When I was pierced by Lightning of Love I fainted. How much time passed - it is impossible to tell.

I opened the eyes. The millennia flew as one moment. I lie on the burned field. My hands and feet are in a black soot. Here and there some burns on the body. Pain is intolerable.

“Where is a first-aid kit?”

“Is there anybody?”

Not a single soul. The burned field and me.

“Where is my ship, where all the passengers disappeared?”

And I remembered that it was not the ship, but the Earth, my planet, and I lost it. I lost the planet!

Seems like the memory was cut out with a sharp knife. I sat with difficulty, feeling sick. An emptiness. The soul - as this burned field. A pain, burning the breast pain, and no one near!

Is this one lightning really burned everything?

Where shall I go now?

That is so terrible!

I betrayed the passengers, didn't preserve the ship, I broke a captain's oath!

“Who am I now?”

The inflamed brain refused to think of future. I sat and rock.

I am rocking. And days, years, centuries, millennia go by. And suddenly the first thought flashed:

“For how long else is it possible to rock! It's time! Time to go somewhere!”

I get up and as a sleep-walker go where my feet bear me.

The feet brought me to a small river. For some reason I heard the word "Sister".

- “Sister is that your name?”

The river was silent. I understood that I guessed correctly. It was small, and I went along with current. Soon the river brought me to a gorge.

That's it, there is no place to go further!

It goes under the earth. I am lost!"

There are no way!..

From under the earth the bows of a small boat showed up. The boat came up from the gorge and swam up directly to my feet. Some couple in a black loose overalls with poles in hands sat on the boat. They had... no faces. There gaped an emptiness! My limbs were paralysed with fear. The tongue became foresten. I wanted to run. But the feet didn't obey. As a fish thrown out on the land, I swallowed the air and found - THERE IS ALSO NO AIR!!!

Death!

It came for me!

“Can you hear me, Death!?”

“I am alive!”

“I didn't wait for you!”

“Leave, silly!”

And here my look fell aboard of the boat. An inscription sparkled and with pain hit the eyes – "SANTA MARIA". As exhalation and freedom!

“I AM FREE!”

“LOVE YOU, DEATH!”

They both nodded and invited on the boat. I sat down without a shadow of doubt. The boat made a start from the coast, and we slowly floated in the gorge under the earth. Was becoming more and more dark. Memory, remained only the memory.

“Santa Maria!”

“Santa Maria!”

“HELP!!!”

From the chasm there was a familiar voice of Vladimir Oksikovsky:

                           “Who tells that death is an old woman?!
                           He lived for rags and for belly.
                           She entered, shining with beauty, alive and so desired.
                           Well, curtain the mirrors.
                           Today I am a groom, she is a bride...”

While listened to the song, I didn't notice how the boat failed in the chasm. Only my heart sank to the feet and slashed with something cold under the shovel.

Also I remembered a civil war. 1914. A heated shelter. I am in a felt boots and a jersey. On the shoulder - a bag with red cross. I sit at a little table and write a verses. And suddenly - an explosions and fight. I run on the battlefield, get some bandages. I creep to a wounded to tie up his wound. Someone runs up behind - and...

something sharp and cold gets stuck in the shovel.

“Probably, it is a bayonet.”

I plunge with my face in snow. A red big spot before the eyes...