Ascension. Saksaywaman. Shard of eternity. Alexander Zubkov

of our planet that we can concentrate on. It's a shame that such moments can be observed only twice a day. And for residents of megalopolises they are practically not available at all. Besides, most people are immersed in illusory problems, which they invented themselves. And if you could just look around, you could admire the world around you. To feel its power. Its power… The masters of the earth… what nonsense they put into our immature minds. Who are we? Just grains of sand. Though some of us are beginning to realize that. I'm not the only one sitting here. And even though it's mostly the elderly, who cares? The main thing is that I am not alone in my thoughts».

      Though the sun's rays no longer illuminated the deck, its soft light made it possible to read, and Matthew picked up the dictionary again, which he had set aside for the time of his viewing the sunset. After half an hour it became difficult to look through the book, so he decided to check on Linda. The girl was not in her quarters, so Matthew made his way to the swimming pool, where she liked to spend her evenings. The pool was also on the upper deck, where Matthew had recently come down from, but only at the stern of the ship, and it took him at least fifteen minutes to get there. As he approached, the splashes of water and the enthusiastic cries of the bathers began to be heard. There was no shortage of visitors at this time, just as there was no shortage of other entertainment venues.

      Since the pool was on the open deck, and the cool ocean cyclone of the night enveloped the ship with its coolness, many vacationers preferred to soak in the warm water. Matthew didn't immediately find Linda, so he decided to take a seat at the bar nearby. He ordered a glass of orange juice and started to watch the customers, trying to find his friend. Soon he noticed her coming out of the pool. Linda also saw Matthew and threw a towel over herself and went to him.

      – Good evening, – he heard a joyful voice. – Who are you looking for?

      – Good evening, Linda, – Matthew answered, getting up from his chair. – Who should I be looking for but you? Have a seat. You're in great shape.

      – Thanks for the compliment, – Linda smiled, and took the cocktail the barman offered to her. – I keep hoping to see you in the pool without a shirt, but you do not break away from your dictionaries. How about now?

      – I don't want to draw attention to myself, – Matthew joked, – besides, I don't really like swimming pools. But I'd dive into the ocean right now, if they gave passengers the opportunity.

      – It's true that you attract attention, especially from women, – Linda smiled, raising an eyebrow meaningfully. – Your serene study of dialects on the deck will cease because of the many groupies. Look how many beautiful girls are swimming.

      Linda looked around the pool area while sipping her cocktail through a straw.

      – If you stay close to me, no one will dare to compete with you, – Matthew supported the verbal game and raised an eyebrow at her friend's example.

      – How can you sit all day on the deck when you can rest so well before the serious work. You ought to meet somebody. A good company, a change of scenery is good for the learning process.

      – I agree, – said Matthew. – And so I will.

      – Really! – exclaimed Linda. – Shall we go swimming then?

      – No, I'll pass. But I saw some poker tables in the casino the other day. I guess I could play a little.

      – It sounds pretty boring to me, – frustrated Linda. – We'd be better off buying.

      – It depends on how you play and what tasks you set, – Matthew objected.

      – What kind of tasks is possible? – Linda wondered. – To win and leave the casino with the money.

      – Don't tell me, – countered Matthew. – You're not playing with a robot, you're playing with real people. It's easy to win with a good card, but beating your opponent when you have a weak card is another matter. In order to do that, you have to learn to feel your opponent, to anticipate his train of thought. That's where the interesting game comes in.

      – Maybe you're right, but it's definitely not for me. Let's sit a little longer, and then I'll go to my room. I want to leaf through some records, too, and enjoy the starry sky on my way back to my cabin.

      – You're right, – Matthew agreed. – The light is rather strong here, and you can hardly see the stars, though they're very bright at these latitudes.

      – It's not the latitude, but, as you rightly pointed out, the light. In the big cities, even at night, there is too much light, so the stars are not seen as well. But the fact that other constellations are visible here is interesting.

      – I agree. It's so nice to watch. At times like this, you start to think about things you would never think about in everyday life.

      – Yes, I've noticed that you sometimes dive into some kind of peculiar state. I don't consider myself a big expert on the subject, but I have read that the human brain can operate at different frequencies. According to researchers, there are four: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. The beta frequency, for example, characterizes readiness for conscious thinking, the alpha frequency is a state of easy relaxation, the theta frequency is responsible for creative inspiration and the delta frequency reveals heightened perception.

      – I have read about it too, but I have not really dived into the information, – Matthew confessed.

      – Well, – Linda continued, – I think that when you observe natural phenomena, your brain switches to the theta frequencies, which is not common. During those moments you receive information that is impossible to receive in the ordinary state.

      Matthew thought for a while. He remembered his colorful dreams and his intention to study the subject in more detail.

      – Linda! – he exclaimed. – You are priceless. You wouldn't believe it, but that's a question I was very interested in, only I didn't know where to look. And you opened up the veil. Thank you very much. After our expedition, I will devote some time to it. I get this condition very often.

      – See, that's good, – Linda smiled. – You never know where the information you need will come from.

      – You never know, – affirmed Matthew, putting the empty glass aside. – I'll think about it before I go to sleep.

      – It's getting late. I wanted to go to bed early, I have a few things to do tomorrow, and you can go have fun in your casino.

      She got up from the bar, kissed Matthew on the cheek, and headed for the exit.

      Matthew did not immediately go to the casino, but decided first to walk out onto the open unlit deck and look at the sky. Of the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere he only remembered the constellation of Scorpio, because he himself was a Scorpio by horoscope. Having a rough idea of what it looked like, Matthew spent about ten minutes looking for it. Finding nothing that even remotely resembled a picture from the book, he abandoned the venture and continued on his way to the gambling establishment.

      «I'll play for a while and come back here again, – he thought, quickening his pace. – I should at least learn the names and locations of the constellations, you never know what might come in handy».

      With these thoughts Matthew entered the casino. The bright light interrupted his reverie and displaced it with the anticipation of a good game. He passed the roulette tables and made his way straight to the poker tables, one of which was the object of a heated discussion. Five players were playing another hand, while four seats remained vacant.

      – May I join your game, gentlemen? – Matthew turned to the contestants with a quick glance around.

      Everyone at the table, including the croupier, looked at the stranger sternly.

      – What's wrong with an empty seat? – suddenly the elderly gentleman turned to the players. – I'm sure, young man, that you will make us good company. I think there is no reason to object.

      As everyone else was silent, Matthew sat down in a vacant seat and exchanged five hundred dollars for chips from the dealer.

      – That's all I can afford today, –