potatoes, with mushrooms – they’re delicious!
Faza and Nova looked at each other and laughed. This simple moment, this simple joy, suddenly seemed to Nova something extremely valuable, something she lacked in the bustle of the big city. Faza’s laughter, sincere and infectious, seemed to melt something inside her, to break down the invisible wall between their worlds.
– Shall we go? – Faza asked, holding out his hand to her. – Believe me, Mum’s pies are incredible. It’s definitely something we haven’t tasted in our fancy restaurants.
– Nova, still smiling, accepted his hand:
– My pleasure. You know, I suddenly realised that I was terribly hungry.
They walked leisurely back to the house, where a set table and warm company awaited them. The air was filled with the scents of freshly baked pies, herbal tea, and something elusive-perhaps it was the smell of life itself, simple and real.
Nova, walking beside Faz along the narrow path, suddenly caught herself wishing she knew more about this simple life, about the people who had chosen this path. She glanced furtively at Faza’s profile, illuminated by the soft light, and felt something new, unfamiliar, but surprisingly pleasant, stirring in her heart. Maybe this was the beginning of something more than just an interest in a different way of life?
And in the distance, beyond the forest and fields, the lights of the metropolis flickered faintly – a distant and alien world, which now seemed to Nova a strange dream from which she had just awakened. And for the first time in a long time she felt that she did not want to return to this world of neon lights and cold plastic. Here, next to Faz, amidst this simple beauty, she felt truly alive. And accepted.
The sun slowly coloured the sky above the suburb in delicate shades of pink and orange, creating an impressive contrast with the green of the forests stretching to the horizon. This corner of the world seemed like an island of peace and tranquillity, where the old way of life stubbornly resisted the onslaught of new technology. Wooden, concrete and brick buildings, erected by the hands of local residents, blended seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, as if challenging the distant skyscrapers of the metropolis, whose sharp spires were barely visible on the northern horizon.
Against this backdrop of natural idyll, two young women, Anna and Dash, lay on the soft grass, slightly damp from the evening dew. Their slender figures contrasted sharply with the simplicity of their surroundings, making them look like city dwellers. They looked up into the sky, where fluffy clouds floated slowly, taking on bizarre shapes in the rays of the setting sun.
The air was filled with the scents of blossoming apple trees, freshly cut grass and damp earth – smells almost forgotten in their home metropolis, where artificial fragrances had long since replaced natural scents. Somewhere in the distance they could hear the mooing of cows returning from pasture, and the merry laughter of children coming from the neighbouring yards.
Anna inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with clean air, and exhaled slowly with obvious pleasure. Her long hair spread across the grass, intertwined with wildflowers – daisies and cornflowers.
– How nice it is here… – she said dreamily, closing her eyes. – It’s so easy to breathe and lie so soft… It seems as if all the problems were left somewhere far away, in another world.
Dash twitched nervously, as if her friend’s words had struck some painful string in her. She turned her head sharply, her hair ruffled and irritation in her eyes.
– I told you, it’s no good,» she said, her voice harsh, breaking the peaceful atmosphere of the summer evening.
Anna slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to her friend, raising a thin eyebrow in surprise. Her green eyes read incomprehension and slight anxiety.
– What don’t you like already? – she asked, her voice more wary, as if she were preparing for another outburst of displeasure from Dash.
Dash raised herself up on her elbows, taking a critical look at her surroundings. Her face contorted in a grimace of disgust as she began to speak:
– «I look at them and I’m so sad… – she waved her hand in the direction of Faza, Nova and Faza’s parents sitting at the table. – They put a collar around their own necks, and they’re happy about it! Can you imagine?
She sat down sharply, cross-legged, and pointed at the nearby grazing horse, which was plucking the grass, occasionally waving its tail away from pesky flies.
– That horse is freer than them,» Dash snorted. – At least he doesn’t have to worry about credit and career advancement.
Anna listened silently, watching the wind rippling the tall grass, creating the illusion of green waves. Her fingers absent-mindedly rubbed the clover stalk as she considered her friend’s words.
– Everything is already known in advance,» Dash continued, her voice growing more irritated with each word. – No comfort! No room for imagination! First they save up for some new panel to diversify their miserable life.
She curled her lips contemptuously, as if the very mention of such a life disgusted her.
– Then to the kettle with the neural interface, so she wouldn’t have to strain herself making herbal concoctions. – Dash rolled her eyes. – And then on to a better neural network so she could process information faster at her cheap job. And so on in circles, endlessly.
She took a deep breath, as if trying to calm down, but you could still hear the irritation in her voice:
– It’s all laid out like a corporate plan. Damn it! – She exhaled the last word, as if letting out the residue of her pent-up anger. – And there’s no way out… Not a single chance to break out of this vicious circle.
Anna sat up slowly, shaking the blades of grass and small flowers out of her hair. She looked at her friend carefully, sympathy mixed with a slight perplexity in her gaze.
– What’s wrong with that? – She asked softly, as if trying to reassure Dash. – It’s a kind of stability. Isn’t that what everyone wants?
Dash stared at Anna as if she had just offered to eat a live frog. Her eyes widened with surprise and indignation.
– What good would that do? – she exclaimed with a flutter of her hands. – Don’t you understand? Nova needs to understand, and you too – we live in a metropolis! It’s a different world, with other tasks, other opportunities, other men!
Dash’s eyes lit up with a feverish gleam as she began to describe her dreams. Her voice became more animated and her hands gesticulated vigorously, emphasising every word:
– Cars sexy, guys young, handsome, with opportunities. Just imagine! – She rolled her eyes dreamily. – And if you were lucky enough to marry a diplomat? A corporate one! That would be a whole different life!
Dash stepped forward, as if about to share a secret:
– You could go to the East, to the New Eastern Dynasty. They say they have technology there that would make ours seem like children’s toys. You can also go to Africa, to the South. – Her eyes glistened with excitement. – There, they say, such balls take place there that it takes your breath away! Can you imagine the opportunities there?
Anna listened to her friend with a slight smile of sympathy and disbelief. She shook her head, making her long hair sway gently.
– And how are you going to do that? – She asked, a slight doubt in her voice. – It’s not as easy as you describe.
Dash smiled playfully, and a sly glint appeared in her eyes. She slowly ran her hand through her hair, as if rehearsing a gesture of seduction:
– Anh, we are women and they are men. – She winked. – They are fools, and that’s something to be taken advantage of.
Anna