stalked around me with the baby. “When your subconscious was locked here, you began to destroy your life.” Depraved thoughts climbed into your head, born of your subconscious, which was influenced by these walls. He was here well and comfortably. This kid himself would never leave the citadel. We needed the help of your consciousness, which came to this palace, in order to find and remove your “younger brother” from here. And, as you can see, this stronghold obeys your desires. At the beginning, you could not even find the entrance, because you did not want to change anything in your life. It was necessary to push you to this. So appeared Julia Sobolev.

- Wait, I know you more than a year. - I objected, carefully listening to the story.

- Not. I appeared in your life a couple of weeks ago. That you think you know me year. This is an illusion, Serge. I took the form of a beautiful girl, taken entirely from your head, an image in which you would not find a single flaw. It had to be done, it was necessary to guarantee that you would fall in love with Julia Sobolev. It was necessary to give birth to a desire in you so that the citadel could release you. Otherwise, you would risk forever wandering around its endless corridors and halls.

I looked at my baby, who clung to me. He looked up again at Julia and saw another man, with two big wings. From the face it was impossible to understand whether it was a man or a woman.

- And it worked. Get him out of here, ”continued the angel. “You don't need to know anything more.” I did my job.

“You ... you ... you are just a scum ..." I uttered with an animal grin. - Give me Julia. Bring back Julia!

- There was no Julia, Seryozha. And never will be. There is no such thing. - The tone of the angel gave a cold metal - take it, and get out of here. This is a bad place. As you see, it didn’t bring anything good into your life. I do not demand gratitude. I do not demand anything from you. I had to protect you and help you get out of your vicious circle. I did it. Hope we won't see you again. I can no longer stay in this stronghold. Goodbye, Seryozha. The exit is behind my back.

Having said the last words, the angel soared up the tall hall and disappeared somewhere under its vast immense vaults.

- There was ... never ... - I was stunned by the truth.

I, like a zombie, took the baby by the hand and headed for the exit. We walked slowly, without saying a word. I just kept looking at the light rectangle in the wall that I was going outside.

We approached it, a wide and high exit, opening a view of the endless desert, stretched under the walls of the citadel. My citadel.

And what is waiting for me there? My debauchery and lust will leave me, and will cease to be interesting to me. I will no longer go with Stas and the playful lecherous girls to the sauna, I will not go to the noisy nightclub filled with sleepy dim fog, I will not pick up the voting vulgar girls at the stop. Julia is not waiting for me there. Tomorrow I'll come to work, go to her office chair, but some fussy trainee will be sitting on it, sorting out pieces of paper and putting them into folders. I will come to the dining room and I can sit there at least the whole day, and a nice good girl with no dark hair and a tender smile, which I remember as if I had just seen her, will not sit with me anymore. Surely, I will go to the suburbs, in the same technopark, in which we had a single meeting with her. I will get up fifty meters from the bus stop, in the very place where I stood on Saturday and watched her go. And ... probably ... I will see it again ... going from me in my dark blue scarf, which blows with soft spirits. Her hair, smelling like lavender, will flutter in the wind. Only this will be my imagination, which simply superimposes a picture from memory on the urban landscape that I see. And this lantern ... this damn lantern, never sees those two that have found each other, that they will join hands, joining two lives into one.

I looked at the baby.Yes, I know, he reads my thoughts. He understood everything. I take a step back.

- I don't want to go there. - I said. - There's nothing.

- I know. So do I.

We turned around and went deep into the citadel. For some reason, I feel good and calm here. Stupid thoughts do not climb into my head, the soul does not tear to pieces. I am here, with my subconscious, in the house that was built, and within these walls there is neither fear nor pain.

Need I say that I won't wake up next morning? Never.

After five days, my door will be opened by the police squad together with the district police officer and a couple of my friends, who will make a fuss about my disappearance. My room in the apartment will remain in the same setting as it was five days ago, my breathless body will rest on the bed. On the wall opposite, there will be a picture that Arseny gave me. And only he, having casually gazed into it, will find one detail noticeable only to him. Two people will sit on the wall of the citadel, hugging together they look into an endless distance stretching under the grotesque walls ... I added the final touch that this picture lacked so much.

Now the picture is finished. Now she is a true masterpiece ...