Chapter 2 Chapter 1
"How can I do it?" Gesar asked. "Why can't you?"
We are in the middle of an endless gray and white plain.There is no bright color anywhere the eye can see, but if you look closely at each grain of sand, they all shine: gold, magenta, light blue, green.Overhead, the white and pink clouds were motionless, as if someone had mixed the milky water with the jelly-colored banks and splashed it into the sky.
It was windy and chilly.In the fourth layer of the twilight world, I always feel cold, but this is just my personal feeling. Gesar felt the opposite, he felt hot—his face was flushed, and sweat was protruding from his forehead.
"I don't have enough energy," I said.
Gesar's face turned maroon.
"That's wrong! You are a high-level magician. Although this was caused by accident, you are indeed a high-level magician. Why are high-level magicians called magicians beyond all levels?"
"Because the difference in energy between them is so small that it is impossible to calculate and determine who is stronger and who is weaker..." I muttered. "Boris Ignatievich, I understand that. But I really don't have enough energy to get to the fifth floor."
Gesar looked at his feet.Use the toe of your shoe to kick up the sand and throw it into the air.Then he took a step forward and disappeared.
what is this?His advice?
I threw the sand up too, and took a step forward, trying in vain to catch my own shadow.
There is no shadow.
Nothing has changed.
I'm still on the fourth floor and it's getting colder.The breath I exhaled no longer condenses into a white mist, but pierces the grains of sand like sharp silver needles.I turned around and looked for my way out from behind—it always felt easier mentally.I took a step toward the third level of the Twilight Plane—a colorless labyrinth of time-worn stone slabs, over which hung a stagnant gray sky.In several places the slabs still cling to withered twigs, like out-of-season bindweeds pressed against them by the cold.
I took another step and reached the second floor of the Twilight Realm, a stone labyrinth covered by intertwined branches...
Take another step to the first floor.It is no longer stone, but walls and windows.The walls of the Moscow headquarters of the Night's Watch that I'm familiar with - how it looks in the Dusk.
I made one last effort to leap from the twilight world into the real world.Go straight to Gesar's office.
Apparently the boss was already sitting on the couch.I stumbled in front of him.
But how could he be faster than me?He went to the fifth floor, and I went outside the twilight realm.
"I found that you can't do it," Gesar said, without even looking at me, "just go straight out of the twilight world."
"From the fifth floor directly to the real world?" I couldn't hide my surprise.
"Yeah, what's the surprise?"
I shrugged, nothing surprising.If Gesar wants to surprise me, he has too many options - there's a lot I don't know.This is indeed...
"It's a pity," Gesar said. "Sit down, Gorodetsky."
I sat down facing Gesar, put my hands on my knees, and lowered my head, as if realizing something was wrong with me.
"Anton, a good wizard always has power when needed," said the boss. "If you don't become smarter, you won't get more energy; if you don't have more energy, you won't be able to master advanced magic; if you don't master advanced magic, you won't be able to enter dangerous areas. Your situation is very special. You're hit..." He frowned, "Because of the spells listed in Fu'aran, you become a high magician, although you are not ready for it. Yes, you have energy; yes, you can command it... Before you did it Things that are difficult are now easy. How long have you been in the fourth layer of the twilight world? There is nothing wrong with it. It was impossible for you to do this before..."
He stopped talking.
"Boris Ignatievich, I can learn," I said. "Everyone says I've improved a lot. Olga, Svetlana..."
"There has been progress," Gesar admitted flatly. "You're not an idiot, it's impossible that you haven't improved. But I think you're like an inexperienced driver who drove a 'Zhiguli' for half a year and then suddenly ran to drive a 'Ferrari'! No, it's worse than that, Go to drive a dump mine truck, the kind produced by the Belarus Automobile Factory that weighs 200 tons. It twists and turns out of the mine... Next to it is a 100-meter deep valley! There are other mine trucks below. You made a mistake — turning the steering wheel too hard or having a foot on the pedal that doesn’t work — it’s going to make everyone suffer.”
"I know." I nodded. "But I didn't want to be a senior wizard, Boris Ignatievich, you sent me to hunt Kostya..."
"I'm not blaming you, but I want to teach you something more," Gesar added, "even though you refused to be my student once."
I said nothing.
"I don't even know what to do..." Gesar tapped the folder in front of him with his fingers. "Send you to investigate ordinary houses? To investigate such things as 'Elementary school girl saw a deformed homeless man', 'Vampire appeared in Butovo town', 'Witch casts a spell', 'Strange knocking came from the basement of my house Sound like that? No fun. Your energy is more than enough to handle these things without learning anything. Or let you be bored in the office? You don't want to, do you?"
"You know very well, Boris Ignatievich," I replied, "that a real task has been assigned to me, and I will have to improve."
There was a hint of sarcasm in Gesar's eyes.
"Aha, well, then arrange for you to attack the valuables storage of the Inquisition, or send you to attack the headquarters of the Day Watchers Patrol Team..."
He pushed the folder on the table over:
"Let's see."
Gesar himself opened a similar folder, and began to ponder over a few sheets of paper full of writing torn from his homework book.
Where did all these broken cardboard folders with strings strung around our office come from?The several tons bought in one go in the last century have not been used up yet?Procured from a handicapped home workshop for humanitarian purposes not long ago?Produced in an obsolete factory run by the Mukhoslansk Night Watch patrol team?
The facts are right there.Nowadays, computers, photocopiers, transparent plastic file bags and beautiful and strong file folders with positioning pins have long been popularized, but our inspection team still uses cardboard and small strings that are easy to disperse... It’s a shame. I'm sorry!
"Folders made of organic material are more likely to be spelled against remote detection," Gesar said. "It's also for this reason that when learning magic, you can only use books, and the manuscripts entered into the computer cannot save magic."
I looked into Gesar's eyes.
"I'm not going to try to figure out what you think," Gesar said. "I don't have to do that until you learn to control your facial expressions."
At this time, I also felt the magic penetrating the folder.A thin layer of protective spell, which the Light Forces have no difficulty breaking.The Darkbringer can easily take it out, too, but the move would cause an uproar.
The great magician Gesar tied the string of the folder into a knot.I unzipped the folder, and inside were four brand-new newspaper clippings that smelled of ink, a fax, and three photos.Three of the clippings were in English, and I focused my attention on them first.
The first clipping was a brief message about the accident at the "Scotland Hole" playground.I learned that a Russian tourist had tragically died "due to a mechanical failure" in a bland horror house. The "burrow" is closed and the police are investigating and trying to figure out if the staff were responsible for the accident...
The second report is much more detailed.Not a word was said about "mechanical failure".The article is a bit dry and too rigid in details.The more I watched, the more disturbed I was. The dead were twenty-five-year-old Viktor Prokhorov, a student at the University of Edinburgh, the son of a "Russian statesman", and his girlfriend Valeria Khomko, who had flown from Russia to visit him. We went to the "burrow" together, and died in her arms because of excessive blood loss.Someone had cut his throat in the dark playground, or something.The poor fellow was in a boat with his girlfriend, and the boat was slowly going along the "Blood River", a small river that surrounds the "Vampire Castle".Maybe some sharp iron thing protruding from the wall scratched Victor's neck a few times?
After reading this, I sighed and looked at Gesar.
"You've always done a good job with the...uh-uh...vampire cases," the boss said, taking his eyes off the papers in his hand for a moment.
The third report was clipped from a Scottish tabloid.Of course, the author is telling horror stories about contemporary vampires, describing how they hide in the shadows of the amusement park and suck the blood of their victims.The only novel detail: The reporter discovered that vampires usually don't kill their victims.The student, however, was a Russian—he was already so drunk that the poor Scotch vampire soon became drunk too.
As sad as things were, I laughed.
"The gossip tabloids all over the world are virtuous." Gesar didn't even lift his eyes.
"The scariest thing is that it's true," I said. "Of course, except for being drunk."
"He had a beer with lunch," Gesar agreed.
The fourth was cut from our newspaper, an obituary.Condolences to Member of the State Duma Leonid Prokhorov whose son died unexpectedly in the...
I pick up the fax.
As I expected, this is a briefing from the Night Watch Patrol Team of Edinburgh, Scotland, the Kingdom of Great Britain.
It was a little strange that the recipient was actually Gesar himself, not a well-trained duty officer or the leader of the international department.Faxes also have a more personal tone than formal documents.
I'm not surprised by the content.
"We are saddened to inform you that the results of a careful investigation have shown ... excessive blood loss ... no trace of arousal ... the greatest strength has been mobilized ... if Moscow considers it necessary to send ... sincere regards to Olga, I'm so happy for you, old..."
There's no second page, and presumably it's something completely personal.So I didn't see the signature either.
"Foma Lemont," Gesar said. "Head of the Scottish Patrol. An old friend."
"Oh..." I dragged my voice thoughtfully. "that is……"
Our eyes intertwined again.
"I don't know, ask yourself if he is a relative of Mikhail Yurievich," Gesar said.
"What I want to ask is another thing. Does this 'old' refer to the 'old captain'?"
"'Old' means..." Gesar stopped suddenly, and glanced at the fax with obvious dissatisfaction. "'Old' is 'old', none of your business."
I looked at those photos.The young man up there was poor Victor, and a young girl who was obviously his girlfriend.The other man was older.Is it Victor's father?
"There is indirect evidence that he was attacked by vampires. But why do we need to intervene?" I asked. "Our compatriots have sudden deaths from time to time abroad. There have been cases of being killed by vampires. You don't trust Foma and his men?"
"Trust. They have little experience, though. Scotland is a peaceful, comfortable, quiet place. They may not be up to the task of investigating. You're dealing with vampires a lot."
"That's true. But why was it necessary at all? Just because his father was a politician?"
Gesar frowned:
"What kind of politician is he? He's just a businessman who pretends to be a member of parliament and just presses buttons when he votes."
"You've made it short and clear. But I don't believe there's no special reason for it."
Gesar sighed.
"The lad's father was identified twenty years ago as a potential Other of the Light Force, and quite powerful. He refused to be inspired, explaining that he wanted to remain a normal human being. He never had contact with the Darkbringer again, but remained with us Some contacts. Sometimes help."
I nodded.Rare situation.Few reject the opportunities that others have.
"I can say that I feel ashamed of old Prokhorov," Gesar said. "If there is no way to help his son... at least the murderer cannot be allowed to go unpunished. You go to Edinburgh to find this lunatic vampire and make him disappear completely."
This is an order.Even if I don't give an order, I don't intend to shirk.
"Old team..." I couldn't help but stop, "When will you fly?"
"You go to the International Office. They will prepare your documents, air tickets, money, and personal background information for you."
"Personal background information for whom? For me?"
"Yes. You will be working in an informal capacity."
"Who to contact?"
Gesar frowned for some reason, and then looked at me suspiciously:
"You can only contact Fuma... Anton, stop playing tricks on me!"
I looked at Gesar puzzled.
"'Old' refers to 'husband dog'," Gesar muttered. "When you were young, you could imagine... the free style of the Renaissance... that's enough, let's go! Try to take the nearest flight." At this point, he suddenly slowed down, but he still finished the sentence : "If Svetlana doesn't object. If she objects, tell me and I'll persuade her."
"She'll object," I said with certainty.
What happened to Gesar?Why did he explain the word "male dog" to me?
Svetlana put a plate full of fried potatoes and mushrooms in front of me, and then there were knives and forks, a salt shaker, a small dish of pickles, a wine glass, and a small bottle of 100-gram vodka.As soon as the wine was taken out of the refrigerator, the bottle immediately formed a layer of fog when it was heated.
What an easy life!
The dream life of the man who comes home from get off work.The wife is busy around the stove, constantly putting delicious but not very healthy things on the table.Does she want something from me?Daughter quietly playing with blocks - she stopped playing with dolls when she was five.What she builds is not a car or an airplane, but a small house.Maybe you will be an architect in the future?
"Sveta, I've been sent to Edinburgh on a business trip." Just in case, I came here without asking.
"I heard." She replied calmly.
The wine bottle on the table was lifted slightly, and the frosted cork was unscrewed from the neck of the bottle.A thin, clear, cold shot of vodka was poured into the glass.
"I have to go tonight," I said. "There is no direct flight to Edinburgh, I have to go to London first, and then connect there..."
"Then don't drink too much." Svetlana was a little worried.
The wine bottle drew an arc and flew towards the refrigerator.
"I thought you would be unhappy." I said aggrievedly.
"What's the use?" Svetlana also served herself a plate of food, and sat down beside her. "If that's the case, you won't go?"
"Going to..."
"That's it. There's no need for Gesar to call to explain how important this trip is." Svetlana frowned slightly.
"It's really important."
"I know." Svetlana nodded. "I felt that you were going to be sent far away in the morning, so I called Olga and asked her what happened recently. Well...she told me about that young man in Edinburgh."
I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.Great, Svetlana knows, no need to lie or stammer anymore.
"It's kind of weird," Svetlana said.
I shrugged, drank the forty grams of vodka that had been poured for me, and chewed the pickled cucumber with great enjoyment, muttering from my overstuffed mouth:
"What's weird? Either savage vampires did it, or someone was starving...they're a regular thing there. Even the sense of humor seems to be peculiar - killing people at the 'Vampire's Castle' fairground!"
"Keep your voice down." Svetlana frowned, and motioned to Najushka with her eyes.
I chew vegetables vigorously.I love fried potatoes - the ones with a crispy outer layer, and they're even better when they're fried in the leftover goose fat residue and topped with white mushrooms.Use fresh mushrooms if they are in season, or canned mushrooms if they are out of season.Everything is business as usual, everything is going well.Mom and Dad are chatting nonsense, talking about movies, books and newspapers.Vampires don't actually exist...
Too bad our daughter can't be fooled by saying "vampires don't exist".She could see them clearly.It took a lot of effort to teach her not to yell on the subway or public tram: "Mom, Dad, look, Uncle is a vampire!" The passengers don't mind it, they will take this as childish talk, but it is a bit embarrassing in front of vampires.Some of them guys never attacked normal people, only drank blood from donors, and made a decent living.But suddenly a five-year-old girl in the crowd pointed at you and said with a smile: "Uncle is not alive, but he can still walk around!" There is no way, no matter what, she can hear our conversation and will come to the conclusion own conclusions.
But this time Nadya was not interested in our conversation.She is adding a red tiled roof to a hut made of yellow plastic bricks.
"I don't think it's a matter of humor," Svetlana said. "Why did Gesar send you on a business trip across Europe? People in the Scottish patrol team are not fools. They will find out the vampire who committed the crime sooner or later."
"What's so strange about that? I've investigated the young man. He's a good child, but he's certainly not perfect. He's obviously not the other. There's no need for the dark messenger to kill him on purpose. The boy's father once refused to be the other, But privately with the Night's Watch Patrol. Rare, but not unique. I've checked them all, and the Darkbringer has no reason to retaliate against him."
Svetlana sighed, glanced at the refrigerator, and the vial flew back.
I suddenly understood that she was a little worried.
"Sveta, have you checked the future trend?"
"Checked."
It's impossible to see the future like deceitful seers claim, not even if you're a High Other.But it is possible to understand the probability of a certain event: will you encounter traffic jams on this road?Will the plane fall from the sky?Can something be done?Will you die or come out unscathed from the troubles ahead? … Put simply, the more specific your questions are, the more accurate your answers will be.Questions like "What will happen to me tomorrow?" cannot be asked.
"How about it?"
"Your life will not be threatened during this mission."
"Very good," I said sincerely, then picked up the bottle and poured myself and Svetlana another glass. "Thank you for reassuring me."
We gulped down our drinks and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Then all eyes turned to Najushka—the daughter was sitting on the floor building blocks.Noticing that we were looking at her, she hummed softly: "La-la-la, la-la-la."
Adults usually use this ditty to imitate the little girl in the anecdote, the kind of naughty little girl who waits for an opportunity to spoil or talk nonsense.
"Nadezhda!" Svetlana called coldly.
"La-la-la..." Nadya raised her voice a little. "What's wrong with me? You said your father can't drink before the plane. Drinking is harmful, you said it yourself! Martha's father always drank and then ran away from home..."
There was a bit of crying in her voice.
"Nadezhda Antonovna!" said Svetlana very severely. "A grown-up has the right to... an occasional... drink. When did you ever see Dad drunk?"
"Uncle Tolia's birthday," Nadya replied immediately.
Svetlana gave me a meaningful look, and I spread my hands apologetically.
"Anyway," said Svetlana, "you're not allowed to be funny in front of your parents. I won't let you do it at any time!"
"Where's Dad?"
"Neither Daddy. Turn around! Am I talking to your spine?"
Nadya turned around.She pursed her lips stubbornly, put her fingers on her forehead, and pretended to be in deep thought.I tried not to laugh.Children like to imitate this kind of action.They're not at all embarrassed—only cartoon characters put their hands on their foreheads when they're thinking, not real people.
"Okay," Nadja said, "Papa, Mama, I'm sorry, I won't do this again. I'll change!"
"No need to change it!" Svetlana shouted excitedly.
But it was too late.The water in the glass instead of vodka suddenly turned back into wine, or alcohol.
The changes are directly in our stomachs.
I felt as if a small cannonball had exploded inside me.I yelled and started eating my potatoes, which were almost cold.
"Anton, you should say something!" Svetlana called to me.
"Nadya, if you're a boy, you deserve a spanking in the ass!" I said.
"It's my luck that it's a girl," said Najushka without fear. "Dad, what's wrong? You drink as much as you want. The vodka is already in your stomach. You said it yourself, vodka is not good, so why do you still drink it?"
Svetlana and I looked at each other.
"There's nothing to say," Svetlana concluded. "I'll go and pack your suitcases. Want a taxi?"
I shook my head:
"No, Xie Miao sent me."
Even at night, traffic jams on the ring road are still quite severe.But Xie Miao didn't seem to notice this at all.I don't know if he has checked the future trend, or is he driving with the intuition of a driver who has been driving for more than 100 years.
"You're getting more and more arrogant, Anton." He muttered without taking his eyes off the road. "You can't tell Gesar, 'If I'm alone, I'm not going anywhere, I need a partner, send Semyon to go with me...'"
"How do I know you like Scotland so much?"
"How do you know what?" Xie Miao was very angry. "Did I tell you I fought the Scots at Sevastopol during the war!"
"Aren't you with the Germans?" I asked with a guilty conscience.
"No, it was later with the Germans." Semyon waved his hand. "Oh, we were at that time... Bullets were whizzing overhead, shells were flying in all directions, and hand-to-hand combat had already begun at the Sixth Bastion... But we were still fighting magic with each other like fools. The two The Other of the Light Force, but the other side is British troops... He stabbed my shoulder with a 'spear of pain'...I responded with 'Quick Freeze' and froze him from head to toe!"
Semyon shouted triumphantly.
"So who won?" I asked.
"You don't remember this?" Semyon asked angrily. "Of course it was us. I took Kevin prisoner. I went to his place as a guest later on. That was in the twentieth century... 1907 or 1908."
He swung the steering wheel, passed a Jaguar, and yelled through the open window:
"Put on the brakes, idiot! Do you still want to scold me..."
"I'm embarrassed in front of my girlfriend," I excused the driver with a glance at the "Jaguar" who disappeared behind us. "Even an old 'Volga' made him slam on the brakes."
"You shouldn't brag about yourself in the car in front of your girlfriend," Semyon told the truth, "show it off in bed. It would be more embarrassing if you made a mistake there, but it won't be a tragedy... Alas, You... If you can't handle it, call Gesar and ask him to send me to help you. You must find a way. Let's go to Kevin's house and drink some whiskey, which is produced by their own distillery Oh!"
"Okay," I promised him. "If there is any problem, I will ask you to go there immediately."
After getting off the ring road, there will be less congestion.Semyon lightly stepped on the accelerator (I couldn't believe that the American ZMZ-406 engine was under the cover of the "Volga" running around), and in fifteen minutes we were almost at Domodedovo Airport.
"Hey, I had a wonderful dream last night!" Xie Miao said while parking the car in the parking space. "I was driving on the streets of Moscow, for some reason, in a battered van, with one of my own people sitting next to it... Suddenly I saw Zaburon standing in the middle of the road. I don't know What the hell, he's dressed like a bum. I crank up the gas and try to run over him! But he... damn! Put up a barrier! We're thrown in the air, somersaulted, fly After passing Zaburong, we are still driving.”
"Why didn't you turn around?" I teased him.
"We are rushing somewhere." Semyon sighed.
"Drink less alcohol, so that such dreams will not come to torture you."
"Such dreams do not torment me at all," Semyon said aggrievedly. "On the contrary, I like it very much. It seems that similar scenes have appeared in reality...Damn it!"
He slammed on the brakes.
"What I saw should be the plenipotentiary representative of demons and goblins..." I said, looking at the leader of the Sun Watchers patrol team.Za Wulong was standing in the parking space, which was exactly where Xie Miao was going to park the car.He waved hello to us. "Your dream came true? You try it?"
Xie Miao didn't dare to try.Instead, it moved forward smoothly.Zaburon stood aside, waiting for us to park the car between the dirty "Zhiguli" and the dilapidated "Nissan", then he opened the door and sat on the back seat.
We're not at all surprised that the automatic locks on the doors didn't work.
"Good evening, patrol team members." The senior dark messenger whispered.
Xie Miao and I looked at each other, then looked at the back seat.
"It's midnight, I'm afraid," I said.Even though Xie Miao's experience is much richer, the negotiations still have to be carried out by me.My energy level is higher.
"It's midnight," Zaburon agreed. "It's your time. To Edinburgh?"
"London."
"Then to Edinburgh. Investigate the Viktor Prokhorov case."
Lying is not only unnecessary, but usually harmful.
"Of course," I said. "Do you object, Messenger of Darkness?"
"I support it," Zaburon replied. "Oddly enough I've been pretty much always in favor."
He was wearing a suit and tie—but the tie was undone, and the top button of his shirt was unbuttoned.It can be seen immediately that he is either a businessman or a national civil servant... Of course, the word "person" is actually inaccurate.
"Then what do you want to do?" I asked.
"I want to wish you a safe journey," Za Wulong said unhurriedly. "I also wish you success in the investigation of the murder case."
"What does this have to do with you?" I asked after an awkward silence.
"The deceased's father, Leonid Prokhorov, was identified twenty years ago as the Other, a very powerful dark force. Unfortunately," Zaburon sighed, "he was unwilling to be inspired, but continued to Became a normal person, but he kept us on good terms and sometimes helped out with little things. This is not a simple case like your friend's son being killed by a little rabid little vampire. Anton, put the murderer Get it out and torture it well."
Semyon was not present when I spoke to Gesar, but he also knew something about Leonid Prokhorov, as he frantically scratched his shaved chin. matter--
"I'm going to do the same," I said cautiously. "Don't worry, great magician of dark power."
"What if you need help?" Zaburon casually assumed. "You don't know who you'll be dealing with. Take..."
On Zawulong's hand is a talisman - a wolf carved out of bones, baring its teeth.A surge of energy can be clearly felt from its body.
"It combines the functions of contact, help and advice." Zaburon leaned over from the back seat and breathed hot air in my left ear: "Take... the inspectors. You will thank me."
"I won't."
"Take it anyway."
I shake my head.
Zawulong sighed.
"Okay, okay, I can only put on a show... I, Zaburon, swear in the name of the dark power, I will hand over the evil spirit to the light magician Anton Gorodetsky, I have no malicious intentions, I will not Injury to his health, mind, and consciousness, no quid pro quo. If Anton Gorodecki accepts my help, it will not impose any obligations on him, the Light Force, or the Night's Watch. Out of respect for Accepting thanks for the help, I allow the Moscow Night Watch Patrol to intervene three times in total with the Light Forces of energies 1st to 3rd. I do not need any kind of acknowledgment, nor will I make such a request. The dark forces testify.”
A small spinning black ball appeared on the side of the little wolf eagle, like a tiny black hole, which was a direct confirmation of the above vow made by the primordial power.
"If it were me, I still wouldn't..." Xie Miao reminded.
That's when the cell phone in my pocket rang and, of course, it was automatically switched to hands-free mode.I never use the plethora of features: hands-free, organizer, games, built-in camera, calculator, radio.I have only used the player that comes with it.Well, now the hands-free feature comes in handy.
"Take it," Gesar said. "He didn't lie about the wolf eagle. We'll find out what his lies were."
The phone is disconnected.
Za Wulong sneered and handed the wolf sculpture to me.Without saying a word, I grabbed it from the palm of the dark power magician and stuffed it into my pocket.I don't need to swear.
"Well, good luck to you," Zaburon continued. "By the way! If it's convenient, bring me a fridge magnet from Edinburgh."
"Why bring it?" I asked.
"I collect this." Zaburon smiled.
Then he disappeared—into a deep layer of the Twilight Plane.Of course we didn't go after him.
"Pretentious," I said.
"Fridge magnet," Xie Miao muttered. "Well, I can imagine what he's got in his fridge... Fridge magnets... Bring him a jar of sloganine! Bring him back with a little Scotch haggis in it."
"Haggis is a brand of diapers," I said. "It's really good. We bought it for our daughter."
"Haggis is also a kind of food," Semyon shook his head. "Probably it tastes like..."
Notes:
Notes: