same thing happened yesterday or for some other reason, but the man did not react so sharply to the situation today. Of course he recognized his wife! Feelings flooded over him and almost crushed him like an avalanche, but this time the customs officer quickly came to his senses. As I said, he was in great pain, but he managed to restrain himself and pretended not to recognize the woman. He placed the coupon in the glass chute and pushed it. However, the woman apparently was not going to take a coupon, she just stood and looked at the customs officer. The man held on with all his might, it even seemed to him that a little more tears would flow from his eyes. Although, of course, this could not happen, because ghosts do not cry. The customs officer lowered his head, hoping that by the time he raised it again, this woman would have already taken her ticket and gone to where she was expected. However, time passed, and the woman was not going to budge. A line gradually formed behind the woman. The customs officer couldn't do anything. According to the rules of the customs palace, he had no right to contact those who came for the ticket. The only thing he could do was repeat the same words over and over. To those who approached his post, the customs officer offered to put his hand to the glass of the customs booth.
The customs officer knew the character of his wife, her character was like a time bomb. As it turned out, the woman's silence was only the calm before the storm. Suddenly, the woman came out of her stupor and started banging her fist on the glass separating her from the customs officer and shouting something.
Everything happened at the customs post. I have already said that those who came here were still full of all sorts of emotions, such as anger, joy, pain.
That is why the glass separating the customs officer from everyone who stood outside the customs booth was bulletproof. Also, for security reasons, the customs officers did not hear what people were saying to them. That is, the voice of the customs officer, coming from the amplifier, people heard, but there was no return answer. Sometimes it was very inconvenient. Here, in the customs palace, people of different ages came. Sometimes, if a person died very old, he might not even hear the voice of the customs officer coming from the amplifier. In principle, once in the customs palace, the deceased person should have already heard and seen everything as young, because the memory of the past should have already left him, but, as I have said several times, this did not always happen. And, therefore, because of the habits that did not want to let people go, it seemed to people that they still did not see and hear well. Although, once in the customs palace, everything in these people should have already changed. I repeat, sometimes people did not hear what the customs officer was saying to them and asked again, but the customs officer could not hear in response what people were saying and it was very inconvenient. The only thing he could do was to repeat the same text over and over again that people need to put their palm on the glass. So, back to the man's ex-wife. Suddenly going off the rails, the woman began banging her fist on the glass and screaming something. The people who were standing behind her moved away in fright. However, this did not last long, several people ran to the customs officer's booth. Excuse me, I made a slip of the tongue again, of course, it was not people who were running, it was ghosts, that is, those who were guarding the customs post. But I think you won't mind if I call them people in some cases. So, the guards in the amount of four people ran to the booth, where the customs officer was sitting in a daze. The ghost man didn't know what to do. All his thoughts and feelings were now with this woman. Even in death, she remained as passionate and unbridled as before, as in life. Finally, the guards reached the customs post. The head of security went into the customs booth, his subordinates began to persuade the woman, and then took her away. The frightened people who had previously stood behind the woman were taken to another customs post. The head of security was very unhappy. He did not even listen to the objections of the customs officer's man. Soon it became quiet again in the customs booth.. Like yesterday, the customs officer was again threatened by a disciplinary commission.
The situation was different, and the outcome was expected to be the same.

THIRD LOOP

Needless to say, when early in the morning our hero, the customs officer, glanced at the calendar, the ninth day was on the calendar. The customs officer did not forget anything, the previous two days, with their time loops, fit perfectly in his head, so that today is still the ninth day. Of course, the man was just a ghost who worked as an employee for the supreme deity, who in turn oversaw the customs palace and the passage of the dead across the Sanzu River, but the customs officer did not believe in coincidences. Of course, he understood that the current situation with his work in the customs palace did not fit into the system of the universe and his ideas about the laws of the surrounding world. However, I want to tell you that his work in the customs palace was strictly regulated and obeyed the laws, which every Monday the manager announced over and over again at the planning meeting. Those who worked in the customs palace did not work for nothing. Each year their work was read out and entered into a common computer. Everyone who worked here had their reasons. Someone wanted to clear karma, someone wanted to interrupt the wave of rebirths, and someone wanted to be born in the next life in the image that he himself invented. To fulfill their desire, each ghost had to work in the customs palace, as you understand, a certain amount of time. For the fulfillment of each desire there was a time limit. So we have already found out that our customs officer was a realist and did not believe in miracles. And now he was faced with a dilemma, he had to understand what he was doing wrong, and find the path that would satisfy the supreme deity. Our hero understood that it was he, the supreme deity, who controlled this whole situation. Here, in the customs palace, nothing could be hidden. As you remember, in one of the chapters of our story, it was the supreme deity who sent lightning, which incinerated the manager's computer. This lightning was a signal that something was wrong in the customs kingdom. It was the day of that first time loop. Then the customs officer changed the coupon, but this misconduct was not followed by punishment.
The second day of the time loop was not a gift either, and although the customs officer refrained from taking decisive action when meeting with his ex-wife, he still remained guilty. The head of security accused the customs officers of the fact that it was because of his wrong actions that the incident occurred and the queue gathered. The customs officer tried to object, but the head of security did not even listen to him. The head of security was annoyed, and, having threatened the customs officer that the ghost customs officer would have to state all his excuses to the disciplinary commission, he left.
The customs officer suspected that at exactly 12:45, as on the first day and the second, his wife would again be standing near the customs booth. And this, the third time, the customs officer had to choose the right path.
If you know the laws of the theatrical world, then you know that the gun that hangs on the wall in the first act must fire during the entire play, and preferably at the climax. Otherwise, it makes no sense to hang this gun on the wall. What do you think, who in this situation, figuratively speaking, was this gun that hangs on the wall? I will not intrigue you for a long time, and I will say that the protagonist, who will have to move our story further, was the grand lady, the manager's manager.
I have already told you briefly the history of the Grande Dame. According to the laws of the afterlife, the grand lady had to work in a different position in the customs palace. But I didn’t tell you why the grand lady was a special person and when distributing work, the supreme deity took into account the wishes of the grand lady.
I think that all of us, when we are still small, are inspired that we will be rewarded for good behavior, and punished for bad behavior. These are the laws of the universe, which in general terms operate in the real world and in the afterlife. However, alas, this does not always happen. So, the story of the grand lady. The woman was so devoted to her boss that she shielded him with herself when the unfairly dismissed worker came to sort things out with the employer. So, the lady manager died instead of her boss. This was not a very typical case and the supreme deity became interested in this story. If this story had a romantic background, then everything would be clear and banal. Many secretaries love their bosses. But this case was not of that category. The grand lady simply respected the boss and admired his integrity and truthfulness.
When, when choosing a place of work in the customs palace, the grand lady was offered several options, she without any hesitation chose the place of manager at the manager.
I already told you that it wasn't supposed to be like that. Ghosts were supposed to work in a different field than they did in life. But the supreme deity sometimes liked to joke and break the laws that he himself had once decreed.
So, the grand lady began to work as a manager forthe manager, or, to put it simply, the secretary.
However, like all other ghosts, she did not remember her past life, and her choice was not the choice of consciousness, but of the subconscious.
In general, I sum up. For a good deed that the lady did in real life, she received the award that she herself chose.
It was nine in the morning on the ninth when the customs officer opened the door to the waiting room.
As he suspected, the Grand Dame did not remember him. There was the same dialogue that was the day before yesterday. That is, the lady secretary insisted that today was the seventh day, and the customs officer tried to convince her. However, his attempts came to nothing. Like last time, the lady opened the calendar sheet and made a note. After that, she invited the customs officer to come the day after tomorrow at nine in the morning. The day before yesterday, when the conversation was over, the customs officer had no choice but to open the door and leave the waiting room. But now the customs officer was in despair. He wished that the time loops would finally end. Each loop brought him mental anguish. He didn't want to go through this situation anymore and didn't want to see the face of the woman he loved so much in his past life.
Instead of leaving after the conversation was over, the customs officer walked over to a scarlet, plush chair, of which there were many in the waiting room, and sat down in it.
The secretary was puzzled.
She hinted that it was time for the customs officer to go where the main computer had assigned him today. But the male ghost was not going to leave. He said he would wait for the manager. It was unheard of! The lady secretary was confused. She informed the customs officer that the manager was not in the office now, he was supposed to return only by noon. However, the customs officer did not care. According to his plan, he had to play for time. The customs officer was going to rise from this chair only after one in the afternoon.
The lady secretary disagreed.
She said that the customs officer would interfere with her work and suggested that he leave the office and wait in the corridor, along which were the same scarlet, plush chairs. However, the customs officer said that he would not budge until the manager came and received him. The situation has reached an impasse. Finally, exactly at noon and one minute, the door creaked and the manager entered the waiting room. How the conversation with the manager ended, I will tell you in the next chapter.

BLACK REAPER OF THE SANZU RIVER

As I wrote in the last chapter, exactly at noon and one minute the door creaked, and the manager came into the waiting room. The customs officer got up from his seat to greet the manager, but immediately hesitated and tried to hide behind the back of the chair that was in front of him. The fact is that someone followed the manager. That someone was the black reaper. The customs officer remembered this black reaper very well. It was this messenger of death, this guide who accompanied the customs officer on his last journey. Actually, according to the rules, he was not supposed to remember the guide, but what happened the day before yesterday opened the memories not only of the moment of his death, but also of what happened after. The customs officer knew that the black reaper should never understand that he was recognized. So after catching his breath, the customs officer straightened up, took a deep breath and got up from his seat to say hello. The manager smiled at the customs officer and turned inquiringly to the lady secretary. While the lady secretary was explaining to the chief why the customs officer was here, the ghost man tried his best to pretend that he did not recognize the herald of death, but apparently he did it poorly. At some point, looking up, he stumbled upon the attentive gaze of the black reaper. The customs officer bowed once more, that was all he could do now to hide his confusion. Finally, the manager ended the conversation with the grand lady. At that moment, a signal sounded and the conductor informed the manager that he had received a message. The matter was urgent and therefore it was decided to continue the conversation a little later. Finally, the door behind the black reaper slammed shut. The customs officer suddenly felt that his heart was beating like crazy in his chest, and his forehead was covered with perspiration. Although, as you and I know, all these signs of excitement for a man could only seem to a ghost. Finally, the manager invited the customs officer to his office. However, the conversation did not take place. Upon entering the office, the manager discovered that this time, not only the computer with the table burned down from a lightning strike, but also a bookcase with books and a chair were charred. Seeing all this, the manager staggered and helplessly looked around the office. At that moment, the customs officer realized that the conversation would not take place today. The manager apologized and told the ghost man that, since the conversation did not take place through his fault, and the customs officer was delayed and did not come to the workplace on time, he might not go to work today. Leaving the office with the ghost man, the manager ordered the secretary to appoint the customs officer another day for the meeting, and also asked the grand lady to invite the supply manager so that again, for the third time this week, they would replace the furniture in the office. The case took a strange turn, but the ghost man left nothingelk, how to bow to the manager and secretary and go out. Leaving the administrative building, the customs officer took a few steps towards the place where his house was located, but did not have time to go far. The black reaper stood right in the middle of the road and blocked the way. The ghost man looked up, this time the eyes of the customs officer confirmed all the worst suspicions of the herald of death.
-Do you remember? - the black reaper came close to the customs officer and touched the ghost's chin.
The male ghost didn't answer. everything was clear without words.
However, the conductor needed confirmation of his guess, and the customs officer did not want to help him in this.
So they stood, invisible to people, but very visible to ghosts. Luckily, it was the middle of the day, and the encounter between the black reaper and the male ghost did not become the subject of gossip between the Sanzu River attendants. The conversation between those who were never to meet again in this life was seen from the window only by the secretary, but this lady was not one of the talkative ones. For a while she thought about whether to tell the boss, that is, the manager, about what she saw, but, on reflection, she decided that what she saw was none of her business. Therefore, when the manager returned, she did not say anything. But in vain. If she had shared what she saw and her guesses with her boss, then our story would have turned in a completely different direction.
- Do you remember? the black reaper asked again, and this time the male ghost had to confess that he really did remember. Raising his eyes to the herald of death, he smiled uncertainly and nodded his head in the affirmative. However, the black reaper was again not satisfied with the outcome of the conversation.
- I need you to confirm with your voice whether you remember or not. Now I will turn on the voice recorder on the phone. My superiors, you know, are very distrustful. So please confirm that you remember me.
The black reaper brought the phone with the voice recorder turned on directly to the ghost's mouth.
- Yes, - the customs officer coughed, but then he still managed to finish the sentence, - I remember our meeting.
-Good, - the conductor turned off the phone and looked up at the customs officer again. - in this case, if you do not mind, I will now perform a ritual, after which your memory of earthly life will disappear, and this will happen now forever. You do not mind?
The customs officer nodded his head, but immediately remembered that the black reaper needed voice confirmation.
Yes sir, I don't mind. What happened is very embarrassing to me. The events of the last three days, the memories of the past, have made me very unhappy and prevent me from working.
“Very well,” the death messenger finally smiled, “I am very glad that you realize this. Somehow I thought you'd fight back and cling to the memories. Once again, I am very glad that you are ready to cooperate.
- No, - the customs officer smiled pitifully, - the memories brought me only pain.
- Good good! The black reaper raised his hand. "If you agree, let's perform the oblivion ritual now." My office is on the other side of this administration building. Follow me.
In less than ten minutes, the ghost man and the guide were in place. The office of the black reaper was a mirror image of the manager's office, but it was clear that this office had long been inhabited. There were real, not ghostly, flowers on the windows that were looked after. In general, there were many signs that the owner of the cabinet loves this place and looks after it. While the preparations were going on, the customs officer drank the tea of ;;oblivion, which the black reaper poured for him.
When everything was ready, the messenger of death opened the red box and took out the seal. The black reaper was not sure of the correctness of what he was doing. Last time, he had already stamped the crook of the elbow of this ghost man. The case was unique, but still the black reaper understood that he needed to act. Having warmed up the seal, the conductor ordered the customs officer to come and sit on the chair of oblivion. After that, all that remained was to apply the seal. However, the black reaper hesitated. It was not clear what he was waiting for. Minutes passed after minutes, and the herald of death still stood. Finally he woke up. The seal was almost cold, and so it was necessary to act quickly. Sighing heavily, the black reaper raised his hand and applied the seal to the ghost man's forehead. It seemed like it could have ended there, however, meeting the attentive gaze of the customs officer, the conductor turned cold. Nothing succeeded! The seal did not leave an imprint and the customs officer did not forget anything. The reaper's head spun. Approximately the same thing happened that happened half an hour earlier with the customs officer. The black reaper suddenly felt his heart pounding, and sweat covered his forehead. On reflection, he decided that his failure was due to the fact that he hesitated for a long time before applying the seal to the forehead of the customs officer. After warming up the seal a second time, he no longer hesitated. The seal has been attached. However, the imprint did not appear this time either. The messenger of death was agitated in earnest. Emotions overwhelmed him. It was so unusual for him and quite unpleasant. The black reaper asked permission from the ghost man and applied the seal a third time. But this time toonothing happened. The Reaper was forced to admit defeat.
The oblivion tea that the ghost man drank was bubbling unpleasantly in his stomach, but oblivion did not come. The tea was supposed to serve as an additive to the imprint of the seal, but it turned out to be the only ingredient that now stirred up the customs officer's stomach. The herald of death wanted to say something, but suddenly there was a sound in the room. A message has arrived. The conductor was forced to say goodbye to the customs officer. The black reaper's lunch break was over and it was time to get back to work.
Soon the customs officer was again standing in the street. He did not understand what to do now and how to live!
In parting, the messenger of death promised that he would figure out how to help the customs officer, but it was not clear when this would happen and whether it would happen at all.

YENGHON, THE CARRIER OF THE DEAD Across the Sanzu River

My story is moving forward, but now I want to remind you of where my story began. So, the customs palace, where the dead arrived, had its own hotel, or rather a hotel, its own IT department, as well as a theme park. The task of the IT department was to impress people who had a sensitive heart and heard what people usually do not hear, that the waters of the Sanzu River are overflowing, and the patience of the deity is not unlimited. If humanity continues to create viruses in its laboratories and does not stop the war, the waters of the Sanzu River will completely overflow and a global catastrophe awaits humanity. Every ninety minutes, visitors to the park and just people walking along the river heard these messages.
Those people who had a sensitive heart and subtle extrasensory hearing received a message that was transmitted by the IT department of the Sanzu river embankment in the form of wind sounds, rain sounds, spring drops and January blizzards. For people who do not have extrasensory hearing, these were just the sounds of nature. Children under the age of five were especially sensitive to such sounds. In fact, all children had such hearing, but over time they lost it. However, there were children who, even having entered the time of youth and having matured, remained just as sensitive and their ears heard what was inaccessible to an ordinary person. Often this was the merit of the parents of such children. If the parents were patient, listened to the thoughts and words of the children and, most importantly, believed them, and sometimes even developed this super ability of children, then the child remained the same sensitive even when he entered the time of growing up. However, these qualities in children developed in different conditions. Sometimes it was just a matter of genetics. That is, super hearing was inherited.
But let's get back to our hero.
When the customs officer went to his shift, no one even reminded him of the dramatic events that took place in three time loops. Moreover, no one even remembered that yesterday the customs officer did not come to work at all. Minutes passed after minutes, turned into hours, and finally the customs officer calmed down completely. The ghost man believed that the troubles were over. However, the customs officer did not like the fact that his memory did not want to be covered with ripples of oblivion.
After the shift, the male ghost decided to take a walk along the river. As I already wrote, for ghosts it was the Sanzu River, and for ordinary people it was an ordinary river. The Sanzu River attendants had different opinions about the fact that the Sanzu River embankment is not only owned by ghosts, but ordinary people walk along it. Someone liked the neighborhood of people, someone even enjoyed the waves of energy that come from people, but our customs officer could not stand large crowds of people. From a large amount of human energy, his head began to hurt. However, today the customs officer could not just leave. Something strange was happening. It was noon, passers-by were walking along the paths along the river, there were a lot of them. Today was not Sunday, but it was a holiday. The holiday, which traditionally took place on these hot days, gathered a large number of tourists. It was really hot. The human river beckoned vacationers to swim in its waters, but this was not accepted. You could swim further. Where the river made a sharp turn, a large lake naturally turned out, and in this lake you could swim. Moreover, the waters of the lake were considered healing, as was the lake clay. People bathed here at any time of the year, but especially many people were here on holidays. As I already wrote, today was just such a holiday. There were so many people that it seemed that the whole city is here today. The lake was huge, the area around the lake was well maintained, there were exercise machines and playgrounds, and therefore nothing prevented people from relaxing and enjoying swimming, relaxing and sun. The customs officer had almost passed his 10,000 steps when he suddenly heard a noise. Something happened near the lake. Yes, I forgot to tell you, after the memory returned to the customs officer, the ability to see people also returned to him. Previously, he saw people simply as moving spots, that is, he saw not the people themselves, but the souls of people. Now, from time to time, normal human vision returned to him. If you thinkthat the customs officer was happy about this circumstance, then you are mistaken. The ghost man longed for the time when his sight was that of a ghost and his memory was blocked. The customs officer approached the place where there was an unusual crowd of people and noise was heard. Crying, shouting and the indignant hum of many voices broke through the noise.
The children were crying. This circumstance forced the customs officer to tense up and pass through the crowd. His head was no longer just aching, but bursting with pain. Children's crying had a strange effect on the ghost, the customs officer knew that if he strained his memory, he would remember why this was happening. But the ghost man didn't want that. He tried his best to block the memories.
But back to the kids. There were many children on the lake. They were of different ages, but there were especially many very young children of three, four and five years old. And it was these children that made the adults who came to the lake to relax today fall into a stupor. The children stretched out along the lake, held hands and began to chant: “People, stop the war, the waters of the Sanzu River have overflowed! People, take care of each other, the waters of the Sanzu River have overflowed! People, be kind to each other, do not kill each other! Otherwise, a catastrophe will come to the world "
When the parents came to their senses, each tried to pull their child out of the round dance in which the children lined up, but the broken circle was immediately restored, and the child, torn out of the circle, lost consciousness.
The customs officer grabbed his head! He quickly realized what had happened. As I said, the children perfectly heard the text that every ninety minutes was broadcast to the outside world by the main computer from the IT department. There has been a breakdown. Probably, at some point, the power of suggestion gained incredible power and the children, who at all times were the conductors of all the supernatural, suddenly began to broadcast messages to the outside world, which they heard only thanks to the main computer of the Sanzu River IT Department. The customs officer was about to run to where the IT department was, but he immediately remembered that his abilities were abnormal for ghosts. In desperation, he wrung his hands. The heart, which the customs officer did not have, suddenly ached. It got dark. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, and black reapers began to gather towards the lake. Children who were pulled out of the circle by their parents began to die. There were more and more black reapers and the customs officer realized that even those children who were standing in a circle and were still alive would soon die. It was necessary to do something, but what exactly, the customs officer could not figure out! In the crowd of black reapers, a familiar face flashed, it was the black reaper who yesterday tried to return the customs officer to the zone of oblivion. The black reaper also seemed to recognize the customs officer, but pretended to see him for the first time.
Finally, the customs officer figured out how he could help in this situation. The ghost man had an acquaintance, the same ghost as him, this acquaintance just worked in the IT department. During their lifetime, these people did not know each other, but only because their houses were nearby. That is, they became neighbors. The customs officer usually had breakfast in a cafe that was next to his house, and his neighbor also came there for breakfast. The acquaintance was capped, but the neighbors recognized each other in the face and greeted each other. The customs officer even knew the name of his neighbor. Or rather, he knew its serial number, the ghosts did not have names as such, there were only serial numbers that ended with some number. The customs officer's neighbor's name was Bin 28, but with your permission, I'll just call him Bin. So, the customs officer ran to the place where, as he knew, his neighbor was now having dinner. However, when the customs officer ran to the cafe, he did not find a neighbor there. The waiter said that his neighbor received a message on the phone and he ran away somewhere in a hurry. The male ghost was upset.
There was no point in returning to the embankment, and the ghost customs officer trudged home. Turning on the TV, he discovered that a strike was brewing in the world of ghosts. As I already wrote, due to the fact that there were wars in the world and the coronavirus was raging, people began to die much more often. The Yonghon, the transporters of souls, worked overtime. However, the overtime work did not stop, and the soul carriers decided to go on strike. Recent events, the mass death of children due to an error in the main computer, have completely spoiled the relationship between the carriers of souls and their superiors. A general strike was called. The soul carriers demanded that their number be increased. If this requirement is met, then the Yonghons will have time to rest. Then there was a report, the correspondent interviewed one of the Yonghons. Yonghon, stammering and embarrassed, told the ghostly viewers that the transport of souls would not resume until the Yonghons' demands were met. The plot ended, but another incident was immediately presented to the attention of the audience. One of the hardened sinners, a very bad person, but for some reason marked with the stain of a god, swam across the Sanzu River. The dragons did not dare to touch this man. Moreover, after the river was crossed, the sinner did not appear at the collection point. Ohe went to the yellow region, which was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Sanzu River Customs Palace. It was unheard of! However, the correspondent hinted that this incident is connected with the mass death of children. The investigation continued and the correspondent promised that as soon as permission was given, the audience would know everything! The customs officer peered, his native customs was on the screen, however, due to the large accumulation of deceased souls, riots broke out in the customs hall. Turning over a glass of coffee and leaving the TV on, the customs officer ran out of the house into the street. He was already running to the customs palace when a message came to his phone. A general levy has been announced. Strengthened measures helped and order was restored in the customs hall. However, another message immediately came, the manager was attacked, he was seriously injured and unconscious, almost dying.
After working the night shift, the customs officer went to rest in his house. His path lay past the administrative building. Imagine his surprise when the ghost man saw that the manager was safe and sound and was heading to his place of work. The customs officer could not believe his eyes. However, when the customs officer returned home, he found that the TV was turned off, the glass intended for coffee was washed and stood on a stand above the sink, and the ninth date was again on the calendar. Sitting in his chair, the customs officer groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. A new cycle has begun
temporary loops.
Chapter Five. Catastrophe

WEEPERS FOR THE DEAD OF THE SANZU RIVER

Carriers of souls transported special people across the river. In one of the chapters I touched on this topic, but I promised to tell you more about it later.
Soul transporters transported by boat, in comfort and peace, innocently murdered people. People who died a natural death crossed, as I said, the river ford, and also over the bridge, or they were dragged into their caves by ferocious dragons. And since a war raged on the earth, on a scale that was not in the entire world history of wars, there were many innocent people killed on the battlefield, and, just like that, in their homes. It was wrong, it was a crime against nature, against the very universe. With each such incident, the deity became more and more angry. The book of life, which had been lovingly replenished with new red dots when children were born, was now filled with more and more white dots. Red is life, white is death! And these white dots became more and more and more. The deity protected people as best they could, but people clogged their auditory channels with hatred and a thirst for power and stopped hearing the divine voice.
The mourners, who did not obey anyone, even a deity, wept for every innocently killed person. Nothing could stop this crying. The tears of the mourners flowed into the Sanzu River, and the river gradually overflowed. Once, at the time of the great flood, people were also deaf, and it all ended with the fact that there were no right or wrong. After the Sanzu River then overflowed, there were no saints or sinners left on earth. Only a small handful of people survived. Only those who lived high in the mountains and lived by their labor survived. Those who had no overlord had no overseers. Those who lived in a community and respected each other. But there were few such people. People who lived high in the mountains relied only on themselves, they did not exploit anyone, did not force anyone to work for themselves. However, it was so long ago that even the deity began to forget about it. The book of the life of people of that period stood on a shelf in the library, in the 999 palace. The deity rarely visited this palace. These were stories of bygone days, and the deity loved everything new, just born.
Today it was raining, the customs officer looked out the window with longing and thought that the morning was coming too slowly. Today, the ghost man did not even want to deceive himself and pretend that he was sleeping. Night ticked for hours for living people and was silent for those who died, but what was the night for people like our customs officer? The night for those who served in the customs palace at the Sanzu River was nausea and endless dizziness. That's how the customs officer would describe his nights if he could actually experience nausea and dizziness. Sometimes the ghost man forced himself to fall into a kind of oblivion, which was equated with sleep, but today he could not even bring himself to go to the bed. And so, hour after hour, he sat near the window and looked at the raindrops that flowed down the glass.
Finally the customs officer gave in. The children who, through the fault of the main computer, suffered on the lake stirred up in him memories of his own child, of his own daughter. The customs officer did not know how many years he had been working here. The computer recorded everything, but gave out the final result only when the time for serving at customs expired. Probably, his daughter is already quite an adult, maybe she already has her own children, whom the customs officer will never see.
At such moments, which inevitably came for every ghost, the ghosts were looking for an outlet for emotions, just like people! Someone wrote music, someone wrote poetry, and someone painted pictures. But the creativity of ghosts is fleeting. HIn ninety minutes there was no trace of their works, and therefore, in order to preserve what they had created, the ghosts sent their works to the outside world, to those who had sensitive ears. People in many ways picked up clues with their internal radars and created great works of art. Our customs officer, unfortunately, did not possess such talents, and he did not need them until now. Longing and nausea came to him only now, or rather, a few days ago, when he remembered everything and got into a time loop that never ended.
In the morning, the customs officer received a reminder on the phone from the secretary of the manager that at 9 am on the 9th, the manager was waiting for him, as agreed, in his office. The shift of the customs officer began at noon and therefore nothing prevented him from meeting with the manager. The only depressing thing was that the ninth day did not end in any way. The morning was sunny, and the customs officer decided not to think about anything, but simply to tell the manager about the events of the last days. However, when the customs officer arrived, the manager was not in the office. The secretary reported that an assistant had been sent to the manager! The steward had waited so long for a man to be sent to help him that he now lost his head with joy. From the stream of words that the secretary stunned him, the customs officer understood only one thing, the meeting with the manager would not take place today either, which means that the time loop will probably go on and on! He had already turned around to leave the secretary's office, when the door creaked and the manager and his new assistant, or rather, assistant, entered the reception room. A girl was sent to help the manager! Seeing the customs officer, the manager smiled and ordered the secretary to reschedule the meeting, if the customs officer of course does not mind. The customs officer didn't mind, he was so disoriented and shaken that he could only shake his head. The ghost man first saw the girl's soul, then something familiar flashed into her expression, and then the girl smiled at the manager. The customs officer staggered! Before the man, the ghost was his daughter. The girl looked to be twenty-eight or thirty years old. Looking at her, the customs officer realized that not much time had passed since his death. The girl did not have time to see the customs officer, she was writing something on paper at that time.
The male ghost went out into the street.
The blues and nausea are gone. He walked and smiled!

FLYER FROM THE WORLD OF GHOSTS

 Interview with "Sanzu River Customs Palace News" Sandra - Assistant Manager

-Sandra, when you got your second sight, how did you feel?
- Second sight is when you see ghosts? Do you mean it?
Yes, of course, that's exactly what I mean. Although, here by the Sanzu River we are all ghosts! That is why, to be precise and not to confuse those who work on the Sanzu River with those who simply hang around people's dwellings, not wanting to leave after death, we are called customs officers.
- Yes, I'm sorry, the manager already told me about it, but I just forgot.
Didn't mean to offend you.
- What are you, no offense.
-OK then. I answer your question.
The first time I saw a ghost was after my mother killed my father. On that stormy night, our uncle, my father's cousin, was visiting us. Mom knew that if the uncle died, then his father should become his heir. Our family was not in poverty, but my mother was always not enough. Mom was a restless and greedy person. She loved only two people in the world - her father and me. It always seemed to her that we were living a life not worthy of us. Her father tried to convince her, but it was useless. As I later found out, before getting married, my mother was a contract killer. However, she did not quit this job even after marriage. Of course, my dad didn't know. Papa's cousin was supposed to die that night. But my mother did not know that my father and cousin had switched bedrooms. The cousin was a fat man and dad decided that the guest would sleep in his room on the first floor, while he went to sleep in the guest room on the second floor. On that fateful night, the men talked and drank alcohol until midnight, and only after the cousin passed out, dad decided that it was time to end the feast. Having dragged the cousin to his bed, dad got to the guest room and fell asleep. Mom came home later, around two o'clock in the morning and decided to immediately put her plan into action. Everything was thought out. The death of the cousin was supposed to look like he died from natural causes. Cousin smoked a lot, and it must have looked like he fell asleep with a lit cigarette. But as you know, instead of a cousin, dad died. I woke up early in the morning. Mom screamed, bending over dad. Dad was still conscious, although his body was burned beyond recognition. The worst thing about all this was that, tormented by terrible pain, he was still trying to calm his mother. And then... He died. I saw it all. Cousin called the police. While the police were driving, through my tears I saw that a cloud had separated from the body of my father. Then this cloud took on solid forms. Dad was lying on the floor, but the same dad stood at a distance and looked at mom, who was shaking in sobs. Then he smiled at me and held out his hands. I wanted to rush to him, butthen a man in a black hat appeared next to dad and took dad away.
-What a sad story. Sympathize with you!
- Everything is in the past.
- As far as I know, Mr. Manager has long submitted memos that he needs a human assistant, but there was no answer. And we were surprised when we learned that his request was finally granted. How did you hear about this vacancy?
My mother died in prison nine days ago. I visited her several times a year, but did not know that she was sick. She didn't tell me anything because she was afraid to upset me. After the death of my father, I was her only precious person.
So, after they called me and told me this terrible news, I began to see something that I had not seen since childhood. I started seeing ghosts. However, I was not afraid. I was hoping to see Mom or Dad again. Three days ago I was walking down the street, there was a strong wind. Suddenly, a flyer flew right into my hands. I tried to shake it off, but it seemed to stick to me. Curiosity got the better of me and I read what was written. It was a job posting. Everything suited me, and I decided to call right there. As soon as I made my decision, the flyer unhooked from me and fell to the ground. At that moment, I already called and could not catch the flyer, the wind carried it away. But, in general, I no longer needed the leaflet, it did its job. I was invited for an interview. However, as I later found out, the question about me was resolved at the very moment when I called. The fact is that the leaflet I read was not from the real world, but from your world, the world of ghosts. I was the perfect candidate, I was human, but I saw ghosts and I wasn't afraid of them.
-Our interview is coming to an end. Miss Sandra, it's time to take a photo. Sit right here. Now our friendly team of ghost customs officers will recognize you even on the street thanks to this photo. Smile!

THE BRIDE IS A SNAIL. THE SANZU RIVER FLOWED

The working day was coming to an end when the grand lady approached the boss and decided to clarify something.
- I made an appointment for the customs officer tomorrow morning, is everything still valid?
- In principle, yes, - the manager laughed, - but I wonder what this ghost man wants to talk to me about so important? You do not know?
- No, - the lady secretary doubted whether it was worth sharing with her boss what she saw in the window. The manager heard a hint of doubt in the secretary's voice and looked up at her. At that moment the lady secretary made up her mind. She came close to the boss's desk and spoke
- On the day when the meeting did not take place, I saw from the window how this customs officer was talking about something with a black reaper on the street. Their conversation was quite emotional!
The smile immediately vanished from the manager's face. Unlike the lady secretary, he immediately understood what was happening.
Remember, in one of the chapters I talked about theatrical laws? The fact that if in the first act the gun hangs on the wall, in the climax it must fire. I even revealed to you a secret that by this, so to speak,
the gun was to be the lady secretary. And so it happened.
Fate could have turned differently if the grand lady had decided to remain silent, but fortunately for the manager, the lady secretary nevertheless decided to share her observations. What the manager found out changed everything. By the way, the lady secretary saved the manager's life. Half an hour later, when the manager would return home, he would be attacked. This was the last loop of the time loop, and in this loop the manager would have died. However, without knowing it herself, the lady secretary this time, just like in real life, saved her boss. I think now you understand the providence of God? Do you understand why the deity sent the grand lady to this workplace?
Soon the door behind the manager slammed shut. There was silence in the secretary's office.
And at that moment, something happened that was so feared and what they warned about. The waters of the Sanzu River overflowed and a flood began. It was not only the mythical river that overflowed. The flood was supposed to start wherever there was a large accumulation of water! Rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, small and large bodies of water - all these water natural reservoirs were closely associated with the mythical Sanzu River. Our earth is so small seen from space! Next to other galaxies, it is just tiny. And once upon a time life was born on this tiny earth! But time passed and this gift of the universe was less and less appreciated by people living on earth. When the war began, people living far from the theater of operations thought something like this: “My home is far away, it doesn’t concern me that civilians have been dying under heavy shelling for eight years now! I don't care that children, old people, women die far away from me, torn to shreds! It's far away, on the other side of the world! So what do I care about this war? My family is with me! In safety! "
Such thoughts are just a delusion!
Everything in our world is interconnected!
Invisible wires bind us all together and one by one into a single whole!
Remember I mentioned the bad man who was markedn spot and god? This man swam across the Sanzu River without hindrance and went to the yellow land. The man I'm talking about sinned a lot and cruelly during his lifetime. He drank, stole, rioted and caused a lot of trouble to others, but one day this happened: in front of his eyes, a car hit a woman and disappeared. It was late in the evening, it was raining, the streets were empty. The man was angry that evening, there was no money for a drink, and they did not give him a loan. Life was disgusting. Suddenly he heard a scream. Turning his head, the man saw the car that hit the woman disappear around the corner. No one was in a hurry to help the woman, the street, as I said, was empty. Cursing himself and the disgusting life of the villainess, the man nevertheless approached the victim. The man did not have a mobile phone, he had drunk it away for a long time and he could not call the rescue service. The woman was unconscious. She was lying on the pavement and a pool of blood was spreading under her head. The man took off his shirt, tore it open, and pulled the woman's head over. A long time ago, he saw in some movie that this is how you should treat the wounded. After that, he put the woman on her back and carried her. The nearest hospital was a few kilometers away. The man managed to save the woman. Moreover, he waited until the operation was over and the doctor would tell him the result. After that, the man had no choice but to leave. The woman's relatives then looked for a savior, but unfortunately they did not find it.
A stain of the woman's blood was left on the man's shoulder, but he didn't even notice it.
The woman whom the man saved was his wife in the life before last. She was the bride of the snail. The man was poor, and lived hoping only for his work. One day he found a water snail in the mud. He wiped it off and put it in a jar of water. The snail turned into a beautiful girl and secretly cooked and cleaned in the poor man's house. When the young man discovered the truth, he did not let the girl go. He burned her shell. The snail turned out to be beautiful, and they lived happily, but one day the rich man saw it and stole it. The rich man killed her husband, the woman did not survive her husband by much, and she soon died.
Here is such a story!
Having gone to the yellow land, the man cleared his karma, moreover, he cleared the woman's karma and now, in the next birth, they will find each other and finally live happily!
But this, so to speak, digression from the topic. I hope you understand my point.
So the flood began on earth. The waters of the Sanzu River finally overflowed. The river rose so high that it flooded the customs palace up to the third floor. When the water reaches the ninth floor, a worldwide flood will begin. All over the world, all the water from rivers, seas and oceans will overflow.

VIRUS IN THE PALACE FOR THE DEAD OF THE SANZU RIVER

The previous chapter ended with the flood of which the signs warned began. Of course, it didn't matter to the ghosts whether to go to the customs post by land or by water, but still it was not right. And quite uncomfortable. Therefore, it was decided to move all the equipment of the customs post to the ninth floor. The manager really hoped that the flood would not cause much damage, and the river level was about to drop. The manager himself, as you understand, since he was a man, could not enter the customs palace, just like his deputy. All orders were given by phone. Our hero, a customs officer, was very upset by this circumstance. It was for today that the detour of the customs palace was scheduled. It was today that the manager was supposed to introduce his deputy to those who regulate the life of the customs palace on the Sanzu River, but due to flooding, the acquaintance was postponed. The customs officer's daughter's name was Sandra. The customs officer really hoped to see his daughter's face even for a minute. For the sake of such an occasion, he dressed up in a new uniform, and was very worried. But due to the flood, Sandra's meeting with the staff of the customs palace was decided to be postponed to another date. The customs officer was very upset when he learned that he would not see his daughter today.
However, what is destined to happen will definitely happen. As soon as the shift of the customs officer ended, he received a message on his phone. The message was from the manager's secretary. The customs officer was ordered not to leave the aisles of the customs palace after work. Moreover, the secretary gave the customs officer the information that after the end of the shift, an escort would come to the customs officer, who would escort him to the office of the manager. The customs officer did not understand anything, he went over in his head all the flaws that he had made at his workplace, but he could not remember anything so criminal. His only mistake, as you remember, was the story with his late wife, but from a conversation with the manager, the customs officer realized that only he remembers this story.
There was nothing to do, as soon as the shift was over, the ghost man changed clothes and went into the waiting room to wait for the escort.
When the customs officer was in the secretary's office, the grand lady looked at him strangely and said that the manager was waiting for the customs officer in her office. The customs officer entered the manager's office and immediately saw that parochka - the boss and his subordinate are sitting next to each other almost side by side and looking for something on the computer. When the customs officer entered, the manager raised his head and smiled at the newcomer. Sandra, the deputy manager, did not immediately take her eyes off the computer screen, but when she did, the duty smile immediately flew off her face. As you remember, Sandra got this job because she saw ghosts. She saw her father immediately, saw and immediately recognized.
-Dad? Dad! the girl screamed, is that you? Dad, I knew, I believed that I would see you! Do you know that I see ghosts again? Dad, if I hug you, will my hands feel nothing?
The customs officer just stood there and was silent, he completely forgot that the character of his daughter is exactly like that. Sandra has always been an open, excitable and emotional girl.
Now that many years have passed and Sandra has grown up, her character has hardly changed.
Sandra came close to her father, but at that moment the manager finally came out of his stupor.
- Sandra, - the manager got up, took a few steps and tried to push the girl away from her father, - Please step back a few steps!
“But, Mr. Manager, you probably didn’t understand,” the girl laughed, “this is my father!” He didn't change at all, so I recognized him right away!
- Yes, of course, I believe you, - the manager tried to take the girl by the hand, - but in no case should you contact the ghosts. When you took office, you signed a contract, there was such a clause, remember?
- Yes, I remember, - the girl removed the manager's hand, - Of course, I remember. But, it's my father!
- Well, I believe you, but, nevertheless, you must not violate the terms of the contract. Moreover, it is deadly for you!
“But this is my father,” Sandra repeated. “My father has always been a very good man. I don't think he changed after death. Dad, why are you silent?
- Sandra, I, - the customs officer suddenly fell silent, the emotions that swept over him sealed his mouth, - yes, I'm your dad!
- Well, you see, - the girl laughed happily, - I told you that my dad could not harm anyone during his lifetime, and even more so he cannot harm me now!
At this time, the door creaked and another hero of our story entered the office. You have already met him in the pages of my book. A tall figure, a pale face, a black hat that made this creature invisible to people - yes, yes, it was the black reaper who entered the office.
Sandra has already met the black reapers. Upon taking office, she was introduced to all members of the black reaper clan. Then it seemed to her that this black reaper was similar to the others, and therefore Sandra recognized him now only by a white hairpin of an unusual shape on a black mourning robe.
The time for emotions has passed, Sandra realized this as soon as the manager spoke to the black reaper.
Soon all four: one creature, one ghost and two people, sat down at the negotiating table. During the conversation, Sandra only smiled happily, looking at her father, but did not try to break into the conversation.
The conversation lasted a long time, the manager, the black reaper, and the customs officer himself, tried to understand what had happened such that the memory suddenly returned to the customs officer and he recognized the black reaper. During this conversation, Sandra learned that her mother came to the customs palace to cross the Sanzu River. Whether she successfully crossed it, or whether her soul is in the lair of the river dragon, of course, no one could tell the girl about this. Even the black reaper and the manager himself did not know about this. All that Sandra learned from this conversation is that her fragile hope of seeing her mother again, of course, will not come true. But, next to Sandra was now her father, and the girl did not care at all whether he was a ghost or a person. Her dad was next to her, and that said it all. The conversation went on and on, finally the manager said that now everything was clear to him! Mosaic formed into one picture!
As the customs officer expected, it was the death of his wife and her arrival at the customs palace that was the impetus that returned the memory of the customs officer. The black reaper during the conversation told the manager about his attempts to return the customs officer to his previous state again.
And also that he didn't succeed.
The people at the table were talking peacefully until lightning struck. This was the first time that the manager saw with his own eyes how lightning burned something in his office.
Sandra was frightened and even screamed, the other three, those who were sitting at the table with the girl, also did not remain indifferent. Even the black reaper and the male ghost were frightened, not to mention the steward himself. The steward decided that the supreme deity was angry with him, because all their attempts to figure out how to return the customs officer to their previous state were unsuccessful, but the steward did not imagine that much more trouble awaited him. The manager and Sandra rushed to put out the curtains, which took the lightning strike, and at that time the secretary ran into the manager's office and whispered something in the manager's ear. The man was taken aback. I will not intrigue you for a long time and will tell you thatthe manager was so excited. The fact is that in the customs palace, after the departure of the customs officer, a complete doomsday began. What happened earlier with the customs officer, I'm talking about the sudden acquisition of memory, how the virus spread through the customs palace. Not only the dead who came to the customs palace and awaited their fate, but also the customs workers suddenly regained their memory. What was happening was like a virus! Memory returned not gradually, in jerks, but completely, like a lightning strike. By the way, regarding lightning, having received a message from the secretary, the manager realized that the supreme deity had sent lightning not because he was angry because of the customs officer, but because the virus was raging in the customs palace. Something had to be done, but the manager did not yet know what exactly. In any case, it was dangerous to be in the office now, and the manager said that the meeting was over. Everyone started to disperse.
Suddenly, the black reaper, who was already on his way to the front door, let out some kind of exclamation and stopped. His poor face seemed even more pale.
He turned sharply to Sandra, who was following him and nearly ran into him.
-Olivia, my love, - said the black reaper, holding out his hands to the girl, - you came back to me! Do you remember me?