He looked at these transformations with his mouth agape.
″That’s it,’ I said, ‘get used to it. We’re going to work together with them.″
With these words, I fell down on one of the chairs. Petka sat down carefully on the second one. We held hands and started to connect mentally. I immediately called Gilk, to my surprise, he immediately answered as if he was waiting.
″Yes, I was really waiting,’ Gilk said, ‘just at this time when you have a late-night, and we have the morning, I’m going to my office, putting on a helmet intensifying thoughts, and starting my daily communication session. I’ve been waiting for you, Mila, for a long time, because I’m not aware of your plans yet. I am obliged to help you in all your endeavors. If you need money for this, just tell me, the resources of all humanity are at your disposal.
″No, Gilk, I don’t need money. They will only prevent me from understanding the difficulties of an ordinary person. Nobody should know who I am yet. In spring, I’m going to the city, where I’ll learn how ordinary people live. Before that, I wanted to ask you a few questions. You said that everything was okay on the planet, life expectancy had increased, but you didn’t say anything about the birth rate, population growth.″
″Yes, Mila, you know how to hit the nail on the head! ″ Gilk answered. ″Birth rates getting worse and worse, the population growth is negative. But the work in this direction is being done, the work in the committees for the protection of children’s rights has been strengthened, children’s medicine is being developed, financial incentives for pregnant women have been introduced… I can’t list all at once!″
″So, it is clear! ″ I continued. ″I see, Gilk, it doesn’t bother you at all that we are now talking on the frequency of dryads.″
″No, this frequency has long been a part of my helmet setup,″ Gilk replied, ″since I was chasing the father of your new friends, dryad Kum. Now, this Kum and his wife Bess are on the planet Masha.″
″My new friends ask if it is possible to fly there for visiting. ″
″Once a year, Masha is supplied with everything necessary for terraforming the planet. You can easily fly there if you want.″
″We will necessarily fly, but so far I have things to do here. Now the second question: how telepathic communication in the cities is conducted now? My friends moved out to the city since then I have never been able to contact them.″
″Yeah, that’s a problem, my sapiens are struggling over, too. Long-distance telepathic communication in the cities is now almost impossible, because of which all post offices with telepathic communication have to be arranged at some distance from the city, which is very inconvenient. Or, there is a way, to put in a city powerful strengthening stations, but it badly affects the feeling of citizens.″
″The situation is clear, ″ I answered ″so let’s make a deal: if I have any questions to you, I will contact you on this frequency, about the same time. Thank you, Gilk, stay in touch!″
″Be good!″
Petka and I said goodbye to our dendritic assistants and went home, and Kubess and Besska stayed overnight in the forest as they used to. Petka kept silent, absorbing the information, and I was silent too, what can I talk about? Now we will come home, and his father Pavel would ask me where I was. I would snuggle to him and tell him that his son and I were walking in the forest. Maybe he’ll be delighted, maybe even think that Petka and I have love…
When did it begin? Probably, the first time he came to our village and came into our house. I remember how hard he hugged me by the shoulders. No one had ever hugged me like that before. I repent, I immediately looked into his mind and saw that just such a daughter he wanted. I wanted to have a real father and mother, too, not the two shut-in people who sometimes come to visit me because of their duty. Since then, this ritual has been firmly entrenched in my life. Every time I’d come to him before bed, he took me by the shoulders and say, “Good night, Milochka! ″
″Good night, Uncle Pavel,” I used to say.
Sometimes I thought how lucky Petka was that he had such beautiful parents. How they love each other! I am sure that Uncle Pavel will give his life for his Frosya! And Frosya can do it too… From afar she looks like a giant ball, glowing of love. Come and get warm! But Petka doesn’t understand anything; it’s more interesting for him to make up some stupid prank. I still remember how he offered to pick off all the underripe apples at Aunt Frosya’s trees and arrange a shoot-out of these apples because they are so suitable to throw. I barely managed to convince him not to do that…
So we are at home. Uncle Pavel, of course, does not sleep, meets us on the bench near the house.
″I love, ″ he says ″to see the stars at night”.
But I know he’s just waiting for us to return from our walk and he’s worried about us lost in the night forest. He still doesn’t believe that I just can’t get lost…
″Where are your new friends?″
″They, Uncle Pavel, stayed overnight to admire the forest.″
″Where did they come from?’ I asked Kubess, and he said so strangely, ‘Ask Mila.″
″It’s really hard for them to answer your question. They spent their whole lives in the forest and never stayed in the same place for long. I could say they are from everywhere, from all the never-ending forest.″
″It is strange,’ said Uncle Pavel, ‘Is it really possible to live like that?″
″Good night, Uncle Pavel,″ I snuggled to his side as usual and stayed for a minute… So good! I would like to stand here forever! Pavel smelled of freshly planed planks, and he must have made some furniture for the house again.
″Good night, Milochka!″ Uncle Pavel hugged me by the shoulders and snuggled me even harder. ″Good night, girl!″
″Good night, Daddy,” Petka murmured and ran to his room, and I went to mine. I must say good night to my grandmother Bella… When I was falling asleep, I heard Terra’s voice:
″Is everything all right, Mila?″
″Everything is all right! Will, you be able to talk to me in the city?″
″Of course I will, we are not talking telepathically.″
Tomorrow morning, we’ll grind the question cards again. Oh, I’m tired of this stupid activity. Why do I have to remember something that can be thrown out of my memory in six months and forgotten forever? But Uncle Pavel says, “You have to!″ and I obey. He knows the city better than I do. Maybe it is necessary for us.
Winter has passed, and now there are five of us in a cart going to the city – me and Uncle Pavel, Petka and Kubess with Besska. Uncle Pavel asked if they had any documents, and Kubess answered that they did not need any documents with Besska, which stumped him very much. Aunt Frosya did not come with us. She stayed to renovate her new home. Oh, I did not write that Uncle Pavel had built a new wooden house for his family last summer, and they with Frosya and Petka had been furnishing it all winter. Men made furniture, wardrobes, and shelves, Frosya decorated the house with pictures, embroidery, painted benches with flowers. In my opinion, Frosya is a real artist. I just envy her, because I can’t draw like that. We came to the city. Parents were not happy, because there were not enough rooms to place me in the flat. Recently, my older brother got married and took the last room available. I wasn’t upset, because Uncle Pavel had assumed something like that in advance and said that I could live in his flat for the time being. So, wishing my parents all the best, I ran away to Uncle Pavel and Petka. Petka was happy with my moving. Uncle Pavel asked me where our friends, Kubess and Besska, were staying. I replied that they had a place to live. I couldn’t tell him that two huge bushes had grown in one night in the nearest ravine.
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