Light

LIGHT

  Copyright 2015 George Kavsekhornak

  "Hello, Simeon Albertovich."

  "Good morning, Zinaida Markovna."

  "Please, call me Zina." (TN: is a short name of Zinaida)

  "Well, Zina. And you can call me Simeon. Here's your coffee, I ordered for us. If you're hungry, we can call up the waiter."

  "Thank you, I had breakfast."

  "You are very lightly dressed for today's weather."

  "Do not worry, I don't feel cold."

  "What's this? Who did it with you?"

  "What?"

  "This bruise is under your left eye."

  "Is it so noticeable? Yes, imagine. I don't know what to do. It's not so easy for me. (TN: easy and light in this context is one word in Russian) I really hope that you can help me. Because I heard you have experienced it before."

  "I have never. In the current situation... I'm talking about what you told me on the phone..."

  "This is only a small part of the story, which I got into. I hope you have enough time to listen."

  "Yes, of course. Can I record our talk on the voice recorder, Zina?"

  "Please."

  "In the course of your narrative, I'll make notes in a notebook and will ask questions, is it okay?"

  "Yes, of course."

  "Are you ready? I turn on the recorder."

  "I'm ready."

  "Please, start."

  "My name is Zinaida Markovna. I graduated from the Engineering School of textiles a year ago, on the basis of the State University of Technology and Design, majoring in design, modeling and technology of garments. Now I'm studying in a postgraduate University on the faculty "The Technology of Light Industry" and I write a master's thesis on a theme "The Innovative Methods of Processing Raw Materials for the Light Industry". I'm telling in detail, is it okay?"

  "Yes, it's important. Please, continue."

  "And so I had the feeling that she, the light industry, doesn't want me to write my thesis."

  "What do you mean, 'she doesn't want to'?" (TN: the industry in Russian is a female word, to make animateness 'she' is used)

  "When I only have started to write the dissertation one year ago, strange things began to happen. All has started with my clothes. You smile, but my clothes became with no rhyme or reason… how to say… become unfit for use. A button could fly away, or an arrow on my stockings – a ladder appeared by itself, or my heel fell off. Certainly, I sewed buttons back, but the next day they fell off once again. I gave my clothes to tailor's workshops, with the same, pitiable result."

  "But, sorry, now you have a pretty comfortable and fashionable clothes, even though they are light."

  "After a few months my torment was over, by itself, also suddenly as it began. I finished the introduction and first chapter of my thesis. Some of the themes of my work affect practical manufacturing aspects. I had to visit several enterprises. And I went on a business trip to the city, where was a textile factory."

  "This is one of those that have been moved from Asian countries?"

  "Yes, exactly. You are well aware. There was a city forming textile factory. It was a fire on it this summer, and it was closed down."

  "I remember that accident media tried to hide. So, that I've a scant information."

  "Me too, I assure you. I was there when the factory still functioned. So, I'm tentatively agreed on expert interviews with the Chief Technologist and Manager of the factory. I spent a few weeks in city N, but never talked with management. For one reason or another interview didn't happen. They were in the departures, or were ill, or were in an important production meeting. In general, we've not been able to meet. Of course, I tried to get to the factory, but also without result. Normally, I have stopped right at the entrance, were not allowed inside because there was no order. Desperate, I went home with nothing. And for me a mystery remains were made something there or not? All day long, nothing to do, I walked near the long high fence of that textile factory, long stood at the gate but I've not seen any the entering or leaving truck. Do you understand? Not a single one."

  "Yes, it is really strange."

  "It was necessary for me to write the second chapter, leaning on various research papers, publications and another's interviews."

  "Zina, and have you tried to get on any other factory of the branch?"

  "Certainly, I tried, even here, in our town. But something didn't allow me. Each time circumstances were not on my side, and I have thrown these attempts. Strange, but telephone conversations with people, who could help to receive the necessary information, unexpectedly interrupted, and then I couldn't call to them anymore."

  "Perhaps, it's really simply a fatal coincidence of circumstances?"

  "Yes, Simeon, I have thought the same. But nothing to do, I had to write the thesis, the head already pressed."

  "And have you told him about it?"

  "What do you mean? He took me to the crazy graduate student or gutless student, even worse."

  "I see…"

  "A few weeks ago started blatant accidents..."

  "Again with your clothing?"

  "No, just a different kind. I don't know, how to say it... SHE has become aggressive."

  "Who? A light industry?"

  "Yes, it is! And I think... I will not live until my thesis defense. I, most likely, will have to renounce the thesis entirely."

  "Zina, I don't want to offend you, but may be these events can be associated with you only? Rather, they are because of you."

  "To be honest, I don't think so. When I studied at university, to me, all were given easily enough. I with pleasure studied history and modern applied technologies in the light industry. I remember when I was struck by one historical fact. At the beginning of the last century because of wars, revolutions and the world economic crisis, even after the demise of the entire production, including light industry, just fifteen years has been restored and even exceeded the production capacity of the industry. During that period, it was built a huge number of factories, raw materials and processing enterprises."

  "All of this was due to the general period of the rise in the country."

  "Yes, it is possible. For comparison, we now produce tissue three times less than a half-century ago. How is so? The population, which is consumers, increased, but the light industry doesn't work even on the third."

  "It's just easily explainable by the domination of foreign production and loss of a raw-material base. Yes, Zina?"

  "Simeon, but I have solved, that I could to help with the rise of this branch somehow. And I did the best for this purpose. Studied, studied, wrote… But, understand… SHE doesn't want. And that's it! How many my ideas will be buried?"

  "Calm down, Zina. Explain, please."

  "You know, now I can't even visit the clothing store. It's kind of a nightmare. Hangers with fur coats fall on me – my black eye is their job. I'm slipping in the shoes section and break the nose of heavy men's boots, standing on the bottom shelf. Entangled in the curtains, and they will not let me breathe. Bags were falling on me. I'm afraid. I'm desperate, I stopped to write my thesis. The good thing is that this happens only in clothing stores as yet. Help me if you can."

  "Zina... Can I turn off the tape recorder?"

  "Yes of course. I've already told everything and it's good. It was easier than I thought."

  "I'm glad you feel better now. Under other circumstances, I would definitely say that you have been thrown off balance. But I think you told me the truth. When you enter the café, I immediately thought, 'Easy and independent woman must be like she is. Is it possible that she may have some problems?' Unfortunately, I can help you by an advice rather. Frankly speaking, I like you. But I think that you should not go back to the thesis anymore. And even more – I think that what you've w
ritten... It's necessary to destroy maybe even burn. I can help you – for example, to accompany you to the shops for you to buy clothes and shoes if you do not mind?"

  "Yes, thank you very much."

  "And we hope that this will naturally pass. SHE doesn't want to develop, could be! There are many other interesting activities. Do you agree?"

  "Yes, Semeon. Thank you for your support. I expect that it will be a business of my life, but the destiny, has probably solved differently. Will you do a report?"

  "Certainly, no doubt. Now I only have to finish… an article about the food industry."

  "And why are you whispering?"

  Cups filled with coffee on a table started to ring; light ripples on its surfaces instilled fear.

  The End.

  About the Author

  George Kavsekhornak was born in Leningrad. Now he lives in Saint-Petersburg (Russia). He writes stories in the style of "urban fantasy" when a number of amazing and necessarily things want to be shared. He writes, on the one hand in the style of openly expressing respect for images created by the classics of Russian literature and the legacy of the plot metamorphosis foreign fiction, on the other hand.

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