Star Angels. The New World. Viktor Khorunzhy

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СКАЧАТЬ officially. But then he gave it up as a bad job and just hugged her. “Happy birthday, baby! I won’t be saying anything needless. Just one thing: Katy and I love you very much. But you happen to know that already… Here are the promised presents.” Michael passed Alice two envelopes: one was plain, made of white paper, and the other was gifty, bright and glittery. But as soon as Alice tried to open the white one, Michael stopped her with a gesture: “Not so fast! This present should wait till the evening. Surprises are like sweets: you lose the taste if you eat too much. Will you promise me not to make haste?” Michael had his eyes squinted in question.

      “Yes, sir!” Alice nodded willingly. “I love surprises so much!..What about this one?”

      “You can open it right now.”

      Her clever fingers instantly fished a beautiful birthday card out of the bristol board; several rustling notes were hiding inside the card.

      Alice clapped her hands with delight.

      “Katy, just take a look at this! It is enough for a whole load of fantastic excesses! Thank you, daddy!”

      Michael was remarkably pleased with his birthday girl’s response.

      “Okay then, girls, I’m waiting for you at breakfast.” then he left the room.

      The girls started dressing up. Well-minded Katy, knowing they would do a great deal of walking, pulled her comfortable grey jeans on and matched them with a green blouse. After some thought she took a malachite bead necklace out of her jewelry-box: it was her sister’s birthday today after all!

      Alice was fidgeting at her wardrobe a lot longer. She tried several outfits on, throwing the ill-fitting ones out on the bed. Eventually she found a perfect outfit for her adulthood day: a stylish mini skirt and a celestial blue blouse embroidered with rhinestones, showing off the rare colour of her beautiful eyes. A couple of colourful bracelets and a golden necklace – father’s gift for her last birthday – accomplished the look of a bright bird of paradise.

      When, having preened their feathers, the girls got themselves down for breakfast in their elated moods, pancakes with syrup and nosy tea had already been waiting for them. Michael, still wearing his elder daughter’s apron, also joined the girls at their small oval table, blanketed with checked tablecloth. He behaved rather absent-mindedly, having not even paid attention to Alice’s exotic outfit.

      “Aren’t you going to be late for work?” she suddenly asked with surprise, having looked at the big clock in the kitchen’s corner.

      “Me? Oh… I took a day off today.” Michael seemed to be deep into his own thoughts.

      “Listen, are you all right?” Katy asked. “You seem different since yesterday…”

      “I’m fine!” Michael answered after a holt. “Eat faster either you won’t have time to have a proper fun!”

      The sisters agreed at once after throwing a simultaneous glance at the clock. So they had hastily finished off a couple of pancakes each, drank up their tea and bustled out of the house.

      “Bye, dad!”

      “See you in the evening!”

      They had already been in the middle of their drive, when Michael leaped up to the door:

      “Girls! Listen what I have to say: today is not a usual day. Spend it the way you want. Forget about all the work, have the best time of your life and don’t regret anything!”

      “That’s okay!” Katy gave a wave of her hand. “We’ll finish celebrating tomorrow if we can’t make everything today!”

      “Here’s another advice, and it’s rather for you, Katy. Don’t sacrifice your ‘today’ for your ‘tomorrow’. You never know what ‘tomorrow’ will be,” Michael added in a soft voice.

      “Right, dad: let’s go off the limit!” Alice swooped and jerked her sister’s hand. “Let’s hurry up!”

* * *

      Passing by Mrs. Thompson’s and Professor Marlow’s houses, the girls witnessed another morning duel of their owners.

      “Mr. Marlow,” Agatha spoke in a lecturing tone, never addressing his neighbour as ‘professor’ on purpose, “Your lawn is making a shame of our street!”

      Professor rearranged his glasses:

      “If you have only known, what a discovery I’m up to make, you wouldn’t have bothered me with such nonsenses as an untrimmed grass… I might change the course of the whole planet’s life! This includes yours, by the way!”

      Agatha Thompson snorted in anger:

      “I’m pretty much satisfied with my life… It’s your lawn that empoisons it!”

      Professor Marlow shook his shaggy head and went off inside his house, to his countless vials. Mrs. Thompson also went inside, to her fat cat Smoky.

      “I wonder who will eventually win this fight?” Alice asked cheerfully. “I suppose, this round has ended in a tie…”

      Katy gave a laugh as well:

      “I think these two would be bored to live without each other.”

      Thus, laughing and joking, the girls approached the river-walk, and then turned towards the centre.

* * *

      “Well, what do we start with?” Katy peered at Alice questioningly.

      Today was her junior sister’s day. And Katy would be obeying and indulging her at everything. Well, or nearly at everything…

      “We stick to our plan,” Alice told her in a bossy manner. “We start from cinema. I’ve wanted to watch that movie for a long time… I was invited to it by Eddie Hopes from our parallel class. But you’re a much more preferable company for me!”

      “Poor Eddie Hopes,” Katy thought. For some reason none of the boys hadn’t asked her out to the cinema yet. But she was flattered to know she was a better entertainment companion for Alice. So the high day twirled around. After cinema the girls went shopping. There were only a few shops in Flitton, and Alice jammed Katy through all of them, whether big or small. After shopping they went to an ice-cream parlour, which offered thirty kinds of that splendid dainty.

      The sisters were wandering along the street, licking the colourful ice knickers, biting off the edges of wafer cups. They felt good to be together, and they felt happy…

      Suddenly Alice rooted herself at the show-window of the weapons-shop.

      “Oh, boy!” she swished. “I’ve never seen this shop before… Look at that beauty! Let’s go inside!”

      Katy approached the window. Frightening razor-blade objects were lying on the shelf stand. Katy shrugged:

      “Now that’s indeed a beauty… As if in a cannibal’s basement…”

      “Well, Katy, darling! You’ve promised to be at my orders today,” Alice moaned and her elder sister gave up.

      They entered a cool, obscure room. Numerous cases contained hanging and lying knives, cutters and hoofs – from small Swiss ones, with sets of advanced accessories to about meter-long machetes, the mere sight of which could fill you with СКАЧАТЬ