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(C) Bazhenov Alexander/Ze Pagan/PGC/BDA
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III
On the appointed day, around eight in the morning,
Sergei arrived at the recruiting station. Coming out of
bus and examining the gray three-
storey building with adjacent
territory surrounded by high
metal fence, he is gloomy
muttered: “It’s just some kind of prison-
something..." Throwing a sharp movement
I put my backpack on my shoulder, he is decisive
but climbed up the chipped stools
stumps to the massive door. In the hall
his path was blocked by a mustachioed old man
the tire is overtime and demanded
agenda. Having presented the direction,
Sergei headed to the waiting room
niya, located in the inner
yard The room looked like a club
Soviet times with shabby
walls dotted with abnormal
tive vocabulary for beginners "ta-
lants". Most of the room was filled
wooden benches, on which in different
The conscripts arranged themselves in poses. Heaps of backpacks
chains and travel bags were piled up there
same. Sergeylooked for a free space
He was in heat and sat down, putting his backpack between his legs. Not-
for which time he watched the motley
the public in the room. Action
Indeed, there was something to see here. Human
hung out in the hall for forty centuries, not at all
knowing what to do with yourself. About the same
wandered around the territory of the recruiting station.
About half of the conscripts, he noted,
were drunk to varying degrees. Several
Paniya was playing cards with passion, and
couple, endlessly false, torn false-
they all voiced, strumming the guitar, about the
some young girl and about the unfortunate
the love of the same underdeveloped human being for her
noida. Around this gathering there are clouds of streams
There was cigarette smoke. Sergei winced and,
disgustedly brushing it off his feet from nowhere
fallen cockroach, thought about his own.
His thoughts were interrupted by three
tipsy guys, unsteady gait under-
pouring towards him. One of them is in his hand
was plastic half filled
a bottle with a brown liquid that resembled
mash. All three stood in front of him slightly
swaying with a smug grin on
faces. Finally, one of them spoke
flying tongue:
- Hey, Zema, do you have a cigarette? We are here
It's already the second day, in nature, we're chilling! Zhrachka
endedand there is no smoking either.
Sergey felt something was wrong, but didn’t see it
filed.
- I'm sorry, guys, but I can't help you.
gu. I don't smoke.
One of the guys grinned.
- Listen, Vitek, he turns out to be sorry!
The one who was called Vitko is a contemptuous
but he became sour and said with a grimace:
- Exactly, Zhorik, we probably have him as a sport-
changes. Or maybe mom just doesn’t allow it, huh?
Vovan? - he asked the third guy. Vovan,
Looks like he didn't understand anything at all, because...
took quite a bit, and now all of it
intelligence was only enough to let
blow green bubbles with your nose and mutter nonsense
that is inarticulate.
Vitek took a sip from the bottle and, sniffing his own
with his own hand, asked Sergei:
- Maybe you don’t drink yet, mazurik? On,
take some mash while you can! - and
handed him the bottle.
Sergei shook his head.
- Again, by the way, and I didn’t drink alcohol either -
I rip you tooI don't recommend it.
Vitka’s eyes widened, and he asked
strength
- Guys, did I just hear it or is he really
does not advise, eh?
Here Vovan found the gift of speech and the voice of the ancient
Egyptian mummy said:
- It seems to me, boys, that the hover is mocking
above us!
Zhorik, putting his hand on Vitka’s shoulder, said
hall:
- Listen, he's probably really crazy
definitely an athlete, and also a boxer,
however!
And all three laughed loudly. Sergey ho-
Well noticed.
- And you are quite perspicacious, Zhorik. And in
so, guys, should you go... somewhere to
another place!
The guys' faces stretched out, and a grin grew
saw a place for a grimace of rage. Zhorik angrily
hissed.
- Are you not “ho” by “po”?
- How is that? - Sergey grinned.
-Would you like a portrait? - Zhorik translated.
Sergei looked him up and down with a mocking glance.
head to toe.
- I don’t think you can do it.
Zhorik was completely speechless from this
impudence. Suddenly Vitek exploded and, splashing,
The lady salivated in all directions and shouted:
- Why are you, in kind, with this bitch boo-
niche! Right now I'm going to cut off the horns of this goat right away -
I say!
Taking two steps forward, Vitek slightly
crouched down and sharply sent his fist with a hook to the right
va. Sergei tilted his head a little to a hundred
Ron and with his left hand he easily grabbed the hand
Vitka is just above the wrist.
- You are too slow and inattentive. -
- Sergei muttered through his teeth, and sharply
returned his wrist 180 degrees counterclockwise
owl arrows. Vitka's body immediately left
reacted with exactly the same angle of rotation,
and a second later Vitek was rolling on the floor in
dust and grunts, writhing in pain. All in
the hall fell silent and, stopping the game, watched
to what is happening with great interest. Nako-
Well, Zhorik's tetanus went away and, roaring,
out of rage, he rushed towards Sergei, stretching out
hands forward. Bringing you within walking distance
to yourself, Sergei, sharp and inconspicuousmoving
niya placed his right foot neatly
between Zhorik's legs.
Someone in the hall took a deep breath, and
in the midst of general silence a loud voice sounded
somoe: "Oh-oh." Zhorik's eyes slowly widen
climbed out of their sockets, and my face was instantly covered with
moose with crimson spots. He moaned softly
and, holding his badly damaged hand in his hands,
"housekeeping", slowly sank to the floor. Via
in a few seconds his face changed to crimson
turned green and he vomited right on
Vitka lying nearby. Sergei winced -
Xia, took the backpack and stared pleadingly
at the third guy, who is stunned
blinked his eyes, looking at his crippled
new friends.
- You also have some for me
claims?
Vovan quickly shook his head and backed away,
spreading your arms to the sides. Sergey satisfied
Renno nodded and, throwing his backpack over his shoulder,
headed towards the exit. After a few se-
kund sounded the command to the general formation -
nyu...
IV
There were about five people in the yard, "buyers"
lei" and several officers from the conscript
point and military registration and enlistment office. "Buyer" figuratively
call a representative of the military unit,
arrived for the next batch of conscripts
cov. He is responsibleface behind
delivery of "young animals" to the deployment area
military unit, which is called "intact
and safety." Conscripts with sin
the lamas lined up in two lines and began to walk
Verku. Having made sure that the absence is illegal
there are no people present, the plump major got very
ki and, burying his nose in the papers, began
distribute everyone into teams. Everything is coming soon
were distributed, and to each group
his “buyer” was coming. Various
new questions, and a minute later Sergei was already
knew where fate would take him. It turned out
that he will serve in the ZabVO, which means
lo: "Trans-Baikal Military District", or,
as the attendant gloomily joked: “Forget
Go back." The path to the destination
it took about three days by train,
which, by the way, departed today at 23:00
local time...
An hour before the train left, everyone was lined up
in a column of four and drove under their own power
to the railway station. I counted everyone there again -
Li and checked in a family manner. Soon the
landing took place. Sergei jumped on the bandwagon and
looked back at the station illuminated with lights. B
an alarming and painful feeling arose in the chest
that he sees all this for the last time.
But after a couple of seconds he shook his head
howl, trying to drive away the obsession, and
muttered: “It’s okay, just some
730 days: neither I am the first nor I am the last, in
after all..." He dived decisively into
vestibule and went into the carriage.The road did not cause any positive
body emotions, I remember only one thing: those
half a day when the train went along the lake shore
Baikal. Never in his life has Sergei
I saw such a charming sight. Multi-
some people call this lake the sea, and he would agree
I would have been lazy if I hadn’t seen the real sea.
But nevertheless, the lake is truly boundless,
because the opposite shore cannot be seen.
The piece of iron passed about fifty meters from
surf lines. On that day the weather was
rarely calm. Mirror of the water surface
the cleanest and deepest lake on Earth
reflected the joy of the coming morning. High
some pine trees miraculously stayed on the steep
the slopes of the hills seemed to be looking for pacific
rhenium in its natural purity. Even with
top berth of a reserved seat carriage Sergei
distinguished the smallest details of the bottom at ten
meter deep, it was so pure in
yes. By chance he remembered that only in
this lake is home to amazing fish
omul, which, if after its capture
keep in the sun for more than ten minutes,
begins to melt like snow... The train abruptly
turned into a tunnel made at the base
hills, and after a couple of minutes Sergei saw
what plunged him into a state of euphoria -
Ledum!
Have you, dear reader, ever seen...
What is the flowering period for wild rosemary? No, not
a separate branch sold at the market,
and a whole hill strewn with pink flowers!
Amazingspectacle! The buds are flaming
from pale pink to bright burgundy. By the way-
hey, maybe someone hasn't encountered this yet
concept like a hill? Then let me remind you that
this elevation cannot be more than 200
meters above sea level, after that enter-
The definition is a mountain. I can't vouch for
your memory, but something like this...
After some time the train arrived at
place. It was about noon. Conscripts
built, once again, and completed
an act of vandalism, which in the army is called
verification (not verification) of personnel.
Soon several flatbed cars arrived
GAZ-66 cars, and everything is “quite disciplined”
bath" plunged into them. About two hours
Sergey (like everyone else) felt
with your ass all the troubles are NOT asphalt-
paved road. Finally, the tedious journey
ended and the cars entered the territory
military unit. Metal gates with
with a weak grinding sound they slowly closed behind the lower
mi, and Sergei heard a malicious cry, like
always sunk into the soul: "The spirits have been brought!"
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Read the continuation in DEJA VU #0B
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