Gino. Alexey Yrievich Komissarenko

      Gino

      Alexey Yrievich Komissarenko

      Translator Galina Vikentievna Valyaeva

      © Alexey Yrievich Komissarenko, 2025

      © Galina Vikentievna Valyaeva, translation, 2025

      ISBN 978-5-0065-2760-7

      Created with Ridero smart publishing system

      Sign from above

      Genoa, October 5, 2020

      The clock on the bedroom floor struck midnight. Its shape was very unusual. The form of a large elongated drop. Its rounded, black-lacquered rosewood case had roots at the base, skillfully reconstructed by a woodworker into streams flowing from the stand. The surreal contours of the gilded dial looked like a blurring puddle. Looking at them, one could get a sense of the chaotic passage of time. That’s what Gino, a great admirer of the brilliant work of Spanish painter Salvador Dali, thought. In pursuit of originality, Gino was always looking for something unusual, non-standard, including interior elements.

      Four workshops were involved in the creation of such an unusual clock: a carpenter’s, a watchmaker’s, a blacksmith’s, a jeweler’s. The carpenter’s workshop was responsible for the wooden case, the watchmaker’s – for the movement, the blacksmith’s – for the dial and stand, and the jeweler’s – for application of gold leaf to the numerals, hands and bezel, which served a purely decorative function. When he made such an original order, Gino did not think that it would take several months to complete it. But when everything was ready, he was amazed at the result. He was thrilled to bits. Although when looked at his watch, Gino was primarily proud of himself: «Wow! That was an extraordinary idea – to make a reality of the works of a great artist. And now the magnificent work of art is ready. Hardly anyone else has the same.» he flattered himself.

      But that was in the past. Now the clock, like many things around, only caused irritation.

      Looking at it intensely, he poured another glass of whiskey without ice and went to the mirror hanging on the bedroom wall. Gino stared at his reflection, already seeing double, because he had too much of alcohol.

      «Tell me, who are you, the one who lives in this body?» he hissed angrily. «Don’t hide, show your true face! Why are you hiding? Come on, show yourself,» he continued, raising his tone. «Who are you?! I want to see you!»

      Smiling sarcastically, he began to grimace, trying to ridicule the person who was supposed to appear in the mirror. But nothing changed there, Gino still could see only himself.

      «Show yourself, show yourself, show yourself!» he repeated through his teeth, squinting like a madman. His eyes sparkled with anger, and a smile resembling an animal grin appeared on his face. Suddenly he saw something creepy in the reflection instead of himself. Gino jumped back, and threw a glass at the mirror with a scream. It shattered and fell onto the floor with a clatter. Running out of the bedroom and down the marble staircase to the first floor, he literally flew out of the house. He turned back to make sure no one was following him, and tried to open the car door with a shaking hand. It was pouring. Because of the water, the lock didn’t recognize his fingerprint and the door would not open. But maybe he could not get behind the wheel because he was prevented by some dark force…

      «This house and I are cursed!» he whispered angrily with trembling lips.

      After another touch, the car door suddenly opened. He saw that his Labrador named Charlie (at French manner «Sharlie»), ran out into the yard with him and sensed the approaching disaster: she was barking and whining, running around her owner. Gino tried to stop her, but she jumped into the car and pressed herself against the back of the passenger seat.

      He got behind the wheel, very drunk, but that didn’t stop him. Starting the engine and putting it in drive mode, Gino pushed the accelerator pedal all the way down. Hundreds of horsepower, hidden under the hood of the sports car, burst out with the roar of a predatory panther. The wheels squealed, the car skidded a little, but having managed to control it, he drove toward the coast of Genoa, where he enjoyed walking along the cliffs, admiring sunsets and sunrises over the sea.

      But there was only one thing pulling him there at that moment, and that was to let the heavy energy and negative emotions out. The feelings were all mixed up. There was pain, fear, anger. And they were all bursting out, he wanted to yell.

      Given the amount of alcohol in his blood, it was literally a miracle that he managed to get to the coast.

      During the journey, he blew off steam of his emotions and calmed down a little.

      When he arrived, Gino took an umbrella out of the car door and, holding it above his head, headed for the edge of the steep cliffs by the sea.

      It was still pouring; the wind was blowing hard. As he approached the edge of the cliff, he stopped. Then he took another step. At that moment, his right foot slipped off the rock, but Gino managed to hold on and not fall down. For a moment, he was paralyzed with fear.

      The raging elements were crashing huge waves against the rocks. Lightning flashed in the night sky. The second day in a row, a storm warning was officially announced.

      Later, all the media would have an article about several people who had drowned those days in Genoa.

      Gino was standing on the edge and looking down at the water. The plot of the painting called «The Game» by the Russian artist Alexander Kulikov, hanging in the living room of his house, was spinning in his head. It depicted seven young men in black tuxedos in their early twenties. Three girls and three guys who stood in a semicircle near the edge of the cliff. And the seventh participant of the game is a young man, who is blindfolded and with his arms stretched forward trying to catch the others. He is walking toward the cliff…

      He has a white smile on his face, and he only has to take a step when his foot is already hovering over the abyss, and in a second he will fall down, but he doesn’t know it. His entourage applauds loudly, some people laugh, some put their fingers in their mouths, whistle, and one couple merged in a passionate kiss, paying no attention to those around them… None of those in the picture will shout to him: «Stop!»

      Gino associated himself with the main character of the painting, who will die in a moment, but no one present around him will not even try to save him.

      No, Gino did not want to commit suicide at all. On the contrary, his goal was to overcome the circumstances of life. Just to continue living in a different way. That’s the only thing he wanted at that moment. But at the same time, the pros and cons were all mixed up in his head. Emotions prevailed over the reason.

      Gino took another small step to the very edge.

      «Let it be as it should be! This is the line between life and death, between the past and the future,» the thought flashed through his mind, sharp as executioner’s ax.

      «But I have the right to control the situation! I don’t have to step over the line. I’m blindfoldless, and I know I’ll die if I step forward. And a step backwards in this case means salvation! Yes, yes, at least I’ll have a choice of how to live my life,» the sobered consciousness shouted for a moment.

      «On the other hand, I know where I’m going to, but I don’t know which way is the right way,» he whispered softly.

      Gino looked up to the sky with a sense of resentment towards fate.

      «Why me! Why is this all happening to me!!! Where is the way out?» he asked himself nagging questions. «How do I live on? There’s no one to help me.»

      The response was immediate. It was more of a hint, though. A sharp gust of wind ripped the umbrella from his hands and blew it into the sea. He shuddered with surprise and froze, but immediately pulled himself together, realized that he should stop feeling sorry for himself. He took it as a sign from above…

      In one moment his suit got wet. Charlie, who was shaking from the cold, whimpered, but he paid no attention to her.

      «God help me!»

      Gino