Collection of mysticism. + author’s biography including essays about books. Tsvetana Alеkhina

turn off the lights, but decided to spend the night without sleeping, and this was our last conversation, my last story about how I found myself alone with her.

      I walked along a deserted street straining my ears to hear the sound of a passing car. The weakness in my body from the flu took away my strength, my legs gave way, and I no longer had the strength to walk. Fortunately, for me, I saw the headlights, the engine died down muted. I looked around and saw a taxi. I was lucky. I came closer and asked if he was busy.

      – Sit down. I heard the nervous voice of the taxi driver. The car door slammed, and we drove off. We arrived at the address I indicated, and the taxi sped off at breakneck speed in the opposite direction. I was alone again, only this time in the cemetery.

      I was waiting for I do not know what, realizing that if I take a step now, it will be impossible to cancel this action. Why am I doing this? I asked myself this question without knowing the answer to it. After standing for a minute, I took a decisive step. As soon as my foot set foot on the territory of the cemetery, I immediately felt that I was already mechanically not here. Although in fact I was still at the entrance, but my intuition suggested something else. I could smell Navi. It scared me, but I was not afraid. The very fact that I have already spoken here means that my soul is already there.

      Grave, I purposefully headed to the unmarked grave, deciding that it was no longer worth going to my grandmother’s grave. The cemetery itself is a creepy place, but at night, especially in the north, it is much scarier here. I remembered all the scary pictures from horror movies, and realized that it was scary to walk through a cemetery at night. Although if you put aside fears, the only thing I was afraid of was getting lost and not finding that grave.

      That night was the worst nightmare of my life. Nothing can scare me anymore, after what I went through last night. This whole world of Navi, ball, and Sabbath, it’s not that compared to what I experienced. I roughly remembered the route and stuck to it. I was sure that I was going the right way, and I even met familiar graves. I did not notice how the cemetery was enveloped in darkness. It was a black fog. Perhaps this is because it was a polar night outside. Stopping for a second, I looked around and realized that I did not understand where I was going. Nothing was visible. The cemetery was shrouded in black haze and its appearance was similar to medieval times. Everything was so old, not well groomed, abandoned, and snowdrifts disappeared from under my feet. I immediately realized that she was somewhere nearby. It made me happy, because that is exactly what I wanted.

      Modern cemetery fences have disappeared, there was none at all? I realized that I would not find that grave anymore, and I did not need it anymore. I was found and so. Not knowing what to do next, I set off, I was wondering where I was. Of course I was afraid, but the more I was afraid, the more I was stuck in this black world. I came here voluntarily, against my reason. In addition, I had nothing left to lose. After walking through several graves, I realized that I could not get away from here. I lost my bearings. There was no inscription with a name on any of the tombstones. It was hopeless. I decided to go back to where I came from, maybe it would be better this way, I thought. Feeling my pockets with my hands, I found neither documents nor money. This was the final sign that I was already in another dimension.

      – What is next? I asked aloud.

      – «This cemetery will be your grave. I heard an angry voice.

      – I am already dead thanks to you.

      The fog abruptly dissipated, a strong snowstorm caught me, and I was circling in the air. Then she abruptly threw me away, and I hit my head on a stone obelisk. I barely got up and waited for further attacks.

      – What is next? She did not show her face. Although I have already seen him several times.

      Then the most terrible thing began. The cemetery has adopted the summer season. The uprising of the dead has begun. Coffins were lifted from the graves, the lid of the coffin was opened, some long-buried dead coffin crumbled, and they got out of it. They got up and came out of the coffin like zombies. They were all wearing a white shirt to their feet; their deadness was emphasized by the color of their skin and the dip of their eyes and dark circles under their eyes. They did it all at the same time, coffins jumped out of the graves, the lid of the coffin flapped and fell to the ground, and I involuntarily shuddered. Their thin, nasty and bony fingers were disgusting. This whole picture came up so suddenly that I did not expect it.

      I did not know where to run. And there was nowhere to go, there was a cemetery all around, the black sun and I was left alone with a horde of the dead. For a second I thought she was just scaring me. But when they all came at me and began to pull their hands towards me, I realized that this was not a joke. I was not afraid to die, but not at the hands of zombies. It was disgusting for me. I wanted to die fighting with her, for her, with her. To die in her arms. I was ready to go for it. The horde of the dead disgusted me and I wanted to get rid of them. I did not have anything that could save me. No daylight, no crowing of roosters, only a miracle, it remained to hope for a miracle.

      I crossed my fingers for luck and began to run, I ran as fast as I could, forgetting about my illness and indisposition. The dead were running after me, but not as fast as I was. It surprised me. I stopped and looked around. I was surrounded from all sides. All the dead have risen.

      – It is yours. I heard a ruthless voice. I forgot about being a gentleman and shouted,

      – come out one on one. The earth shook. There was silence. I heard one of the coffin lids fall. Mara appeared before me.

      – How dare you compete with me? This time her appearance was scary. She looked like a witch from Viya. – What are you going to do to me? I stood there like a boy. I had nothing to say in response. She glared at me angrily and without saying anything, disappeared into thin air.

      It is over. The dead left, they lay down in their coffins covering themselves with a lid and the coffin itself disappeared. All this happened in a matter of minutes. When closing the lid, it slammed as well as when opening; I did not have time to watch what was happening. And I was left alone again and waited for my fate.

      The picture changed the screensaver again, and I ended up where I was originally, only for some reason knee-deep in a snowdrift. My phone was at my place along with the money and documents. For a minute, it seemed to me that Mara had left me alone. I decided that she could not scare me and she was not interested in me anymore. It was dark at night. I turned on the flashlight on my phone and started shining. My hands were red and shaking from the cold. I decided to find that grave at all costs and get into the world of Navi. I was shining a flashlight around trying to figure out where I was. There were fences and graves all around, deathly silence. It seemed to me that the slightest sound could scare me. But nothing broke the silence. The wind and snow intensified and for me it was already a sign. During these days spent here, I began to consider the wind and snow as something paranormal. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. I went in a direction that seemed familiar to me. Having illuminated the familiar nameless cross with a flashlight, I took a decisive step towards it and fell into a snowdrift.

      I was up to my waist in a snowdrift. Then I began to sink even deeper and I was sucked in. I woke up in complete darkness and cramped. I began to feel around, trying to figure out where I was. I did not understand right away. It was hard for me to breathe, and then there was not enough oxygen at all. I could not stand it and started calling for help. However, no one came to help. I realized that I was in a wooden coffin. I experienced a terrible horror, being there, a lump rose to my throat and tears of resentment choked me. I was helpless again. And no one heard me again. Mara, she played with me like some kind of kitten. I was her entertainment. Every time I was left in, a hopeless situation and she laughed, gave me oxygen, and then blocked it again. I thought it would never end. Moreover, when it was all over, I was looking for an excuse to repeat it again.

      This