... The Chamber at them was huge, wide and long, maybe, ancient barracks or imperial still times state hospital: very tall
vaulted ceilings, floors, vystelennye a painted tile, a prison kind of a window - it is high, three with superfluous metre, over a
floor, - and are taken away by a double lattice - one from within, and another outside, on that party of glass.
Sixty eight beds, and almost all time - the complete set of our brother: six tens gavriloidov at the age from sixteen to sixty.
... It was cold always in this chamber, all is eternal they there merzli as bald dogs, and spoke to them: and it is necessary,
tsyts!. Holodina, skuchishcha, any female personnel, hospital attendants - entirely muzhiks, the soldier - nja, moreover also
fed half-starving: "the fifth table", squashes-mashki-kakashki, and meat boiled - on big only to holidays: on October, yes on
May, yes for New year. But beds were - good, with spring mattresses, wooden, and a fresh linen always, changed two times
week, dressing gowns warm, flannel, with strips, underpants and shirts, the truth, worse, than here, soldier's,
proshtempelevannye: "the Sixth Special Justices - lenie NNKV". And that it for NNKV - is not known, and it was never
known to anybody...
... The Main thing, all died of boredom. Books to read - not that was a contingent that the book to read. Walks it is not
necessary. There was one: perekurivat yes languages to scratch. All of them, of course, warned strictly that did not fray
among themselves. "The enemy, a pancake, overhears". But how here it was possible to be kept? And about what still to
people to talk, except as about the tortures. Besides - all after all around the. What here can be, to rastakoj to the mother,
enemies when I - Petersburg, and Vovan-bandy-legged - from Tchkalov, and Tolka-touch - in general even from camp, a
bough priblatnen - naja...
(All it looked almost as in an unhealthy dream. Or, suddenly, flew sometimes that it is all actually - theatre. Silent darkness.
The unnaturally sharply covered scene. Ingenious, on anybody not similar, the actor on this scene... Infinite and its
deliberately incoherent monologue, almost without gestures and absolutely without a mimicry... The Deathly immovability of
theatre of absurdity, and only - suddenly - from time to time, without the order, without a hint even on any order, silent as if a
shade, and dumb as a phantom of the supernumerary, - the female figure appears on that party of bed, hardly visible in the
dark, but in black obscenely thin dress on a naked body and submits to strange this story-teller the next glass with is dark-
cherry drink... And - adova a heat, air in lungs, apparently, already hisses, but for some reason all time merznet extended -
with a dictophone - a hand...) ... One was - the Caucasian, whether the Georgian, whether the Ossetin, - he always was
silent, and when addressed to it, only drilled in the answer a nasty black sight so you will not be glad, happened that was
started with it to talk. He only slept all day and night yes guzzled, fed him separately from us, held on a special diet, but it n-e
got fat and always was hungry as volchara, it was terrible to look as he devours chicken meat together with bones or a
spoon rows the porridge, - crumbs never after it in plates remains, and the soldering to it gave double, and can be, and
threefold. Well, and not without reason, certainly. In this world anything does not happen for nothing.
It took on procedures not often, time, many two once a week, but back - brought on a wheelchair, itself could not go, and
black-dark blue there was it after these procedures that yours udavlennik. Will lie down a layer (silently, without a sound,
even breath, happened not to hear) days, and again - as a green cucumber... And here once in the evening, all already
pomalenku to sleep kept within, conversations turned off, calmed down one after another - it has suddenly risen from a cot,
huge as a statue any, and has gone, has gone, has gone, at anybody without looking, to an exit where the sergeant on duty
the bum stayed, in a nose picked with boredom. This sergeant was threw up was (too not a chicken, by the way, the muzhik
jadrenyj as now speak - pumped up), but it has after the journey brushed away it, as grain crumbs from a cloth brush away, -
this sergeant without a uniform bunch has roared on a tile on pass between cots yes and remained to lie, as Buratino, for the
time being. And it, a straight line as the case, left on a corridor, has banged there something, zavereshchalo as if a cat have
pinched and - all. Bolsh------- e we it did not see never as there was no person... And whether there was it the person, in
general? I do not know, I not undertake to judge. That is first - was, of course, as everything, but here that they then have
made of it? It, whether you know, a question!... There was still such Kostik, Kostja Groshakov - small was shmakodjav - chik,
chernenky, armjanchik such... Actually any it was not the Armenian but as has stuck to it from the very beginning - "Karapet"
yes "Avanes", - so and has not come unstuck to the end. And so with it that have made? It has ceased to go. That is - in a
toilet. To write, on the big business. Absolutely. Month does not go, the second does not go. All have already noticed it,
neigh, stallions, unfasten jokes, and that here the ridiculous? You represent, on a submarine - crew to which the latrine is not
necessary? Or cosmonauts, for example? A useful thing, and anything ridiculous. . Then it from us have translated. Why?
Where? What for? Was once from procedure, collects personal things and declares: farewell, children, translate me from
you, do not remember the dashing. And cheerful everything, as if an award to it a distance. And we, it is necessary to tell, too
were not too afflicted: to smell from it it became bad lately, karbolovkoj any, chemistry, and it is especially strong - by the
evening...
(Strange business! Whether the infernal black heat which is starting with depths of a premise was to that vinoju, whether
an unnatural cold, almost a frost as which blew from the client, whether the client - okochenelyj in an immovability,
oskalennyj, grown shaggy volosom the semidead man, - whether nadtresnu - tyj its voice... And can be, the manner to
speak... And can be, that he told... All it created sensation of irreality and impossibility of an event, atmosphere suffocating
malarial koshmarchi - ka... And still was in this atmosphere - for some reason - languid, grey threat and inexplicable danger as
if not the person was before you, it is not clear why the garrulous story-teller, and - invisible muttering crowd...