ARTIFICIAL WORLD OF THE FUTURE. MANNEQUIN AT THE TABLE
Authors: Gutsu Yuri
Gutsu Anastasia
A dystopian novel
Chapter 1. 1. Souvenir
In front of the hotel entrance, lined up like on a country walk, stood cars.
A stream of sun flooded the shiny bodies.
Everything was motionless, like before the start.
The hotel lobby was cool.
I began to look again at the low, flat, tray-like sports cars.
It was as if someone had pressed them down in the middle.
They were very stable at high speed.
The strict forms of the powerful universal units exuded respectability.
These cars are expensive. My eyes narrowed.
At this time, Caprice sat down next to me in the café Negative.
“You're different today,” she said. “You're not looking at me.”
I looked at her. She was smiling playfully.
“What's going on?”
“Nothing.” I hugged her.
“I thought it wasn't you.” Caprice looked at me expectantly. “Will you have a drink with me?”
“No.”
“You're special today. I don't recognize you,” Caprice said and fell silent.
I didn't care.
She drank the juice relaxedly, placing my hand on her shoulder.
“You drink!”
She hugged me.
A tramp Lagoon appeared near the hotel in big colorful shoes and began to walk around the entrance.
I moved Caprice to the side.
Lagoon didn’t notice me because he was looking at Effect, or rather, at the large suitcase, on which Effect was sitting carelessly.
Copper-skinned Lagoon said to him in a villainous quiet voice:
“Stop!”
Faint-hearted Effect froze, also not taking his round eyes off him.
“Whose suitcase is this? Tell me honestly.”
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“Mine. Not mine. What do you want?”
“You disappear!”
Effect silently grabbed the bag.
Lagoon, bulging his eyes, pushed the porter with his own burden, preventing the reason to attract the attention of tourists.
A woman came out of the hall.
She was short, well-built.
I immediately understood what she was looking for.
I pointed out Caprice to Effect and walked, quickening my pace, toward the woman.
“Are you looking for luggage?” I shouted as I walked.
The surprise on her still not at all old, energetic face gave way to impatience.
“Yes!”
“The optimist grabbed it and ran.”
I pointed towards the park.
“How grotesque!” the woman exclaimed. “Bravo!”
A large tourist jumped out at her call.
He stampeded his feet towards the park.
I watched him dart between the trees.
“Young man, are you sure?”
“Don't doubt it!” I said.
She waited for her Bravo, but he disappeared.
He was happy, the unfortunate one, to be free.
Or he took the matter seriously, decided to explore the entire park.
This is the largest park in the city.
“This is my porter! Good service.”
Effect stood nearby with a large bruise on his face.
He worthily defended someone else's property from the bandit Lagoon.
“How did this happen?” the woman asked in a very cold tone.
“The beginning of the event.”
I thought, looking at the woman.
“Where are you staying? I can help you.”
She looked at me with hope.
“This is my number.”
“Goodbye,” I said and began to catch up with Effect.
Effect tried to hide, but I caught up with him.
“Where is Lagoon?”
“I don't know!” he was surprised. “He treated me and ran away, jumping for joy. I'll meet him... I was in the wrong place. Why do you need an incident? It's a gift.”
“Really?”
“I know.”
“Are you coming with me?”
The little man thought about it and agreed.
He put his hands in his pockets and walked along with an independent air.
“Drama invited her.” Effect blinked apathetically.
“Yes?” I looked at him, puzzled.
“Yes. I saw him today. He brought flowers and went to prepare the yacht.”
I was a little disappointed.
The woman was nice, I even liked her.
We found Lagoon in a bright cap in the slums among dusty ruins sitting on a suitcase.
He looked at Effect with interest and concluded:
“It's your own fault.”
Effect sat down with his back to Lagoon.
The merry fellow, without thinking twice, pushed him.
Effect habitually fell into the grass, rose obediently and sat down again, already at an unreachable distance.
Lagoon and I pulled the bag. He didn't resist for long. Effect stuck his head between us to look.
He was right. It was a doll.
We looked at the useless toy.
“It's inedible,” Effect said sarcastically.
“Why was she happy for nothing?” I muttered.
“All tourists should have an emergency food supply,” said Lagoon.
“I don't understand women,” Effect declared.
“Okay,” I said. “You put it back. Be careful. Maybe it would be better for us to return the beginning of the event, as I promised.”
“You promised?” Lagoon was surprised. “When did you have time?”
I patronizingly patted the bully on the shoulder.
We moved through the slums of an old abandoned construction of a whole array of buildings.
The city dump Panorama was added to them.
“Changes are coming,” said Lagoon. “Vitamin wants to get into the archive. He's starting his own business. Or he'll go to the capital. Like everyone else. Like Masterpiece. We don't need the treats of the generous method Absurd.
“We're free.”
There were huge piles of garbage all around, with many discarded, useless, unnecessary things.
