Guardian Angel. 1. 3. Bathy

"A GUARDIAN ANGEL"
a mistical novel
by Alexandra Kryuchkova

PART I. A GUARDIAN

1.3. BATHY

March 10, evening, Moscow

Alice got off the subway. Suddenly, the Woman from the House of Serving to Creativity called her to inform that an incident had happened to the main character of their planned event, so the end of March was changed to April 6th. Alice sighed, she worried about the Elder and sincerely wishes him well. They had met in Milan, and after that he had helped her on the way. Sometimes, they had dined together at the Central House of Writers talking about the poets of the Silver Age whom he personally knew well.

White put his wing around Alice’s shoulders. They walked in silence for a while, but suddenly, the guardian remembered something and moved to the Astrologer’s flat.

«What’s up, White? Have you changed your mind about rotation of the dial?»

«It’s no chance to change my mind on it. I forgot to warn you. Alice is going to call your ward now to ask if she can return home on the 6th of April. Let yours say she can. It’s clear the longer the better, but Alice needs to hold an event here. Elder asked me, his ward has his own dial.»

Stargazer nodded in understanding, «We make a road for young people, and honor elders very much!»

The guardians said goodbye.

Having checked the date of her return from Elabuga with the Astrologer, Alice kept walking home. The guardian walked to the right whispering, «You got paid today. If you don’t buy tickets for the plane to Nizhnekamsk now, tomorrow you’ll throw the wrong envelope in the trash by mistake. Buy tickets to Nizhnekamsk. Buy tickets to Nizhnekamsk. Tickets, Alice!»

One has to flight to Nizhnekamsk to get to Elabuga.

Alice didn’t react. Suddenly, she started thinking, «Perhaps… there’s no need to go there…»

Having instantly caught her thought, White clenched his fingers into a fist out of his helplessness, stopped and turned to the guardian of a man passing by, «Help, bro! Sometimes she hears me, sometimes she doesn’t!»

The guardian of the passer-by approached Alice from the left. White came from the right, and they both with all their energetic strength shouted into her ears, «TICKETS TO NIZHNEKAMSK!»

Alice stopped, «Well, probably, I have to go there. Anyhow, the trip won’t make it worse.» She turned around abruptly, entered the shopping center and went to the window where they sold airline tickets. White breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully shook hands with the guardian of the one who had already passed them by. The latter smiled and ran to catch up with his ward.

The ticket seller voiced the possible flights. The guardian scanned the Space of Options and whispered to Alice, «A maniac will be on the first one. He’ll sit next to you. It’s dangerous. The second flight will be delayed, so you’ll be late. Take the third one!»

Alice said in an uncertain voice, «Three is a good number. The last option, please.»

***

Alice’s room, midnight

Alice went to bed and fell asleep almost instantly. The guardian was about to exit out the window to fly to Nizhnekamsk, when someone called out to him in a cheerful voice, «Hello, bro!»

«Bathy, is it you again?!»

«Well, you see… I’ve come to ask you to marry our wards!»

«Listen, Bathy, for so many years, I’ve been telling you, Alice breathes towards your ward indifferently. It’s common breathing of humans, do you understand? Take it as it is, both of you!»

«But he breathes towards Alice differently!»

Bathy, a plump, small, clean, as if just out of the bath, smiled and didn’t allow White to go out the window.

«So what?»

«Let’s make some magic! Earthly love is chemistry.»

«Chemistry is not love. How did they appoint you as guardian with such knowledge! A bath broom leaf! Besides, I’m already making magic. I urgently have to arrange a lot for Alice. No time for negotiations, rather there is nothing to talk about.»

«Why nothing? Look at my ward! He’s rich, moderately generous and very clean! Every week he goes to the public baths! He’ll care for Alice. He’ll take her to a restaurant once a week, on vacation abroad 4 times a year and give her flowers on holidays! Maybe without love, bro?»

«Bro, did you join the Dark ones by any chance? It’s not his body, but his mind that need to be cleaned! And yours, too!»

«If I had jointed the Dark ones, I wouldn’t have needed to beg you for so many years!» Bathy said offended. «White! Haven’t you ever been a human? Don’t know what it’s like?»

«Have you read the Astral Tablets? What is written about your ward and his «love’? It’s a lesson! He hasn’t been able to get past it for years. Moreover, this feeling is not subject to either people or angels! Our wards are not registered in their Heavenly passports together! Dot! The rest is from the evil one. And you, Bathy, know perfectly well who Alice has in her heart. And imagine, I’m categorically against it! But, with all my desire, I can’t change anything about this!»

***

Nizhnekamsk airport, night

Taxi drivers were offering their services to those who had just arrived. Many of them had dark shadows instead of guardians. The brightest guardian was modestly standing somewhere in the distance, behind the back of an unsightly taxi driver.

«Be healthy, bro!» White addressed the brightest guardian.

«I wish you good health, too. How can I help you?»

«This girl will arrive here late in the evening on April 4th,» White projected the image of Alice in the air.

«Pretty! Yours?»

«Mine, yes. So I need to transfer her safe and sound to Elabuga. Your driver is the brightest here. A half of the road to Elabuga is broken, I won’t trust Alice to others.»

«Tell me her flight number.»

A copy of the ticket was visualized in the air.

«Okay. We won’t serve anyone else that evening. As soon as your Alice appears, I’ll immediately send him to her.»

«One more thing. I scanned the Space of Options. There’s a possibility of a head-on collision with an oncoming truck after the turn. Here’s a photo of the driver and the truck number. Find his guardian. It looks like, that man is surrounded by dark ones only. Make a deal. He must stay in another city instead of driving that night.»

***

Elabuga, night

White made a round of the hotels and liked one of them. Local guardians were chatting about something on the sofas in the lobby at the reception. White greeted them.

«Exactly at midnight on the 4th to the 5th of April, a girl will arrive here. She’ll send you an e-mail tomorrow. Book her the room number 33. Welcome her properly, it’ll be her birthday. Cook something delicious.»

A notebook appeared in the air, one of the guardians carefully wrote something down in it.

«Oh, I got an idea, bro!» exclaimed the cook’s guardian. «A friend of my ward has his birthday on the same day. He’s going to celebrate it on the outskirts of our town with fireworks, an orchestra and all that stuff. Do you want us to re-route him to our restaurant?»

White smiled, nodded, thanked those present and moved to the roof of a small house on the outskirts, not far from the cemetery. The director of Marina Tsvetaeva’s Memorial Complex lived in that house. White found the director’s guardian, explained the situation and asked to arrange an excursion program at full. They decided together where Alice should have lunch. The director’s guardian promised to prepare exclusive books as a gift for the guest’s birthday.

***

Moscow, at dawn, Alice’s room

Alice snoozed sweetly, smiling at someone in her sleep. The guardian sat at her head whispering, «Write an e-mail to Elabuga today. The hotel is right in the center. Book it. And write to the head of the Memorial Complex a request to give you an excursion tour. Do you hear me?»

Alice whispered something indistinctly. Her dream was projected on the window curtain, and the image of the Man in White appeared on it.

«Alice! What the hell are you dreaming of? Elabuga! Hotel and excursion program!»

The alarm clock started ringing. The image of the Man in White was slowly fading away. Alice squinted in displeasure, reached out her hand to the phone to turn off the alarm clock, and opened her eyes. Thinking about something, she remembered about her trip to Elabuga, «I need to book a hotel today. And to find out about excursions.»

The guardian rejoiced and stroked Alice on the head.