conversation.
'Yes. The girl got away. We're searching for her now. Don't be afraid, I'm here to guard you ... to destroy the vampire.'
'Why is everything so grey?' Egor suddenly asked.
Good boy. That's really good going.
'I'll explain. Only first let's agree that I'm not your enemy. All right?'
'We'll see.'
He held on to his absurd little chain, as if it could save him from anything. Oh, kid, if only everything in this world was that easy. Silver won't save you, or poplar wood, or crucifixes. It's life against death, love against hate . . . and power against power, because power has no moral categories. That's how simple it is. In the last couple of years I've come to realise that.
'Egor,' I said, walking slowly across to him. 'Listen, I want to tell you something.'
'Stop!'
He shouted the command as sharply as if he were holding a weapon in his hands. I sighed and stopped.
'All right. Now listen. Apart from the ordinary world that the human eye can see, there is also a shadow world, the Twilight world.'
He thought. Despite his fear – and he was terribly afraid, I could feel the waves of his suffocating horror washing over me – the boy was trying to understand. There are some people who are paralysed by fear. And there are some whom it only makes stronger.
I was really hoping he would be one of the second kind.
'A parallel world?'
There, now he was bringing in science fiction. But never mind, it didn't matter. Names are nothing more than sounds.
'Yes, and only people with supernatural powers can enter that world.'
'Vampires?'
'Not only. There are werewolves, witches, black magicians . . . white magicians, healers, seers.'
'And they all really exist?'
He was soaking wet. His hair was clumped together, his sweatshirt was clinging to his body, beads of sweat were rolling down his cheeks. But still the boy never took his eyes off me and was getting ready to repulse me. As if he really had the power to do it.
'Yes, Egor. Some people can enter the Twilight world. They take the side of either Good or Evil. Light or Dark. They are the Others. That's what we call each other, the Others.'
'Are you an Other?'
'Yes, and so are you.'
'Why?'
'You're in the Twilight world right now. Take a look around, listen. All the colours have turned grey. The sounds have faded away. The second hand on the clock is barely moving. You entered the Twilight world . . . you wanted to see the danger and you crossed the boundary between worlds. Time moves more slowly here, everything is different here. This is the world of the Others.'
'I don't believe it.' Egor glanced round quickly, then looked back at me. 'Then why's Grey here?'
'The cat?' I smiled. 'Animals follow their own laws, Egor. Cats live in all the dimensions at once, for them there is no difference.'
'I don't believe you.' His voice was trembling. 'It's all a dream, I know! When the light fades like that. . . I'm asleep. It's happened to me before.'
'So you've had dreams about turning on the light and the bulb not lighting up?' I already knew the answer, and anyway I could read it in the boy's eyes. 'Or it lights up, but only very, very faintly, like a candle? And you're walking along with the Dark all around you, and you hold out your hand and you can't even make out your own fingers?'
He didn't answer.
'That happens to all of us, Egor. Every Other has dreams like that. It's the Twilight world creeping into us, calling us, reminding us of itself. You are an Other. Still a young one, but you are. And you're the only one. . .'
I didn't realise straightaway that his eyes had closed and his head was slumped to one side.
'You idiot!' Olga hissed from my shoulder. 'This is the first time he's entered the Twilight independently. He hasn't got the strength for this. Pull him out quickly, or he'll stay here for ever!'
Twilight coma is a novice's problem. I'd almost forgotten about it, because I'd never worked with young Others.
'Egor!' I leapt across and shook him,
'Yes. The girl got away. We're searching for her now. Don't be afraid, I'm here to guard you ... to destroy the vampire.'
'Why is everything so grey?' Egor suddenly asked.
Good boy. That's really good going.
'I'll explain. Only first let's agree that I'm not your enemy. All right?'
'We'll see.'
He held on to his absurd little chain, as if it could save him from anything. Oh, kid, if only everything in this world was that easy. Silver won't save you, or poplar wood, or crucifixes. It's life against death, love against hate . . . and power against power, because power has no moral categories. That's how simple it is. In the last couple of years I've come to realise that.
'Egor,' I said, walking slowly across to him. 'Listen, I want to tell you something.'
'Stop!'
He shouted the command as sharply as if he were holding a weapon in his hands. I sighed and stopped.
'All right. Now listen. Apart from the ordinary world that the human eye can see, there is also a shadow world, the Twilight world.'
He thought. Despite his fear – and he was terribly afraid, I could feel the waves of his suffocating horror washing over me – the boy was trying to understand. There are some people who are paralysed by fear. And there are some whom it only makes stronger.
I was really hoping he would be one of the second kind.
'A parallel world?'
There, now he was bringing in science fiction. But never mind, it didn't matter. Names are nothing more than sounds.
'Yes, and only people with supernatural powers can enter that world.'
'Vampires?'
'Not only. There are werewolves, witches, black magicians . . . white magicians, healers, seers.'
'And they all really exist?'
He was soaking wet. His hair was clumped together, his sweatshirt was clinging to his body, beads of sweat were rolling down his cheeks. But still the boy never took his eyes off me and was getting ready to repulse me. As if he really had the power to do it.
'Yes, Egor. Some people can enter the Twilight world. They take the side of either Good or Evil. Light or Dark. They are the Others. That's what we call each other, the Others.'
'Are you an Other?'
'Yes, and so are you.'
'Why?'
'You're in the Twilight world right now. Take a look around, listen. All the colours have turned grey. The sounds have faded away. The second hand on the clock is barely moving. You entered the Twilight world . . . you wanted to see the danger and you crossed the boundary between worlds. Time moves more slowly here, everything is different here. This is the world of the Others.'
'I don't believe it.' Egor glanced round quickly, then looked back at me. 'Then why's Grey here?'
'The cat?' I smiled. 'Animals follow their own laws, Egor. Cats live in all the dimensions at once, for them there is no difference.'
'I don't believe you.' His voice was trembling. 'It's all a dream, I know! When the light fades like that. . . I'm asleep. It's happened to me before.'
'So you've had dreams about turning on the light and the bulb not lighting up?' I already knew the answer, and anyway I could read it in the boy's eyes. 'Or it lights up, but only very, very faintly, like a candle? And you're walking along with the Dark all around you, and you hold out your hand and you can't even make out your own fingers?'
He didn't answer.
'That happens to all of us, Egor. Every Other has dreams like that. It's the Twilight world creeping into us, calling us, reminding us of itself. You are an Other. Still a young one, but you are. And you're the only one. . .'
I didn't realise straightaway that his eyes had closed and his head was slumped to one side.
'You idiot!' Olga hissed from my shoulder. 'This is the first time he's entered the Twilight independently. He hasn't got the strength for this. Pull him out quickly, or he'll stay here for ever!'
Twilight coma is a novice's problem. I'd almost forgotten about it, because I'd never worked with young Others.
'Egor!' I leapt across and shook him,
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