Esher jumped up as if stung by an adder, took an envelope from his bosom and looked at it. The dark blue paper and the gold sealing wax seal looked like new, as if the envelope hadn't been near the guy's heart all day.
Clutching his head, Esher frantically thought about what to do now. He accidentally took the letter with the strange seal with him, and did not take it to the boss! This was a direct violation of the rules of the post office!
"I'll take the letter back tomorrow. Perhaps this letter is from some high-ranking figure, it could have been lost!" Esher thought, nervously scratching his neck.
Putting the envelope on the table where he had recently dined, the guy quickly took off his outer clothes and took out his pajamas from under the blanket lying on the heating tank. It was a long shirt, made of cheap fabric up to the ankles, which unpleasantly scratched the skin. Putting on warm pajamas, Esher grabbed a blanket from the tank and got into bed. He was finally not cold. The apartment was dark. The curtained window blocked out the light of the moon, leaving it a blurred spot glowing through the fabric of the curtains.
The heating tank hummed softly and monotonously. A clock was ticking somewhere behind the wall. Under all this cacophony of sounds, Esher finally fell asleep.
When Esher opened his eyes, he saw nothing but a strange purple smoke. It shimmered in different shades and swirled as if from the depths of the earth. Esher stood up from the stone pavement and looked around. He noticed that he was wearing his work clothes with a shawl draped over it. After looking around and finding nothing, the guy went ahead. He wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for, but something was pushing him to go further. Suddenly, in the distance, he noticed a spot of light breaking through the fog.
Esher continued walking, he continued to look around. He was amazed at how quiet it was. Just a swirling fog and a cold humming somewhere far away from him. This silence weighed on him. The spot of light was getting closer.
When he got very close, he saw a copper gas lantern. The fire flickered in the lamp, dispersing the purple mist around it.
Reaching down, Esher took the lamp by the handle and lifted it up. The flame seemed to calm down immediately and began to burn more steadily. Wrapping the shawl more tightly around himself, Esher continued to move.
It became easier to walk. Now he could see his feet.
"Where am I going?" Esher suddenly thought. He tried to stop, but it didn't work. "Why can't I stop?!"
The body continued to move forward against the will of the owner. Starting to get noticeably nervous, Esher tried to sabotage every step of his legs, stumble, lose his rhythm, but everything was in vain.
The body went forward regardless of the will of the guy.
Suddenly he stopped walking. He stood up in the middle of the purple fog and froze. Panting with nerves, Esher stared ahead, afraid to look away. Suddenly something, or rather someone, growled hollowly. A bubbling growl bursting from the very depths of the larynx approached the guy frozen in suspense. The fog in front of him darkened. Something huge was approaching Esher and the unknown guest was hardly friendly. Looking up, Esher saw a human face distorted by pain with half-rotted skin. Black cavities gaped in the eye sockets, something stinky and black dripped from a slack jaw with rotten gums. In the sky, the guy saw small growths and eyes. They stared at him without blinking. The creature breathed smog, rot and blood into his face. Not daring to move, Esher watched as the monster's rotten tongue approached his eye, as if the creature wanted to taste it.
Suddenly, Esher heard a ticking in the noise and hum of silence. A clock was ticking somewhere, counting down the seconds to death.
Everything froze.
Asher swallowed and blinked, feeling his mucous membrane begin to burn from dryness.
The creature jerked forward, opening its mouth and biting his face. Shouting in a silent scream, Esher hurled the lantern at the monster's head..
He woke up.