Chapter 1. Amazing salvation
Chapter 2. Gelyun and alien house
Chapter 3. Living gods and homecoming
The cover of the book
Chapter 2. Gelyun and alien house

For a few seconds, my cheeks felt a gust of hot wind and slight tingling sensation, but when I exhaled and dared to open my eyes, we were already stood in luminous and cylindrical room, with the grey floor, that was smooth like a glass. Where, overcoming pain, girl exclaimed: «I beg of you, faster here!». Then she touched the wall, wich began to flash, like a glowing film of the oil, which caved in and we were able to pass in.

Now we have entered the next, identical to the first, but dimly lit room. The dimensions of which were guessed only at the moments of flashes, when beautiful, iridescent patterns appeared on the walls. So when i look closely, it became clear to me, that this room about ten feet of high and forty feet of diameter. That is why in this empty space, i heard the echo, that repeating a whisper of the girl: «Please take me there and help undress! Because only naked, I can go to the doctor, which already wait me. But I can’t take off my clothes because it hurts to move!». After which I counted twenty-five of my broad steps and reached a brightly glowing section, at the opposite wall. Then near by, I carefully lowered my weightless girl. I hurriedly took off her fur pyzhik and threw it on the floor. After then I easily removed untayka from girl's left foot, but when I barely touched her right foot, suddenly she screamed with pain. So without hesitation, I took a penknife out of my pocket and cut open the Kamus, that is sturdy fur of the deer's legs and from which the local inhabitants sew untaykas. Now the girl remained in a soft jumpsuit of the light blue color, on which there were no seams, buttons and fasteners, what puzzled me. That is why, I said: «Please take off your jumpsuit yourself and tell me where to get a medical kit?». Apparently, not quite understanding what I want to do, the girl looked inquiringly at me and pressed on the bulge of the collar, after than her jumpsuit swung open, exposing the body.

I professionally focused my attention on the girl’s sore leg, for the release of which I cut the trouser leg of her jumpsuit and now I saw an unpleasant kind of an open fracture of the lower leg. Also I noticed that the arteries and veins were not damaged, so the blood just a little bit oozed from the wound. So now I was sure, in that I can fix the medical splint by myself on her leg, even without a first aid kit. But the girl, apparently thought differently, so she reached for the wall and said quietly: «Guy, please, do not go anywhere and wait for me in this room! Later I will explain everything to you». After which I became an involuntary spectator of the magic performance. When the monolithic wall began to pulsate with colored flashes and turned into an elastic liquid which enveloped and missed girl to the next room, exploding with thousands of sparks in her black hair. Then the color pulsations ceased and the wall became translucent, beyond which I began to see the silhouette of a girl lying in a void.

I felt hot, so I began to undress. First I took off my mittens, winter hat and felt boots, then I dumped my quilted jacket and pants. After that I neatly folded all my field clothes in one pile and sat on it. Also all this time I did not stop my observation of the girl, who hung horizontally in the air, shrouded in a green halo with huge cluster of lilac sparks rotating near the damaged area of her right foot. Shocked by everything that was happening, i sat with hoping that my detachment would not look for me in conditions of zero visibility, until the end of this blizzard. So expecting girl, I remembered how easily a huge boulder soared in the air or the fact that strong walls have become malleable. Of course, I realized that the solution to these miracles lies in the field of technologies unknown to mankind. Meanwhile, the injured girl spent more than five minutes behind the translucent wall and the green halo disappeared. Next I saw how the girl’s body took upright position and her legs touched the floor.

Straightening her shoulders, she proudly walked through the wall and headed toward me, gracefully striding by both healthy and impeccably beautiful legs. Then the girl solemnly stopped opposite me, enjoying my confused glance at the floor under our feet. After which she boldly raised my face by the chin and, looking directly into my eyes, with a slight bow, said: «I am very grateful to you for my salvation. According to the tradition of my people, now we are the best friends and I will try to be of service to you with everything I can. As you can see now, in the tundra I told you the truth, here really is a hospital and the best doctor in the world! My name is Gelyun or, if you prefer to speak Russian, then Galya». I stubbornly lowered my head down again, diligently looking at the floor and without doubting the girl’s heartfelt sincerity, said: «My name is Anatoly Nikolavich, but my friends call me simply Tolya. Gelyun, you should not thank me for rescue, because, to help in trouble, the direct duty of the Soviet man». Since I had certain medical knowledge for first aid in a boundless tundra, I palpated by my fingers, the shin of the girl, but did not even feel a trace of a fracture, so I was forced to admit with a smile: «Really Gelyun, your doctor is the most skilled in the world!».

Gelyun laughed briskly, happy from her unpunished courage and said: «How you can be convinced, Tolya, my skin is clean, pink and silky!». After such a frank invitation to action, I showed determination, raised my eyes and some time enthusiastically contemplate the young and attractive girl. The gifted people have always been traditionally born in my

family, so many of my ancestors drew well, I also draw sometimes, often in a graphic style. So now, I tried to remember all the features of this beautiful girl as a source of inspiration for my future art. At the begining, my close attention was attracted by her light and rosy face, without a single wrinkle. After than I looked with some apprehension into her expressive, slightly slanting eyes. Also I memorized a line of the straight nose with a small hump, under wich were her puffy, sensual lips. The girl’s wavy, long hair, flowing in a continuous stream downward, completed her amazing appearance. After which I lowered my enthusiastic look and gave a strict tone to my voice, said: «Of course, your resemblance to Greek beauties is undeniable, but there is no Ancient Sparta here, so you better get dressed». Not understanding everything that I said, but after listening carefully to me, Gelyun smiled mysteriously and peacefully answered: «What a seriouse person you is, Anatoly, but not for the reason that you are embarrassed?! As you wish, I get dressed!».

Even through the girl’s done, laid-back look, it was noticeable that she had intuitively guessed about my condition. So, fulfilling her promise, Gelyun pictorially picked up her mangled jumpsuit and put it inside the wall, which for a moment became malleable and immediately glowed with an internal light. When the glow of the wall began to fade, the girl pull out the brand new, clean jumpsuit and elegantly put it on. Then styling her hair, she asked: «Why do you sitting on the floor?». To which I replied in surprise: «There's nothing here! What should I sit on?». Without distracting from her occupation, Gelyun pointed a finger at the place behind me and briefly explained: «Can you sit there?!». I turned around and was discouraged by what I saw, because there was a luxurious sofa covered with white fur of a polar bear. I can swear that five minutes ago, it wasn’t there! Aloud, I muttered thoughtfully: «Damn it!».

Gelyun tidied up her appearance and walking past me, sat down on the edge of a dimensionless sofa and gently stroking a bear's fur, asked: «Do you surprised again ?! Perhaps you think that I should tell you my story? Perhaps you find this place strange ?! It is so?». In the response, stunned by what was happening, I said nothing, but affirmative nodded by head. The noticed it, girl approvingly smiled, after than she continued her story: «This Underground house is alive! I need just start to think about something and The House immediately fulfills almost all my wishes! Now Anatoly, I will show you how everything happen and she offered me: «Do you want to snack by apples?»». Whereupon Gelyun extended her hand forward, so I immediately saw how the bulge appeared on a floor, near the sofa. Which grew up very quickly, taking the form of the low table. Where appeared a crystal vase, full of the apples which spread a pleasant aroma, so I immediately felt belated hunger. Casting aside any doubts, I decided to take all today's miracles for granted. Therefore, I went up and sat next to the girl, after which both hungry, without saying a word, we silently began to eat. In eyes of a girl I saw the joy of the courage shown by me.

Having somewhat satisfied hunger, I asked Gelyun: «What tribe are you from and where are your parents?». After my question, the girl pulled away from reality and plunged into her memories, but than recovered and quietly answered: «They were from the Yukaghir tribe and lived in Turanian Tartaria or from Evenkia, if to say by modern. Now I do not know, to which tribe I belong to, because all my relatives have long died and in the modern world everything has changed». This answer Gelyun only kindled my curiosity, that is why I continued to question further and she answered patiently, not hiding anything. It was difficult to understand the girl without leading questions, because she spoke well only on everyday topics and was completely unfamiliar with scientific terminology. In addition, Gelyun herself admitted that she could not read. Added to everything else her consciousness was completely mythologized and she took everything for granted, without thinking about the essence of the surrounding phenomena.

The happy girl was very talkative and sociable, because she very rarely met people. Gelyun's House really fulfilling her desires, or more correctly say, that the Spirit of the House materializing some images that arise in her head. By the Spirit of the House Gelyun means both the house itself and everything that is in it or around it. The girl is not the mistress of the house, it would be more correct to call her the Keeper of the House, which is not the same thing. The House was created long time ago by the Living gods or People from the Upper World, as Gelyun called them, which is equally true. I continued to ask many leading questions, after which I was able to overcome the barrier of misunderstanding and find out whom the girl calls Living Gods. These were creatures who first time arrived on Earth from the Seventh Heaven.

Thus, I managed to find out that the Living Gods flew into our world from another star system, where their planet revolves around its sun by seventh orbit. Therefore, they call their house the Seventh Heaven. Dear reader, can you imagine the joyful fullness of my feelings when i figured it out that we are not alone in the universe?! I understood also that the Living Gods were not omnipotent or omniscient beings, because they made an emergency landing. That was kind of the misfortune with which Living Gods not coped, that is why till nowdays, thay can not flew back home to Seventh Heaven. Therefore they were forced to build this Underground House, in which they are sleeping yet, ordered to the Spirit of the House maintain their bodies in a minimally functional state. By according to information received from the girl, I was able to conclude that, like us, living gods are not immortal. I asked the girl in detail about everything, but it was very difficult to isolate the real facts from her mythical worldview. As always, the logic of my reasoning helped me out. If the Living Gods were forced to sleep deeply in limbo, under the control of the Spirit at home, then why did they need a human Guardian from the local population? Why did not the Living Gods themselves establish a duty in turn, among themselves? I asked all these questions to Gelyun, to which she answered so: «Before the Living Gods fell asleep, I spoke with the most importand of them, named Una. Which told me that the Spirit of the House without a living person can go crazy and kill the sleeping Masters. Therefore, a living person as a Guardian should always be in the House, to which the Spirit of the House must obey and care. Then the Spirit of the House will not get sick or go crazy».

The girl just chatted rejoicing in communication, but I by many years of professional habit, tried to translate her concepts, shrouded in mysticism, into the usual terminology for me. Thus it turned out that the Spirit of this House is something similar to a very powerful electronic brain, which must obey a rational being. Of course, in connection with this circumstance, I immediately remembered the Three Laws of Robotics formulated by the famous American science fiction writer, Isaak Asimov. Therefore, I suggested that the Spirit of this House is also subject to the Laws of Robotics. Then I asked the girl: «Why did the Living Gods not establish their own duty, to control the Spirit at House, but chose to keep you?». Gelyun replied: «Una told me that the light of our sun is not the same as in the world of the Seventh Heaven. In the rays of which there is something that they really need, for the full functioning of their bodies, moreover, from its light they will die very quickly!».

I continued to reason aloud, keeping my attention to Gelyun: «Well, suppose that the Living Gods could not do without the help of a local resident, but the human age is small and the interstellar distances are great. So it is not known when help will come to Una? Here you are, Gelyun, a little over twenty years old, when the time comes, you will grow old! How long can you be the Guardian? In three decades, Una will be looking for a new Guardian, and most likely, even more than once?!». This time, the girl humbly but firmly said: «Tolya, you are mistaken! When I begin to age, I go to the doctor, and he again makes me young and healthy. So, time after time, three hundred and sixty-nine winters passed! More than three and a half long centuries have passed since I agreed to become the Guardian». Thus girl sighed heavily and fell silent.

I exclaimed: «It cannot be, the three centuries of human life!». I looked with all my eyes at the depressed girl sitting next to me and could not force myself to believe it! If the situation were not so unusual, I would not listen to this Nonsense! Just a quiet girl doesn’t have to lie to me! I myself saw her doctor treat a serious injury in five minutes, which is beyond the power of any of our doctors and completely regenerate all human tissues and what does it mean ?! With a hoarse voice from excitement, I asked the girl: «Gelyun, are you immortal?». She replied with smile: «No, Tolya, I'm not immortal! But, when I will leave the House forever and do not come back, I will live long time! May be more than one hundred years, but will die. While the Doctor rejuvenates me in the House, I will live a very long time, but not forever! But Una promised me that even if they return home to the Seventh Heaven, part of the House will remain here, as before, with the Doctor. That is why, when I will be old, I can always come back here for restore my youth . It was the main condition in our agreement, because of which I agreed to become the Guardian».

I gradually recovered from my surprise and asked: «When will the promised help arrive?». Instead of an answer, the girl began to cry! Then, barely speaking through the tears, with bitterness in her heart, she said: «Help was supposed to come seventy years ago, Anatoly! I am very tired to wait, when it happen and I hate to live under the constant control of the Spirit in House!». I tried to cheer up the girl and said: «After all, not so bad! Because you can leaved the House any time for have a fun, even riding a deer, as today!». Gelyun stopped crying, which I wanted, wiped her tears and said: «Of course, when to stay in the House becomes completely unbearable for me, I tell to the Spirit of the house that I’m going for a walk. That is not forbidden, but it's only an illusion of freedom, because I can stay out of the house no longer than five nights. Once, I became convinced of this by refusing to obey the Spirit of the house!».

Gelyun sighed and continued her story: «That winter my agreement with Una expired, because three hundred winters passed. Thе salvation, which the Living Gods were waited, not happened yet. That's why I quarreled with the Spirit of the House, but to no avail! It not let me go free, obliging me to stay in House until to evacuation of Masters. That is why I harbored a grudge and decided to secretly leave the Upper World People. I remember, that was 1913 year by the new style of time, or 7421 year by the old calendar . Then this place was called the Small Tundra of the Yenisei Province of the Russian Empire. So for my escape I stocked up dried fish and smoked venison, putting everything into Nartyi. As you know, this is the local name for the winter sleigh. After which, as usual I harnessed two deers, sat in nartyi and went to the patrimonial lands, by keeping my way to the south, counting ten nights. For five days I rode directly to south without incident, occasionally hunting for partridge for the sake of pleasure. After than Spirit of the House, began sometimes to whisper in my ears, that I should go to back, but when started seventh day of my escape, the incessant whisper appeared, which exhausted me, because there’s no way to hide from it! On the ninth day of my disobedience, the whisper grew into an incessant cry, demanding to return! Then, after a short time, my mind plunged into a half-fainting state. In which my legs themselves carried me back. So three days later, hungry, ragged and frostbite, before a treatment session, I woke up in the Doctor’s room!».

I asked a clarifying question: «How does the Spirit of the House speak to you and what it can do to save you, in a situation like today?». Gelyun answered mournfully: «The Spirit of the House can acts telepathically on my mind when he wants and aslo he can make anyone help me, but you did it voluntarily. Today's accident happened to me for the first time, when I decided to take a closer look at your steel mammoth. That is why, i did come closer and stand still at the top of steep hill, where I became completely invisible by the background of the snow tundra. Then I saw how one person, among of the another people, raised his hand up and loudly shooted by the red flower into the sky! Which to much frightened my deer, named Heiro, which threw me into a ravine!

Therefore, falling along the slope and hitting by stones, i broke my foot and fell into the glen between the hills, where I cried out from unbearable pain. Earlier, the incident like today, was fundamentally impossible! Because the Living Gods as the gift for Guardian, gave me the Magic Shield for personal protection. Which my doctor implanted into my body. With the help of which I learned to even fly when I wanted it». Gelyun shrugged and quietly continued: «Man is not created to fly! Therefore, earlier only old shamans could fly, not ordinary people. One day, I almost died in flight on the Magic Shield! Therefore, as soon as I returned to the House, I asked to the Doctor remove this gift from me. Instead of the Shield, I asked the Doctor to give me the ability to mentally control my deer and even ride it. Since then, when I want to go somewhere, I mentally call by myself any deer, even a wild one that dutifully takes me to where I need . After that incident more than a hundred winters passed».

So from the girl’s story, I realized that our working tractor attracted the girl’s attention and her deer was frightened by a shot from a pistol designed to launch signal flares. Only some mystery remained, in terms of the fact that the girl compared the tractor with a mammoth, which had long died out. What made me think seriously and ask the following question: «Gelyun, do you compared our tractor with a mammoth, but why? Who told you that such animals once lived and how old are you?». Without a shadow of doubt, the girl replied: «During my childhood, I often saw mammoths, many of which grazed in the vastness of my Motherland, Turanian Tartaria, until the weather changed sharply. I was born in 7100 according to the old calendar or in 1592 according to the modern time. When at the age of 10 years, accompanied by adults, Tsarevich Dmitry Uglitsky secretly settled in our area. Who was the son of Ivan Vasilievich the Fourth, Rurikovich, which ruled the Russian State. That time my father worked in the Secret Investigation Service of Great Tartaria, provided oversight for this young man. When I was nine years old, my father took me on trips to the Asian threshold on the Yenisei River to his administration, now you call this place the Yeniseisk town. On the way to where we often saw peacefully grazing mammoths. In those years in our area no one heard about winter. But soon everything was crumpled, suddenly storms began and the sun disappeared for half a year. After which it snowed for the first time and the First winter lasted four years! Now I am 390 years old». The girl sighed sadly and began to eat an apple, so that she would not cry again .

My brain did not want to accept such an abundance of unusual information, so I said: «Indeed, if you sit for almost four hundred years in an empty, luminous house, where there is no radio, books and TV, you can go crazy! It’s the same as living four centuries in slavery!». Suddenly I felt distrust of everything that was happening and thought: «What a fool I am, since I'm siting here and listen to the stupid things about immortality, flights and telepathy! Actually in the fact, in anticipation of the end of the blizzard, I just fell asleep in the Partridge's igloo of the ravine, where now, experiencing oxygen starvation, I see this restless dream!». Therefore, in order to verify the reality of what is happening or in order to force myself to wake up, with my fingers, I lightly pressed the eyeballs through the eyelids. After which I opened my eyes again and saw how the image of the luminous wall obediently bifurcated, but then took on a normal form. I muttered: «Hell, this is not a dream but the real reality!».

Suddenly I realized that the Spirit of the House is a powerful supercomputer that does not obey the Laws of Robotics! It pragmatically rejuvenates Gelun as a necessary biological irritant for the minimum load of its systems, ensuring uninterrupted operation of the entire station. I also realized that the girl sitting next to me, perplexedly watching my manipulations, was terribly lonely! Also I felt dizzy and drowsy, but at the same time I had a snack, rested and dried out, so I decided to return to the CUB.

Therefore, I calmly said: «Most likely, the blizzard has subsided and I can return to my detachment». Gelyun took my hand and looked right in my eyes, hastily answered: «No, no, Anatoly! I know it blows even harder!». Now the girl looked very sad, childishly naive and from this, very attractive. Moreover, I saw that she really values my company and does not want my departure. I loudly retorted: «How do you know that the blizzard has not abated?». But instead of answering, Gelun made an elusive movement with her right hand and in a flash, the walls around us became transparent! Now a sofa, a table with fruits and ourselves, were in the middle of a snowy tundra. So I felt sitting a little higher than the snow surface. Around, there was the usual darkness of the polar night, which was illuminated by a dim, diffused green light. In the illumination of which jets of a snowstorm swept and a howling strong wind was heard.

Our transparent House was warm and comfortable, because the threateningly jets of the blizzard, flying endlessly into our faces, in the immediate vicinity of us, mysteriously disappeared. Then our House took to the air and flew at the height of forty feet along of the tractor's track, lighting the way by the green light and after the few minutes we reached the stopping place of my topographic detachment. It was clearly visible from above, that the residential module was located so that its body effectively protected the tractor and sleigh with fuel from the snowstorm. The diesel fuel itself was stored in iron barrels, by fifty-two gallons in each and this fuel provided three-month autonomy of the smooth operation for our tractor. Apparently Gelyun gave some sort of mental command, which she accompanied with a movement of her hand and we began to slowly circle around the parking lot, which sometimes became completely invisible in the strong gusts of the snowstorm, but always audible, as the loudly howling wind. Which in these places in its gusts reaches eighty feet per second.

I noticed that snow was gathering around the edges of the CUB, which gradually began to turn into snowdrifts, towering along it. At the back part of the residential module, I saw a snowy window, but, nevertheless, light was visible through it. Above which, through the small hole, a copper wire was pulled out, used as an antenna of our radio station. Which sagged under its own weight and at a distance of sixteen feet was mounted on top of a pole stick, which was fixed into the pressed snow. The special howl emanating from the antenna due to the vibrating wire was a higher falsetto than the general tenor of this amplifying snowstorm. Probably my detachment was worried about me and everyone was surprised that I did not return. The guys also understood that they would not be able to start my searches due to lack of visibility. I guess they are drinking tea right now, worried about me and wait the end of the blizzard. Senior worker, comrade Badretdinov probably managed to contact the base on the radio and report that I was missing.

In view of the fact that I am real Commander of this topographic detachment entrusted to me, and having a sense of the personal responsibility, I peremptorily demanded: «Gelyun, drop me there! I am responsible for that Socialist property entrusted to me, as well as for my Comrades who are under my leadership!». That's why an expression of surprise on the her face, mixed with a sense of hidded superiority. After which she made an elusive movement with her hand, and the image of the parking lot of my detachment with the surrounding tundra disappeared.

So, looking around, I realized that all this time we were in the Underground House, in which nothing had changed. Looking carefully at me, the girl handed me a fresh apple, not accessible to anyone, in these wild places. Which I took, embarrassedly examining the sofa covered with snow-white fur and slowly muttered: «I understood everything, we ourselves didn’t travel, but we saw the image and heard the sound of what is happening outside! It's like watching a movie in the city cinema of Dudinka, but here the image transmitted in real time and creates a surprisingly real effect of presence! Do you often travel like this?». The girl replied: «You correctly understood how it works, but for the last seventy winters I have not used this device at all. Because it is the hoax, a cunning illusion!». Gelyun was again silently focused, staring at her nails.

Now I again looked differently at this fragile woman who seemed so young. Also surprised that the girl can visually travel around the world without leaving her forced prison, but he does not want to do this. How strange is that she voluntarily renounces alien technologies for seeing the world and just simply rides deer on the tundra.

© Виктор Тарасов-Слишин,
книга «Partridge's igloo».
Chapter 3. Living gods and homecoming
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