Later, I found out that Draken, the guy who generously gave me his jacket, as well as his hat and boots, is a writer.
And as I learned, he writes mostly biographies of great and famous people.
"I've read some of your books. I have to say, you write very convincingly," he said when we stayed together in the house. "Your thoughts are very unusual. But nevertheless, every line in your books can be quoted."
"I'm flattered."
"Judging by your books, I'd say you're a skeptic in everything. But now, looking at you, I realized that you are a romantic and deep down a very fragile creature."
"It's always interesting to hear what others think of me. But my skepticism is still with me," I said rising up the stairs.
And until now, I couldn't see the house.
Noticing my delight at the sight of everything, Draken said, "This whole house, this calmness, I've been going for too long. Lei, too, has suffered a lot in his life. And so, this house, this peace, our reward."
"Sometimes, material values turn out to be a reward," I muttered understanding it.
As for me, a person should not always ignore material well-being. Some, after so much effort and suffering, deserve reward in the form of comfort and peace.
I looked into his eyes and I saw in them the past which left a deep trace in his soul. But still, whatever was in his past, he did not forget to smile and go ahead.
I wanted to know more about the people of this house, but alas, when you're interested, time flies at the speed of light.
And I didn't have time to talk properly, as it was evening.
To my luck, the blizzard subsided and the whole city plunged into the post-New Year feast which Lei said, "This feast lasts for a whole month."
Once we go to the city center, as in front of me began to flash a lot of garlands as well as a lot of New Year decorations that filled the whole streets.
The evening city was wonderful in its own way. Tall palaces and ancient high-rise buildings radiated soft light, so everything sometimes seemed artificial.
Cozy benches and long alleys, all this was done with sophistication.
Dressed in heavy coats, people walked slowly along the sidewalk, and almost every one of them looked happy.
"Professor, tomorrow I'll introduce you to all the university professors," Lei told me while driving.
"Good."
"Everyone was asking about you today, and they even wanted to come to our house to say hello to you, but I said you were still tired after the road."
"Yes, I still feel tired."
"You must be dizzy, the air here is very clean, so you can feel like something strange," Draken added, who was sitting next to me in the back seat.
"Let's stop near this store. You should buy some clothes. You see, there can be severe frosts, so you have to be prepared," Lei said stopping the car in front of a large building in front of which a lot of people were gathered.
And the next thing I remembered after I was in the middle of the crowd of people, there was a slight headache and a lot of boutiques with clothes.
"Professor, I need to buy something, and the two of you keep shopping," Lei said, and fled into the crowd.
"Professor are you tired?" Draken asked, putting on another long jacket with a fur hood.
"Yes. Feeling weird. My head is a little dizzy."
"It's all because of the air. Don't worry, you'll be better soon."
Scratching his head, and scattering his slightly elongated, thick hair, a guy named Draken sighed and thought about something.
Looking at him, I remembered Leon.
I wonder what he's doing now...
Because of my dizziness and fatigue, I could not see the city and people.
So an hour later, we were home.
"I'll leave you alone. You need to get used to everything," Lei whispered softly and placed a candelabra with five candles on the table in my room.
"Thank you. Good night."
"Tomorrow I'll be waiting for you at 7 a.m."
"Good."
Now I understand why he left candles in my room.
A few minutes later, the whole house plunged into darkness.
As it turned out, because of the strong wind, sometimes electricity can be turned off. And as soon as I wanted to put my thoughts on paper, I found myself in the dark.
Maybe because of the strong wind that burst into the closed windows, or because I was in a new place, but I felt fear.
I hurried to close the door in my room, and the moment I wanted to go to bed, I suddenly heard someone's faint voice sounding outside the door.
I didn't understand what that voice was saying, the words were in a different language, but I knew it was that girl's voice.
Slowly opening the door, I tightly clutched the candelabra.
But there was only a dark corridor in front of me. No one was there.
Although the next thing that happened to me just surprised me.
As soon as I wanted to go back into the room as my legs started to go against my will.
I feel like something was pulling me forward.
I was walking forward and when I found myself on the first floor, my legs stopped.
I don't know how long I've been there, but all of a sudden, the door suddenly opened with a bang and a blizzard came into the house.
Standing in the robe, with loose hair, I took a few steps forward, and suddenly, I felt someone's presence behind me.
The blizzard long ago extinguished all the candles, darkness surrounded everything around. But when I turned around, my gaze fell on that girl with the flute.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Her voice sounded very quiet.
Without saying anything, I just took a few steps back and when my feet were completely frozen, I went to the door and closed it.
When I heard her light the candle, I looked in her direction, but she was already climbing up the stairs.
"Sorry, are you okay?"
Without turning around, she replied, "Go back to bed, Professor. Tomorrow you will have a new day."
Back in my old state, I felt dizzy again, and when I wanted to look at her again, at that very moment, the electricity returned.
But the girl was nowhere to be found.