Blind Date

As a huge snow fells the first continuous frost comes. The nature puts on a white fur coat in the winter, covers blossoming lawns with snow, trees dress up in magnificent white dresses. The winter nature is silent more than ever, rare singing of winter birds can be heard rarely. At last, I woke up from a continuous dream.  

- It will be a fine day – I thought. 

I drank a glass of warm milk and started to put on. I was going to take a long trip to my favourite and the only grandma. I spent all my holidays there. My grandma was not tall, plump woman with veins on arms. She had expressive, clayey, sharply defined set of the features. They revealed her faded real beauty. 

After the long and exhausting trip to some extent, I arrived finally at her nine-storeyed block. The grandmother lived on the sixth floor. Having entered the hall I came up to the elevator and pressed a button. The elevator didn’t work. I understood it for the button didn’t press. Well, it is always useful to go upstairs. I had already covered 5 floors of the dark and vulgar ladder, when I noticed a dark and hollow silhouette, standing several steps higher against an apartment. I continued the way slowly. When I was passing the man watchfully he grabbed my hand suddenly. I got frightened in real earnest and wanted to escape, but a quiet and peaceful voice calmed down my feeling of fear and alarm. 

- Excuse me, I must make an urgent call – the stranger told without any agitation in voice. He continued - The matter is that my door slammed, and my little daughter is in the apartment. I am very upset.  

- Yes, of course - I answered as politely as I could. 

I began searching the phone, and the stranger continued keeping my hand as if being afraid that I would run away. I put out the phone I gave it to the man. He started pressing the buttons of the cell phone immediately. The illumination shone at the stranger’s face directly, so I could make out his face more clearly. It was a forty-years-old man of average height, nice-looking, with dark as ashes eyes. He continued to press the buttons quickly. I paid attention to the dialed number, which was enormously long. He pressed the buttons in such a way as though he was pressing innumerous number. At last he pressed the call button, leaned the phone to his ear. I was surprised much for I heard a quiet voice on the line. 

- Hello – the man answered. – I need Mary, my daughter, – the man said and his voice trembled.  

A minute later the stranger said with cheerful and tearful eyes:  

- Hi, my teeny-weeny.  

- How are you? – he said it in such a manner that I understood he was near to cry. 

I suffered from a question after the things I heard:  

- Whom he is calling now? – At first, I thought that the man wanted to call the person who had a key from the apartment. It could be any relative. Now it seemed that he called his daughter. Why wouldn’t he ask her to open the door from inside? A couple of minutes later he said good-bye and gave me back my phone. I continued going upstairs when I heard the sound of turning door handle and the man entering the flat. I could understand nothing and reached my grandma’s door. I knocked, opened it and entered quietly. It was silent in the room. The light smell of aromas tickled nostrils.  

- I’m home! – I shouted.  

I didn’t receive a respond. It was strange for grandma moved her feet hardly and besides the elevator hadn’t worked. She couldn't cover six floors. I began examining rooms quickly. At first, I checked a bedroom, than I looked into bathroom. The scene I saw there shocked me. The grandmother was laying on the floor. My heart began beating quickly, I became puzzled. I run up to her and tried to bring the grandmother to senses, but it was in vain. I put out the phone and called the ambulance. Twenty minutes later physicians arrived. Having examined the grandmother they decided to take her away. They placed her on a stretcher and began carrying it out from the apartment. I accompanied them, went down and outside. The grandmother was placed in the car. 

- She will be all right – a doctor told in a calm voice. – Leave us your contacts and we will call you soon – the man in white robe continued.  

I obeyed, the ambulance started and was going to leave.  

All of a sudden a young man ran out from the entrance hall. He was asking for help.  

- A man feels bad. He is upstairs, please help him – the guy shouted, hardly breathing.  

How queer everything is to-day! – a driver said grumbling. 

I was speechless, I observed the process silently. The physicians hurried upward, and I remained waiting near the vehicle. Some time later a man was carried out from the entrance hall doors. When they reached me I recognized that very man who lived on the fifth floor. Having dipped him in the vehicle, the physicians left at last. We kept standing together – me and that guy who called for a help.

- Listen, who will take care of his daughter? Her name is Mary. – I asked.  

- He has no daughter. She was knocked down by a car two months ago. – the guy answered.  

- I have just heard as he called her and talked to her – I objected.  

- She had driven mad after the event, he calls his daughter and talks to her – he pretends. – The guy told it and hurried home. I regained myself, called for a taxi and went home.  

I arrived home, took off my shoes, and laid myself in the bed. I fall asleep after a while.  

A loud phone call woke me up. I answered and heard a warm voice of grandma.  

- Hello, darling – grandma greeted me.  

- Granny! – I was delighted to hear her talking.  

- I am sorry I’ve made it with you. I will miss your visits – she told with trembling voice.  

- What are you talking about? You will recover and I will visit you by weekends – I answered her in surprise.  

- You don’t understand! – she told.  

- What? – I claimed.  

- I have no time to talk with you. Come to the hospital and you will see. Farewell, my darling! – grandma said crying.  

I put on the coat and dropped out immediately. I took a taxi and went into the hospital.  

15 minutes later I rushed into the hospital and came up to the reception.  

- Hello – the girl greeted me politely.  

- Today two patients were delivered to you. The first was an 70-year-old woman and the second was a 40-years-old man. – I shouted without greetings.  

- Oh yes, I bring my deepest condolences, but when we received them they both were dead. Unfortunately, we have lost your contacts and could not report you at the time... - I did not listen her to the end and went out into the street. 

I put out the phone I started watching the list of entering and outgoing calls. I thumbed the list a little down and found similar phone numbers. It were incoming call of my grandmother and the outgoing call of forty-years-old stranger. Numbers were identical! Without thinking twice, I guided the cursor at suspiciously long number and pressed the call button. I leaned the phone to the ear and heard devilish hysterical laughter. It amplified with every minute. My head began spinning around. I tried to behave well and continued listening this infernal laughter. Then everything was abrupt suddenly.  

- I am listening – I heard the voice of my grandmother...