Chapter 2: home, sweet home
November 15, 2023 at 1:10 PM
In total darkness, Caroline was trying to find the switch from the garlands, resting her hand against the wall. Groping for the button and pressing, the whole truck lit up with multicolored light from the bulbs. Taking off a new pair of berets, glasses, gloves and taking off her overalls, Lina went deep into her house.
Around her were rotating shelves with all sorts of things that Caroline collected during the directive. It was something like a hobby that somehow diluted the gray everyday life. Moreover, they are very different: toys, household items, paintings, all sorts of stuffed animals for the garden, parking cones, books, tools, even a pink flamingo was lying around somewhere. If you look further, you can see something like her personal corner, where there was a hammock tied to two metal rods, and on it was a blanket and a pillow. Unfortunately, there is too little room for a bed, but Caroline does not complain. On the right was a small bedside table, where there were spare parts from the prosthesis, spare glasses and batteries, and on top were batteries that worked from solar panels on the roof of the truck.
Caroline collapsed on the cot and closed her eyes. Her whole body ached from the heavy loads. It is extremely tedious to clean up waste every day by building new garbage towers. Literally every inch of her torso was covered in numerous scars and calluses that Caroline had received during her directive. The most notable injuries included her left prosthetic arm, which is up to the elbow and a pacemaker in her chest. Moreover, they looked completely different than the equipment in the vicinity. They looked more advanced and new, as strange as it may sound. They were created exactly not in the two thousand hundredth year, much later, it felt like they were on those ships in space. Karolina wondered where and when the pacemaker ended up in her chest, and several prosthetic arms for growth. But I didn't remember the answer. And though, could you? Now they are gathering dust somewhere on the shelves, among other things.
By the way, Lina hurt her foot today, it's worth checking it out. Caroline sat down on the hammock and looked at her right leg. The bandana is holding tight, it seems like the blood is no longer flowing. Pulling off a kind of bandage, she was convinced of this. The foot still aches, but nothing fatal. What a pity that now the bandana is covered in dried blood, it will not be possible to wash it in the near future. unless, of course, it goes, but even that is not a fact.
After lying in bed for a few minutes, Caroline decided to turn on her favorite movie. Reaching for the toaster on the next shelf and pressing the lever, a cassette flew out of it, on which you could read "Hello Dolly!". Having inserted into the video projector and pulled out a huge Fresnel lens, which was held on an accordion mount, onto an old iPad, Caroline was looking forward to the picture appearing on the "TV" screen.
A second, two.
But the "TV" started working and the actors danced to the joyful song "Put On Your Sunday Clothes". Of course, Carolina does not boast of a special sound and picture quality, but nothing can be done. Carefully getting up, she went to sort out her finds for today. Picking up the bag and opening it, Caroline saw the lid from the trash can. Wait, what?
- "And why did I bring it?" - Caroline asked herself the question. Lina didn't even notice how she put it in her bag. With a shrug, she put the trinket aside.
Then there was a hybrid of a spoon and fork. And this thing puzzled Caroline. She had two glasses, one for spoons, the other for forks, and she had no idea where to put this miracle. Shifting her gaze from one to the other, Caroline decided to put it in the middle. The next subject was the famous Rubik's Cube puzzle. Karolina remembers when she pulled her hand, the workers who were with her then gave her this cube to do something. But no matter how hard Lina tried, she couldn't connect all the squares of the same color on one side. Karolina lost the last rubik somewhere, so she took a new one, maybe this time it will work. Putting it on the shelf, Caroline reached for the latest find. And it was a lighter. The girl lit it, checking. A bright light appeared from a small rectangle. Lina sometimes had to light fires when she didn't have time to get to the truck. Without looking, Caroline pressed the switch and the shelves began to spin until a whole collection of lighters appeared.
Gently stroking a new thing in the collection, she heard out of the corner of her ear how the two main characters of the film began to sing a touching song together. Turning towards the makeshift TV, Caroline saw a scene where the actors, holding hands, were walking through a park lit by street lamps. Lina came closer and, without taking her eyes off the screen, pressed REC on the player.
And that is all that love's about. And we'll recall when time runs out…
Caroline was mesmerized by what was happening in the film, unable to look away. There was something in this scene that was completely alien to her, incomprehensible, but at the same time beautiful. Of the workers, there were some who were in Lina's memory, told about love. She already remembers poorly anything from that time, as if the brain had specially wiped the moments. But that conversation was imprinted in my mind as something vital. Love is an inspiring feeling that gives you the strength to go against everything in the name of that your heart is beating. Through blizzards and blizzards, through cold and heat, but still move forward, giving all of yourself, opening the farthest corners of your soul. In words, it sounds beautiful, however, Caroline did not understand everything. But it's probably much better to test it. Which Lina doubts. There is no one here on Earth, and the attachment to Archie is rather something else, similar, but has big differences. It says exactly about a person, not about an animal. or maybe Caroline is wrong. I don't think she'll ever find out. There is no place in her life for thinking about such topics.That it only took a moment. To be loved whole life long…
Unconsciously, Caroline began to twist her fingers into a lock, like the main characters of the film. She would also like to feel this feeling when you are loved and appreciated. After all, only that short period when there were workers next to Caroline, she felt something similar to this. Something told her that what was shown on the screen was something else. But what exactly was different, Caroline does not know. A feeling of coolness pulled Caroline out of her reasoning. Looking at her hands, she realized that she had repeated this gesture. And the reason for the unpleasant sensation was a prosthesis. Exhaling sadly, Lina looked at Archie, who was lying down on his couch, and went to shake the dirt out of the bag. Opening the ramp, Caroline began to pour out all the dust and debris, trying to distract herself from annoying thoughts. Every time she thinks about something like that, it always reminds her how lonely she is. There is no one around. Completely. Except for Archie. But he still will not replace the company with a person. Lina can tell him about the painful, but the dog will never answer. He feels her pain, but can only rub his muzzle against Caroline. Tears welled up in her eyes, but Caroline brushed them away. Out of frustration, looking up, as if asking the universe itself to help her, Lina saw a small crack from where bright stars could be seen. This happened quite rarely, so this time Caroline's gaze was riveted to the night sky. Suddenly something flew down from above. Shooting stars. Her elders told her that with such an event, one should make a wish and it will definitely come true. - " I don't want to be alone anymore " - Caroline thought to herself. How she wanted to meet some person who could dispel her loneliness. The temperature dropped sharply, which Lina felt quite sharply, standing in only a shirt and jeans. And the wind was getting stronger, carrying dust right into Caroline's face. But that's not the worst part. In the distance, a pile of dirt, garbage and the devil knows what else was rushing at high speed. A sandstorm. Shivering from the cold, Caroline quickly began to shake the bag, and then, running into the truck, pulled the lever, closing the ramp. As soon as the storm overtook Caroline's house, the door was closed, and Lina herself was already calm. And Sonna. It was late, it was worth going to bed. Taking the canned food and opening it, she gave the treat to Archie. She did not eat herself, Caroline had already eaten today, and stocks need to be saved. So she fell back on the hammock and covered herself with a blanket. Closing her eyes, Caroline almost immediately fell into the arms of the kingdom of Morpheus. The last thought that flashed through my head was the hope that this night would be without nightmares.
