The phone rang, as always, at the wrong time. Ksenia had just put the straps of a small backpack on her shoulders, and she found the keys in her trouser pocket to close the door. At first, she wanted to not even answer the call, since time was running out. Thirty minutes left before the train, but you still have to catch a taxi. However, some kind of sixth sense made her throw off her shoes and run up to the phone.

- I'm listening!

“Ksyushenka, how good it was that I caught you,” said a thin hoarse voice at that end, “this is Fedor Frankovich, your former supervisor, remember me?”

- Yes ... yes ... - muttered Xenia, hastily glancing at her watch, - of course I remember!

- Ksyushenka, I really need your help. You are an excellent specialist in bats, and here I have just ...

- Fedor Frankovich, you will excuse me, - the old man interrupted Ksenia not very politely, - but I am in a terrible hurry, my train leaves in twenty-five minutes. If you do not mind, I will call on you in two weeks, when I return.

- After two ..., - the old man muttered perplexedly, - but in two weeks it will be very late ... after all, it may be a completely new form ... for now, only I and another person know about it, but after two weeks ... you can no longer write into your account a major discovery.

Ksenia bit her lip. It seems, business trip was broken.

- What do you mean? - She clarified.

- My nephew is very keen on speleology, and yesterday he sent me photos of one of the caves in the Carpathians, where he rests. Including he photographed a group of very strange bats under the arches of this cave ... I see these for the first time. You must look at them. Ksenia hesitated only a few seconds.

- Well, Fedor Frankovich, I will go to the institute in an hour.

***

The old man met her at the door of the pulpit, and clinging tenderly to her elbow, he drew her into his study, hurriedly muttering in his ear:

- I somehow agreed. The institute is such a bureaucratic system that as long as I beg money for something, the need for it will disappear. Ksyushenka, I have a good friend engaged in exotic animals. I managed to interest him, and he agreed to pay for your trip to the Carpathians. True, it is necessary to go by train. I bought the billettes. Check out tomorrow morning ...

- Wait, wait, Fedor Frankovich, - Xenia protested, - I agreed only to look at the photo. Maybe there is nothing interesting.

- There is! There is! I assure you that everything is very interesting!

Having set the guest on a soft chair, the professor began to conjure at a small table, pouring some flavored drink into the cups.

- Now I will treat you to delicious coffee! - He said, looking at the girl from under the thin gilded glasses. Ksyusha impatiently fidgeted in her chair.

- Fedor Frankovich, coffee will wait! I canceled an important trip for this business. Let's not be distracted.

“Yes, yes, of course,” the old man looked around absently and, still holding two cups of black coffee in his hands, headed for his table.

- Look here! - He said, taking from the box a few color photos. Ksenia began to leaf through them slowly. On the very first one, a high rocky cliff was photographed with wild grape vines hanging from above. Approximately at a height of twenty meters there was a small hole in the rock. The following several photographs were taken, apparently, in the cave itself. The quality of them left much to be desired, but nevertheless several dozens of bats, who settled for the day, under the arch of a large cave, were visible. Animals were, indeed, unusual. First of all, their color was striking. They were very bright. Rather, even white, and, which was especially surprising, rather large. Although the photos were difficult to determine their size.

- Well? What? - the old man all this time impatiently peretaptyvatsya near the girl, looking over his shoulder.

“It's really strange,” said Ksenia thoughtfully, “White mice, of course, are found in nature, but not of such size and not in these latitudes.

- Exactly! What did I say! - the professor flashed with delighted eyes, - Ksyushenka, go there! Collect stuff! Maybe we are on the verge of opening a new species.

- Well, - having thought a little, Ksenia agreed - I will go.

“That's nice,” the old man rejoiced, hastily putting his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket, “here are bills and a small amount of travel allowance. My nephew will meet you on the spot. He is resting there with his family. His name is Maxim. This he opened this cave. He will show you everything and explain. As soon as you find something, call me right away. I will wait, Ksyushenka, really expect to hear from you.

***

Prikarpatye met Xenia, an unprecedented heat. The electronic display of the car showed +32 degrees Celsius. The compartment was terribly stuffy, and she spent most of the way in the corridor, looking out the window overlooking the Carpathian mountains.

Having left on the necessary station, Xenia, looked round. There were few people on the platform. She with a gesture refused the offers of the station merchants, and, slowly, went along the platform, looking for her nephew Fedor Frankovich, who was supposed to meet her. Some cheeky young man, sitting on a bench with a bottle of lemonade in his hand, lowered his sunglasses down and began to frankly devour the slender hips of a girl in short shorts. Ksyusha pointedly turned away and went the other way, trying not to wag her hips, which she did not do well. For some reason, every time when one of the men allowed herself to give open glances in her direction, she involuntarily began to act like a whore. Why this happened, she herself could not understand. And the more she tried to give herself a detached look, the worse she did it. And the young man, as if sensing the location of the girl, rose from the bench and walked confidently to her side.

- And what does such beauty do in this wilderness? - He asked, approaching, and without ceasing to undress the girl with his eyes.

- What do you care? She asked, not too angry.

“Well, maybe you won't refuse to spend the day with me, I could show a lot,” the guy continued insisting on spinning the keys to the car on his finger.

- No, I'll get along. I already have a guide.

- Of course have! The best guide! - he playfully winked at the girl, - Ksenia?

- Yes ... - she looked more attentively at the guy. A tall, handsome brunette, about 25-28 years old, shoulder-length hair. Everything fit the description of the professor - and you are Maxim?

- He is! I did not think that my uncle has such a good taste on young girls!

- He has good taste for promising scientists, - Xenia muttered offendedly. She really did not like that this ham turned out to be the nephew.

- And this, too, - the young man threw the keys and again caught the keys in his fist, - well, that Ksyuha, let's go see the cave!

- Call me Ksenia, - strictly asked the girl, - and let's on "you".

- No problem, - shrugged Maxim, - I ask you in my limousine.

Ksenia sat in the back seat of an old Ford. Maxim smoothly drove from the parking lot and drove the car up the hill. Ksyusha didn’t hide from the fact that the young man casually turned the rear-view mirror so that he could continue to stare at the girl on the way.

They drove about forty minutes. During this time, Maxim managed to inform his companion that he arrived here on vacation with his wife three weeks ago. They live with a relative of his wife in a big house, almost in the mountains. Nearby there is a small village, but mostly dacha residents and old people live there. Products have to be transported from the city, but this inconvenience is compensated by the magnificent nature and clean air. In addition to them, the owner himself lives in the house, and his two adult sons, nineteen and twenty years old.

- Guys are not sociable, but friendly. It is understandable, they live in this wilderness with their father, they do not see the light of white. Boredom! And most importantly ...