"The question is not why they can`t see me, but why YOU can".
12:01. Monday. “清爽 麻辣烫“ canteen.
— And then I saw him.
— You saw whom? — asked a middle-aged man dressed in a neat, inexpensive suit.
Donnie was in no hurry to answer. He could not collect his thoughts. There were at least twenty people in a small diner in the center of Hong Kong. Loud conversations, clanking dishes, bustle of waiters around the tables. Finally, Donnie decided to reveal his cards:
— The fortieth President of the United States of America.
Donnie struggled to speak his mind, he was noticeably nervous. He broke out in a light sweat. His colleague was relaxed and listened with curiosity. He had never seen Donnie like this.
— Listen, history is not exactly my strong suit... But... Hmmm... Who was the fortieth?
— Ronald. Fucking. Reagan.
The year was 2021. Slowly, but surely the colleague started to realize, what was the meaning behind Donnie`s words. He leaned back on his chair, narrowed his eyes, and blurted out with a contemptuous laugh:
— Are you on drugs?
— Look, I know how this sounds… But I know what I saw! There was someone else...
Donnie suddenly doubted his decision to tell about this... The whole story looked crazy. Donnie was an aging, emaciated man with an earthy complexion, shock of light blond hair with a dull look, which was protected by inconspicuous glasses. He was telling a story about seeing the President who died a little less than twenty years ago.
— I had no fucking clue, that you were on drugs, and you`d better not talk much about this, — the colleague warned.
— I am fine!
Donnie`s defense didn`t look all that convincing. He became more nervous when he saw that his words were not taken seriously. Sweat was streaming down his face, and his left hand began to shake slightly.
— I don`t think so, — the colleague said calmly.
— I saw him several times late at night. At the same time.
— Damn, were you born yesterday? Most likely it was some kind of dumb cosplay or theatrical performance!
— No. I had... I don't know how to describe this... A sensation... It was real.
Donnie went through his share of troubles in his life. Donnie and his older sister Agatha became orphans after their parents died during the incident at the Veishita military base. The circumstances of this event were shrouded in mystery. Donnie was eight years old. He and Agatha ended up in different foster families. Donnie`s further life was nothing special until recently. College, study, work, unfruitful personal life.
— And why are you telling me this? — asked the colleague in bewilderment.
— I need you to go there with me tonight. I need to make sure I'm not going nuts.
— You said you saw him several times at the same place. So why didn’t you come up to ask Mr. President why he is still not at his bed at such a late hour!
— I do not know ... At one point I wanted to approach him, but suddenly I started having terrible headaches. Something stopped me...
A diner was almost empty at this point. Only a few people stayed in the hall, finishing their lunch. A waiter was collecting leftovers for the dogs and clearing tables. Donnie walked slowly towards the exit. Having opened the door, suddenly he heard the colleague`s voice behind him:
— You have a sister, right? Why would not tell her?
Donnie stopped and turned around. He was overwhelmed with thoughts... For the first time in a long time, he heard this question.
— Since the disaster occurred at the Veishita base, when our parents died... Our paths diverged... It's just... Something broke. Over the years, there have been several calls, but now all connections are lost. I don't know where she is and what happened to her...
The colleague approached Donnie, who was still standing in the doorway.
— Where and when?
— %№” &^ 13 street. 23:00.
The colleague nodded. Together they left the diner.
23:02. Monday.
It was one of the typical neighborhoods on the outskirts of Hong Kong. Cheap stalls, kiosks, snack bars, barbershops. Most of them were already closed at this point. For some reason, life here died earlier than elsewhere. Donnie was waiting for the colleague on the invisible border that separated the life of the metropolis from the darkness and secrets dwelling in the labyrinth of the Old district.
Donnie walked nervously from back to forth, often glancing at his watch. Deep down, he still hoped that the colleague would not come. But then Donnie heard a familiar voice:
— Just don`t tell me you didn`t have time to change clothes!
It was an appropriate remark, as Donnie was dressed the same as during their meeting at the diner. There was no scent of freshness from his suit. The colleague was wearing a tracksuit and cheap sneakers.
— Come on, — said Donnie.
Having walked a few steps away from the main street, they found themselves in a maze of narrow, winding alleys. Donnie with short quick steps rushed into the depths of the Old district, the colleague followed him. A turn, followed by another turn, again and again. There were closed wooden kiosks, washing machines, toilets, and showers for general use. Hundreds of power lines hung in the air. The further they went, the more ominous the atmosphere became. Ruined and rickety houses with black gaping holes instead of windows, garbage dumps, rats scurrying underfoot, rusty bicycle frames.
The colleague was lagging by a few steps, he hoped that after the next turn they would come out onto a wide, well-lit street and all this absurdity would end. Donnie on the contrary behaved confidently. This was not the first time he went on such a walk. Their journey was short — only five to seven minutes. They stood in front of a small, smooth rise, surrounded by stone walls. The slope went straight about fifteen or twenty meters and followed by a sharp turn to the left. A small lantern at the end of the slope illuminated a small area. The light of the lantern made Donnie’s pupils widen.
— Here... — Donnie exhaled tensely.
Donnie saw a bothering scene, that he witnessed so many times before. A man in a formal suit, resembling the fortieth President of the United States, was chatting with someone. Despite good illumination of that place, it was impossible to recognize the second person in the gray suit from a distance, as he was standing a little further and his face was blurred in the light of the lantern. The President stood half-turned and actively gesticulated. The second man stood directly opposite Donnie and the colleague.
— And...? — the colleague asked inquisitively.
— They are standing right there!
Donnie pointed with his hand to the place where two strangers stood. The colleague turned his head to the side where Donnie was pointing and then looked at him again. His words were colder than ever:
— Nobody`s there.
Donnie looked at that place again in disbelief. Two men were still standing on that very small patch just twenty meters away from him and the colleague. Donnie took off his glasses. The outlines of the stranger`s silhouettes did not disappear. After a few seconds, he put his glasses back on. Donnie caught the look of his colleague — dazed and confused.
— So, nobody`s there, right? — Donnie asked the colleague.
— Are you kidding me? Of course, nobody`s there!
— So could you go and check it for me?
— Go where?
— Where the light is.
The colleague hesitated.
— Look... I don`t think this is a good idea...
— And what`s your problem?
— Well... It is getting weird…
— Come on! It is not that difficult! — Donnie insisted.
— Look, I don't know why exactly you started all of this ... But I don't see any point. If that's all you wanted to show me, then you just wasted my time and...
— Fuck! Just stop bringing up your sorry ass excuses and go to that fucking damn place! What the fuck can be simpler than this!!! — Donnie erupted like a volcano.
It was an uncontrollable surge of emotions and Donnie didn't even think that strangers could hear him. The colleague was taken aback by surprise. For him, this situation was new, and he did not know how to react to such an attack.
— What did you just say? — the colleague asked timidly.
— Please... — Donnie said pleadingly.
Donnie was not an aggressive man. He felt embarrassed. The colleague sighed, looked at the ill-fated place where the strangers were supposedly standing, and resolutely headed into the light.
And now, on the illuminated patch, there were already three figures standing. Two of them behaved as if the colleague was not next to them, and the colleague himself did not see those two at close range. The picture Donnie saw was surreal and reminiscent of an old silent horror movie. A barely perceptible, but no less terrible chill ran inside him. He also understood that the colleague was not faking it.
Making sure that there was no one and nothing suspicious around him, the colleague turned to Donnie. He peered into the darkness, hoping for some reaction. Donnie realized that something needed to be done:
— Move a little to the left!
— What? What the hell?
— Just... Do it!
The colleague shook his head. After a slight hesitation, he moved two steps to the left, then defiantly turned to Donnie, waiting for new instructions. He did not understand where his actions were supposed to lead, but for Donnie everything was obvious. He wanted the colleague to stand exactly where the President was supposedly already standing…
To Donnie's surprise, it didn't get anywhere. The colleague took a couple of steps in the right direction, but the picture has not changed. It was as if the whole space had also moved in the same direction and everyone continued standing on their initial spots. Donnie had to try something different.
— Wave your hand to the right! — Donnie shouted.
— What the fuck! What`s going on?
— I am serious! This is...
— Fuck you! Either you tell me what`s going on right now, or you can just go and kiss my ass!
The tension in the air was immense. It was clear, that the colleague was dead serious. Donnie tried to explain:
— They are standing to your right! Just two meters away!
It was a pleading cry. The colleague froze and did not move for about fifteen seconds, then slowly turned his head to the right. He peered at the very place as if something was looming in his eyes. Donnie watched all this action with bated breath. Then, the colleague called him:
— Come here!
Donnie did not budge. Something was off. He didn't want to go there. After a short pause, the colleague called him again:
— Come on! Come here!
Donnie was still hesitant and didn`t move one bit. At last, the colleague exploded:
— Fuck, are you coming or we are going to stand here like idiots in the middle of fucking nowhere!?
Finally, Donnie moved, but after taking a few steps forward, he felt a sharp pain that pierced his head. He fell to his knees but continued to crawl. Donnie raised his head, the scene was blurry and colorless. The three figures were still standing in distance. Donnie crawled a couple of meters, but the pain became so unbearable that he howled like a wounded animal. He could not move, an unknown force bound his arms and legs. Suddenly, as though through a thick layer of water, he heard a familiar voice:
— You know what?! Fuck you, asshole!
The colleague`s words signaled that Donnie doesn`t need to move to the place where mysterious strangers were standing anymore. He gathered all of his strength and started crawling in the opposite direction. As he moved, the pain lost its grip. Donnie got to his feet. As he was looking in the opposite direction, he still felt the presence of two strangers. He didn`t even want to look back there. There was no sign of the presence of the colleague anywhere around.
11:19. Tuesday. Ramount Enterprises Office.
This place... The hustle never stops even for a second. A cacophony of incoming calls, hundreds of simultaneously working printers, and dozens of voices were filling the room. Employees were all over the place, trying to complete their tasks in time. Only one extremely obese man was very calm and collected. He was slowly patrolling the office, observing other employees conducting their duties.
Donnie's and the colleague`s desks were side by side. They did not say a word to each other since the morning. Each of them did not take their eyes off the computer monitors, simultaneously working on their keyboards and answering calls. Their desks were littered with sheets of paper, notebooks with names and numbers. Finally, Donnie took his eyes off the monitor and told the colleague:
— About yesterday... I know that...
Donnie didn`t finish, as the colleague instantly raised his hand signaling to stop:
— Listen, if you need something for work — go ahead. But I don't want to discuss anything with you...
His behavior and intonation indicated irritation and unwillingness to continue the conversation. Donnie was hurt by the neglect on the part of his colleague. The colleague was the only person with whom Donnie could exchange a couple of phrases or discuss something other than work. Suddenly he felt hurt misunderstood. An inhumanly loud yell behind his back brought Donnie out of his stupor:
— Fifty-eighth! Fifty-eighth!! Fifty-eighth, motherfucker!!!!
Donnie’s boss Fred, also known as fat Fred, was right behind him. This didn`t come as a big surprise, since he could barely walk through a standard doorway. Fat Fred was wearing a light green short-sleeved office shirt, a rumpled beige tie, and regular black trousers. He smelled of sweat and cheap cologne. He was very proud of his massive weight in every possible way. He believed, the bigger he was, the more important he would look. For breakfast, he usually had a whole loaf of wheat bread, which he washed down with a half-liter mug of melted fat. After finishing his breakfast, Fat Fred wiped his mouth with his hand and uttered his traditional phrase — "That will do".
— Fifty-eighth, you lost your fucking mind?!!
Fat Fred's voice was impossible to confuse with anyone else. It was the voice of a typical US Air Force drill sergeant. Despite the extraneous noises and the surrounding bustle, all employees could perfectly hear who and for what Fat Fred was reprimanding.
— FIFTY-EIGHT, YOU REALLY FUCKED NOT TO ANSWER CALLS!?
Fat Fred never called employees by their names, he couldn`t care less. He always called his subordinates exclusively by their numbers.
— FUCK! JUST SAY A DAMN THING!!!
The phone continued to ring annoyingly right next to Donnie. The colleague looked at him. He didn’t understand how he could dare to ignore Fat Fred. It seemed that fat boss was about to explode with anger. Donnie finally came to his senses a little:
— Sir, I…
— You always look like hot garbage, fifty-eighth! But today, you look like a piece of dogshit!
— Yes sir, just...
— Do you at least understand how much money our company lost because you were daydreaming and did not pick up the phone!?
— (......)
—AND YOU DARE TO STAY SILENT!? FUCKING BITCH!!!?
— I AM.....
— YOU WHAT!?
Fat Fred didn't care what Donnie would say in his defense. Convinced of his absolute triumph, the big boss decided to slow down:
— Fifty-eighth! Today you take a day off and put yourself in order!
Donnie felt embarrassed, to say the least. It has been a long time since he felt so humiliated in public. However, he did not dare to argue with his boss. Donnie frantically began to collect his stuff.
— You will work an extra shift on Saturday! And no bullshit! If even one day you work like today, you will fly out of this office like a fucking rocket and never come back!
Donnie went out of the office, as the colleague indifferently watched him leave.
23: ??. Tuesday. Donnie was standing in the same spot where he and the colleague stopped last night. A place that they saw in completely different ways... He felt the need to figure out what he saw. And most importantly, why this place attracted him so much. He realized that the terrible headaches that he experienced when approaching this place were not a coincidence. Donnie was well prepared. He took a double dose of aspirin. Nevertheless, he saw the same picture. On a small patch, illuminated by the dim light of a lantern amidst the gloom and darkness, a man who looked exactly like the fortieth President of the United States was having a conversation with another stranger whose facial features could not be seen. Donnie was afraid. An icy shiver ran through his veins. He needed to solve this mystery here and now. He faced a difficult choice. He could cowardly leave and never return, or he could jump right into the unknown. The two sides fought inside him. At last, he moved towards the mysterious strangers. He had to overcome the same fifteen to twenty meters as yesterday. At first, everything was going well, but the picture in Donnie's eyes began to change. It started to lose sharpness and color. The good thing was that Donnie did not feel any headaches, although there were noises in his head that resembled radio interference. The President of the United States still stood calmly and talked with his mysterious companion. Donnie was about five or seven meters away from strangers when the headaches suddenly started to pierce through his head. However, they were in no way comparable to what happened yesterday. Donnie confidently continued to close the distance. “The double dose did its job, after all,” — flashed through his mind. Donnie stepped into a small illuminated space where the President himself was standing...
He was dressed in a strict and elegant black suit, snow-white shirt and, burgundy tie, as on the official portrait of 1981. It seemed that anyone in Donnie's shoes would be confused, but he never doubted for a second — that was exactly the President.
— Mr. President?
The President turned to Donnie and greeted him with a warm smile. Slight amazement loomed on his face as if he had unexpectedly met an old friend.
— Oh! A guest! I am truly honored! — said the President.
Donnie was confused. The situation was so absurd that he had no idea how to proceed, but the President, somehow casually and kindly, with a barely noticeable note of irony continued:
— Hopefully, you voted for the Republican party in the previous elections.
Suddenly the President's face changed. At once his face became very serious and cold.
— You shouldn`t be here.
Donnie was shocked. He had no idea what to do, as he was just standing and blankly staring at the President. Suddenly Donnie noticed, that the President was the ONLY person standing right next to him. It was strange, because when Donnie was observing the President from the distance there always was another person standing nearby...
Just as unexpectedly, the President's face again took on a friendly and courteous look:
— So... What were we talking about?
— I don`t understand, you should be...
— I should be...?
The President slowly tilted his head forward and looked inquiringly at Donnie.
— Dead! — Donnie exclaimed.
The President chuckled, took two steps to the side. His movements were free and natural. He thought about something briefly, then looked at Donnie with a smile, as if he was about to explain the obvious to a small child:
— But here I am! Standing right in front of you! — the President solemnly said.
— Why I can see you, but no one else can`t?
For the first time, features of mild concern appeared on the President's face. He was analyzing something, although his trademark smile did not leave his face. His answer sounded interrogatively:
— The question is not why they do not see me, but why YOU can?
Donnie didn`t know what to say. Suddenly he realized that he didn’t hear a single sound other than his own and President`s voices. Silence surrounded them. But not just silence! It was an unnatural deathly silence... The President moved on:
— What is so special about you...
For the first time in the entire conversation, the President looked at Donnie with genuine interest. He did not look into his eyes, he looked straight into his soul. Donnie had a strange feeling as if thousands of eyes were watching him.
— Аhаааа... — the President said calmly. — Send your father my regards.
— My father is dead...
— This is very unfortunate.
The President exhaled the last phrase with bitterness and disappointment. He was sincere. For a minute, they were standing in silence. Donnie timidly interrupted the prolonged pause:
— So, what happens now?
— I don`t know, it is up to him, — the President answered indifferently and pointed to the side with a nod of his head.
Another man was standing there. Donnie began to examine him from the bottom up. Regular shoes, black trousers, gray suit, white shirt, green tie, and a face... This face... Donnie froze in surprise and horror... He saw himself...
A wild, unbearable pain pierced his head. Flash. Darkness. Silence.
*******
11:19. Wednesday. Ramount Enterprises Office.
It was another ordinary morning in the office. One of the workplaces had been empty for several hours. The colleague at the next desk was frantically dialing Donnie's number over and over again just to hear the automated response: “Sorry, the number you dialed does not exist". Suddenly, the colleague heard a voice behind him, which made him shudder:
— Well, fifty-ninth !? Is that fifty-eighth dumbass going to bring his sorry ass to his workplace?
— Sir, maybe he is in some...
— I DON`T GIVE A FUCK!!!!!! — Fat Fred yelled at the top of his lungs
The last phrase was very well heard throughout the office. Fat Fred calmed down a bit:
— You know what, that bitch, fifty-eighth, crossed all the boundaries! If he thinks he's so fucking cool, then he can go fuck himself! If you do meet him, tell him that he is already in the ass and let him stay there! He's fired!!
— Yes, sir...
After Fat Fred's tirade, the colleague's landline rang, it was a new client. Fat Fred returned to his duty, patrolling the office. All employees of Ramount Enterprises continued their work as usual.